Submitted by: Cee Simpson
Protect Your Critical Data (Disaster Recovery in the Cloud)
Tape Backup is Dead
Experience has shown me that tape backup is expensive, difficult, slow to recover files From, and must be administered centrally (onsite). The tape media must be carried Offsite and it is subject to failure. How do I know this I was a contract Storage Area Network Administrator (Backup and Recovery) in a DoD Disaster Recovery Center for over 7 years. We recovered 90% of Unix and about 60% of Windows platform data (on all affected entities) after Hurricane Katrina.
The vast majority of businesses rely on tape backup as their sole data protection technology. Tape s days are numbered the limitations, unreliability and expense of these systems is giving way to the rapid evolution of online backup. The DoD cost ofThe contract we had was $110.00 per Administrator per hour. Most packages for your Business are predetermined and not scalable to your business. Your locked in to whatYou probably do not need. When the budget cuts came, backup admins were eliminated. Experience has shown me that:
– 15% of all tape backups fail
– 10 50% of all subsequent restores from tape fail
– Restoring dat from tape older than 5 years fails 40 50% of the time
– 34% of companies never test a restore from tape
– Of the companies that do test a restore from tape, 77% experienced failure
– 7 out of 10 small firms that experience a major data loss are out of business in one yea
– A 10 degree temperature change can reduce the life of a tape by 10 or more years.
Backup Touches Everyone
Unlike many technology services, everyone needs data backup. Your business and consumer clients may not all need other services like Exchange hosting (Email hosting), web applications, and the like. However, every single computer requires an effective backup solution.
Backup To The Cloud
Whether you ve learned from experience or by hearing of someone else s misfortune, You know how important it is to back up your data. Although hardware storage devices (such as portable hard drives) can create an extra copy of files, they are susceptible to physical damage and can be easily lost. When your files are backed up using a cloud-based service, you can be sure they won t be misplaced or lost in a fire or flood. They are particularly useful for small offices that need offsite storage for backups.
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Cloud services use the Web to transfer your files to a data center in a different Geographic location. An Internet connection and a computer are all you need to retrieve Your data. Accounts are available at a variety of price points, and generally the rates are Tied to how much capacity is offered by the service. Many will offer a small amount Of space free, however. For example, SOS Online Backup offers a 14 day trial and charges $79.95 to buy for 50 – 100GB of data you upload annually. SOS Online also offers typical online backup features, such as automatic backup scheduling and the ability to share files with others.
SOS recently added support for backing up a variety of mobile and handheld devices, including iPhones, iPads and Android devices, for an additional monthly fee.
SOS protects the privacy of your data in triplicate, encrypting your information on your computer, in transit and when received. You can also add a private password that no one has access to except you so your files are 100 percent protected. This feature is called SOS UltraSafe and it restricts the access to your password even to SOS employees.
The company has 11 Data Centers worldwide that uses 256-bit AES and 128-bit encryption methods across a SSL link, providing redundant storage in multiple physical locations during file transmission.. With this added protection, your data is safe even if something happens to one of the company’s servers; your information is still secure and accessible from another SOS server. SOS provides more than adequate security and surpasses many services with its encryption protocols.
To give you a better idea of how online services work, we ll show you how to set up an account, back up your data, and use other features available to you in SOS Online.
Get Started
Download the SOS Online Backup installation file from www.sosonlinebackup.com/sos-backup-software-download.htm Although SOS Online saves your files to the Web, you control your account preferences And backups from a client you download to your computer. To download the program From the SOS Online home page:
For Windows Vista & 7 users:
– Save the SOS installation file (i.e. SOS V4.x.x.x.exe) to your local drive. (E.g. Desktop)`
– Right click on the SOS installation file, and choose Run as Administrator .
For XP & other users:
– Save the SOS installation file (i.e. SOS V4.x.x.x.exe) to your local drive. (E.g. Desktop)
– Double click on the SOS installation file.
Note: It is recommended to install SOS Online Backup software client in the default directory.
When the installation is complete prepare to Run SOS Online Now. Select Finish. The program is now on your computer.
Once the program is installed, the setup process will begin. Begin Your Backup
How do you know if the software has been installed correctly?
– Launch an online backup
– Launch SOS Online Backup from the launch icon on your desktop and log in.
– Once logged-in, select Backup Online.
– Run through the wizard selecting only a couple of small files and run the backup with
the option to return to Wizard mode selected. – Verify an online backup
– Once the backup completes, go to Advanced menu on the top right side of the use
interface and select Classic View .- You will see three tabs, Storage View , Backup Mode
and Options .- Select the Options tab, and then Backup History .
– In the Backup History view, you will be able to view the backup activity to verify
that a backup has taken place.
– Launch an online restore
– From Classic View Click on Tools , and then Run Wizard .
– Wait for the software to collect account data (ie. what has been uploaded to the SOS
servers).
– Press Next and you should see the file(s) you have uploaded
you can select what you wish to recover.
– Run through the remainder of the Wizard to recover your selections.
Share a File Share a Folde
If you want to back up multiple computers (or a hardware storage device, such as a Portable hard drive), SOS Online can sync your data so all your files are accounted for And there are no duplicates. It also supports multiple operating systems (in case you Have a Windows computer at work and a Mac at home for example.) Note you don t Have to download the SOS Online program on each computer you want to sync, but you Will use the same account information. All you need is your username and password and any Web enabled device .Windows, Mac, Facebook, iphone, android Just enter your current account information when prompted.
To share a file/folder, you can use MyAccount facility which is available from our website (https://myaccount.sosonlinebackup.com ). Log in to your account using your username and password and then select the Online Recovery link. There will be a list of machines from which you have done your backup so far, drill down to which files/folders you want to share and then select the SHARE/RECOVER link on the right of the table.
Accessing Your Files Online
SOS online can not directly back up SQL, Exchange, SAGE, Intrit, QuickBooks & Quicken and MYOB files if they are open.
Bandwidth is dependent upon the internet speed of the user. Some ISP s high speed internet is shared, reducing the actual bandwidth available to the user affecting transfer speeds. A high speed network of 100mbps may only have a throughput of 39mbps if the bandwidth is shared (based on the number of your housemates or neighbors that are online and their activities). Security scans use lots of bandwidth which will degrande throughput if they are run during transfers. Business class networks usually do not experience these problems but they can if the Systems Admins schedule scans during backup. Check your ISP s speed.
Whether you need to find a single file or restore all your files to a new computer, You can access your collection of backed up data from the SOS Online Web site. From the home page, select My Login link and then enter your username and password. From here you will be able to view the files you have backed up and stored in your SOS Online account.
If you need to restore files or folders to your computer, follow the instructions for the data you want to download to your computer.
SOS Online is one of many cloud based backup solutions. Be proactive and find a cloud Based backup solution that will work for you, because if you wait until you need a backup of your files it s already too late.
About the Author: Cee Simpson is a Security Systems Analyst with
EZMobilePC.com
. You can reach him at casimp777@ezmobilepc.com
Source:
isnare.com
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