If you lost your data today, would you be able to recover it? Would your business be able to resume functioning quickly? The goal is to never have to experience the answers to these questions. But, you should be prepared for any sort of digital or natural disaster that could stop your business in its tracks.

This is where onsite and offsite backups come in. With an IT solutions provider, you can get one or both of these types of security. The services you choose will depend on factors like your location, your preferences, and your security requirements.

Onsite data backup

This type of data backup keeps all of your important files on separate hard drives at your location. You won’t need to have a strong internet connection or rely on a professional somewhere else to bring your data back online. This is considered the cheapest backup method because external hard drives are relatively affordable and easy to maintain.

You will need to remember to keep things scalable as your business grows. You can work with an IT professional to ensure your backups are always accessible. Another thing to consider is that if the hard drives and your computers are both damaged beyond repair, you could lose everything.

Offsite data backup

This method is also known as cloud storage and must have an internet connection to function. It is common for your data to be stored on different servers at multiple secure locations to ensure that nothing is lost. Scalability is much easier with offsite backups, but you won’t have the servers or hard drives on hand.

It is important to do your research before choosing a third party to store your data. Ask about their security measures, where their servers are located, and what steps they take to ensure the safety of your data. If your industry has laws regarding data storage, make sure the company you choose to work with follows them.

Using both backup methods

It is often best for businesses to use both onsite and offsite backup because it provides redundancy. In the IT world, redundancy is a good thing. It means that if one security measure fails, there is another to fall back on. There are many situations where a company could lose their data completely if they are not using multiple redundancies.

• Your onsite backup servers could be damaged in a plumbing accident.
• A fire could break out at the server farm.
• A hacker could get into your onsite systems or a virus can easily spread through your local network.
• A disgruntled employee at the offsite data storage facility could prevent access to cloud storage.

These situations may seem extreme, but they are not improbable. If you rely solely on offsite backups and something happens to the server facility, you could have no options for recovering your data. In the case that you only use onsite backups, you could lose active and archived files for good. It is important to consider everything that could happen when choosing data storage and security methods.

The role data backup plays in disaster recovery

Whether you use onsite or offsite backups (or both), the goal is to make sure you rebound from a disaster quickly. This is just one step of a good disaster recovery plan. For example, if your city loses power, you will need to make sure that you have backup electricity through generators before you can even consider getting your network online. Make sure that your IT company is aware of your plan so that they can play an active part in helping you resume business.

Want to learn more about backing up your data?

The professionals at Andrews & Associates are here to help! Our Team has over 250 years of combined experience in the IT industry. We can help you stay secure and efficient when disaster strikes. Call us at (806) 242-1088 or Send us an Email for more information about our Services.