Data Backup & Storage

An important part of running a small business involves preparing for the potential of a data loss event. Data backup service refers to the process of copying physical or virtual files to a secondary location. This preserves vital data in the event of disaster. Data backup service solutions provide peace of mind knowing that your business files are secure.

Equipment failure, data corruption, fire, flood, or even theft no longer has the capability to devastate your company by destroying your critical information. Version history can also be recovered by data backup. St. Louis-based Anderson Technologies experts will help find the solution that works best for your business and implement it.

Types of Data Backup and Storage

There are three location-specific types of data backup service. The following solutions illustrate these choices.

1. On-Premise

Implementing an on-premise backup is a simple way to establish a local backup data repository. These backups are straightforward to put in place and can be saved to external hard drives, flash drives, tapes, or other electronic media. Computers can be programmed to back up files automatically or manually. As St. Louis data backup experts, we recommend pairing this solution with a cloud-based option, systematizing the process, and establishing a backup schedule that meets your company’s data recovery requirements.

2. Offsite

Some businesses perform an offsite backup daily or weekly to a removable media device and then transport it to a separate location. It is important to use more than one physical location for your data storage solutions should something happen at the primary office to compromise the integrity of the local backups. While this may seem arduous and time-intensive, offsite data backup services protect against cyberattacks, theft, fire, or other natural disasters that could otherwise compromise your business.

3. Cloud-Based

Utilizing a reliable Internet connection, cloud-based services automatically store and back up data from your local systems to remote servers over secure, encrypted connections. Depending on the options selected and how they are configured, some cloud-based backup solutions can also be programmed to save a second copy of data to a local data repository. This data storage solution gives a company the best of both worlds (on-premise and offsite through the cloud) and provides peace of mind that all of your digital data is safe and available in case anything happens to your computers.

Anderson Technologies can provide the best data backup St. Louis has to offer.

Which of These Backup Solutions Is Right for You?

	ON-PREMISE	OFFSITE	CLOUD-BASED
System Requirements	Backup host computer, backup software, external hard drive(s), tapes, or other electronic media	Backup host computer, backup software, removable media	Software subscription, reliable Internet connection
Costs/Fees	Higher initial out-of-pocket cost for backup software and backup media	Higher initial out-of-pocket cost for backup software and removable backup media; Occasional purchases of additional removable media (depending on retention policy)	Monthly fee varies based on number of machines to backup and amount of data
Time to Manage	After initial setup, the system is programmed to back up files automatically but user monitoring is required to audit process	Manual backups can be performed anytime	After initial setup, the system is programmed to back up files automatically; Full monitoring available
Data Accessibility	On-premise only	Must be retrieved from offsite location	Available via secure credentials anywhere Internet connection is available
Data Encryption	Limited by hardware and software	Limited by hardware and software	Full data encryption
Synchronization	Can be programmed to execute backups frequently — hourly, daily, weekly, etc.	None; Remote media transfers handled manually	Can be programmed to execute backups frequently —continually (in some cases), hourly, daily, weekly, etc.
Risk/Liability	Single location point of failure	Removable media could be lost, stolen, or dropped/corrupted in transit	Retrieval of data unavailable during internet outages (unless local copy also configured)