One of the most important considerations when choosing remote backup is security. To ensure that your data is safe and secure, you want to be certain the online storage service offers the use of encryption and password protection. This way, only someone with your password is able to access your data. Not even the remote backup service provider themselves can access your information when your data is encrypted, so be sure this type of system is offered.

Most remote backup service providers offer quite a bit of free storage that is generally acceptable for individual users and small businesses. If you require a lot of storage space then you need to be sure that the company you choose offers the amount of space you need and at a good price per month. Some affordable online storage companies offer unlimited backup space for just a few pounds per month.

An important thing to ask any online storage company is how long they keep the archives. If it is important for you to have access to your data two years from now, then you must be sure that extended storage time is offered and at what price. You also want to be sure that you can easily and securely access your archived files from any computer at any time you wish.

Support
Support is a key issue when choosing a remote backup service. If you need to contact the server support provider with questions, you want to be certain that there is an emergency user support system in place. Inquire as to what the turnaround time is for email inquiries, the wait time for phone support and whether or not the online storage company forces you to fill in a time-consuming report when seeking help. The best company offers 24/7 support both via email and telephone and will clearly state how long it takes them to respond to a query.

Conclusion

As you can see, choosing a backup system requires some forethought, research, and planning. It pays to do your homework when you’re investing in something that could essentially make or break your business in the event of a catastrophe. Cost should always be a big consideration but think of this as an investment in the stability as well as the security of your business. Done right, you could even use your data backup systems as a selling point to potential customers, featuring your backup system as a top selling point! This is one of the instances which results in bad publicity. Losing a large amount of customer data due to a faulty (or non-existent) backup system can not only be embarrassing but costly to recover from. Keep these tools in mind as you continue modify and strengthen your small business systems.

Online backup services work much like traditional backup software. With an online backup service, however, your important data is transmitted over the Internet and securely stored on a server in a professional data center instead of being stored on your own CDs, DVDs, or backup tapes. First off, online data backup is just as the name implies. Data is backed up over a networked connection (most likely using the TCP/IP standard protocol of the internet) to a remote location (ideally).

Typical features

1) Encryption
Data should be encrypted before it is sent across the internet, and it should be stored in its encrypted state. Encryption should be at least 256 bits, and the user should have the option of using his own encryption key, which should never be sent to the server.

2) Network backup
A backup service supporting network backup can back up multiple computers , servers or Network Attached Storage appliances on a local area network from a single computer or device.

3) Continuous backup – Continuous Data Protection CDP
Allows the service to back up continuously or on a predefined schedule. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Most backup services are schedule-based and perform backups at a predetermined time. Some services provide continuous data backups which are used by large financial institutions and large online retailers. However, there is typically a trade-off with performance and system resources.

4) File-by-File Restore
The ability for users to restore files themselves, without the assistance of a Service Provider by allowing the user select files by name and/or folder. Some services allow users to select files by searching for filenames and folder names, by dates, by file type, by backup set, and by tags.

5) Online access to files
Some services allow you to access backed-up files via a normal web browser. Many services do not provide this type of functionality.

6) Data compression
Data will typically be compressed with a lossless compression algorithm to minimize the amount of bandwidth used.

7) Differential data compression
A way to further minimize network traffic is to transfer only the binary data that has changed from one day to the next, similar to the open source file transfer service Rsync. More advanced online backup server support services use this method rather than transfer entire files.

8) Bandwidth usage
User-selectable option to use more or less bandwidth; it may be possible to set this to change at various times of day.