Why do we need to backup?

Any document, spreadsheet, or other type of file is at risk if it exists in only one location. Hard drive malfunction and computer viruses, as well as things like fire and human error can and do happen to computer systems. When these problems occur, weeks or months of work can disappear in an instant, lost forever. The best protection from such a disaster is to have multiple versions of the data, including at least one copy stored in an alternate location. This is the basic principle behind all backup strategies.

Main causes of data loss:                                                                                                                                                          

Many businesses have a backup procedure already in place. However, they may not be aware of the alternatives to their current expensive, manual, archaic, tape-based backup processes. With business operations so reliant on information technology, it is vitally important to identify alternatives that can eliminate vulnerabilities. In addition, it is important to utilize an effective data protection service that will allow you to quickly restore business operations.

Online Backup, sometime referred to as remote backup or offsite data backup, allows users to back up data to a remote, offsite location over existing internet bandwidth. This gives your business the ability to implement a data protection strategy that includes offsite storage of a backup of your data without requiring physical transportation of the data from your location to another remote storage location - which often means a company employee taking tapes in his car to his home. Instead, you can define your backup schedule, and the backup software will send the data to our secure data center instantly, giving you easy offsite data protection.

Taking advantage of off-premises infrastructure and services (often referred to as cloud services) offers several benefits. Information can be more easily accessed from any Internet-connected device. A third-party service provides built-in security, management, monitoring, and reporting—often an improvement over on-premises capabilities. It also offers scale. As growth and changes dictate, the backup solution can accommodate needs faster—and often more cost effectively—than an on-premises strategy. There may also be some cost and/or budgeting advantages to outsourcing all or a piece of backup storage as backup services are charged back to the customer on a consumption basis.

AIMVault – Secure, Automated Online Data Backup and Disaster Recovery.

AIM’s online data backup service delivers advanced data protection that combines online backup and offsite storage into one automated step, simply by installing software and leveraging existing internet connectivity. With disciplined, automated offsite backup, expert technical support, and disk-based recovery devices, you can focus on core competencies knowing your business is fully protected.

Backup data is stored on industry-leading disk arrays located in premier datacenter facilities. The datacenter is monitored and equipped with redundant power and telecommunication supplies, climate controls, and fire suppression systems.

Disaster recovery services are an integral part of the solution. Formulation of a business continuity plan (BCP), in conjunction with value added services such as IT Support, portable/mobile vault, physical and virtual recovery platforms, managed hosting and a recovery work site make AIMVault the most comprehensive solution for attainting true business continuity even in the event of a catastrophic disaster.

How it works:

It starts with a simple installation of the AIMVault software. From here, you'll select backup targets and create backup tasks containing configurations for data selection, timing, retention settings, encryption level, and other preferences.

Next step is to establish a full seed of selected data. This can be done over the internet or our technicians will arrange for a Mobile Vault to be delivered. You can back up to a Mobile Vault and ship it back to us for a full import into our redundant vaults.

Subsequent to the first seed backup, changed data is detected at the block level and is the only data to be compressed before being stored in our secure redundant data storage vaults. Since changed data typically represents a few percent of native data, this process can reduce backup windows by 55% or more! Integrity checks and email notification complete the process.

Restoring individual files couldn't be easier. From the AIMVault Web console, simply click restore in the list of backups for restore and choose which individual files/folders you want, versions of the file and where to restore it to. This saves administrators precious time and end users become productive again.

Features of AIMVault

To know your business is fully covered, here's a checklist of must haves:

» Daily Backup Copy                 » Immediate Offsite Storage             » Built in Encryption                 » Daily Reliability                       » Continuous Processing          » Access Safeguards                » Fast Incidental Restores                 » Fast Volume Recoveries         » Technical Proficiency              » Time Window Efficiency        » Process Automation              » Regulations Compliance                  » Scalability                            » Monitoring and Reporting        » Disaster Recovery

Self-managed, in-house data protection solutions can easily lull a business into a false sense of security because whilst the data is said to be backed up, they rarely have all the above ‘must haves’ in place.