Data backup solutions your business needs
No one likes to think about losing data. But whether it’s due to cyberattacks, disgruntled employees, human error, equipment failure, or natural disasters, a data loss incident is always possible. The best way to avoid losing valuable customer and company information is to have a reliable backup solution. Here are some solutions for your consideration. Tape drives Tape drives are the oldest backup solution still in use today because they offer high-capacity data storage and are very cost-effective. Modern tape drives come with 114 TB native capacity and 360 TB compressed capacity, which is larger compared to most hard disk drives. In addition, well-maintained tape drives can store data for over 30 years. Other devices, such as hard drives, become less reliable overtime. Also, tape drives are stored offline, which means they’ll be safe should your business fall victim to an online attack. External hard drives An external hard drive is a portable hard drive that can be connected to a desktop or laptop through a USB port. External hard drives come in varying storage capacities ranging from 1 TB to 18 TB. For companies that can’t afford multiple servers or cloud storage, external hard drives are a cost-effective way of backing up valuable data. External hard drives are portable and let you access your files even when you’re offline. When using external hard drives, however, you need to update your backups regularly to include new files. Also, there’s a risk these devices can be misplaced or stolen if they are not stored in a secure location. USB drives USB drives are an inexpensive and simple data backup solution. While they don’t have the capacity of external hard drives or tape drives, newer flash drives can store up to 1 TB of data, making them the ideal option if you’re not planning to store a huge amount of files. And because USB flash drives have a compact design, they are easy to carry around. USB drives are compatible with both PC and Mac devices as long as they have a USB port. Modern ones are designed with transfer speeds of up to 4.8 GB per second. This allows you to copy files faster compared to hard drives which only have a transfer rate of 150 MB per second. The only drawback with USB drives is that they can be misplaced easily, so be sure to store them in a safe and secure place after use. Cloud storage Cloud storage allows you to back up your data online. This reduces the need for physical storage, helping you cut down on hardware maintenance costs and office space. And since your data is stored online, you can access your files from anywhere with a stable internet connection. This makes file sharing easier, thus facilitating remote and hybrid setups, which became the norm during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, most cloud providers offer encryption services to ensure only authorized personnel can access the stored data. Keep in mind, however, that there are still providers out there that do not have sufficient security protocols in place, exposing sensitive data to cyberthreats. So before you decide to use cloud storage, make sure the provider you choose is familiar with data regulation laws and uses the latest cybersecurity protocols to ensure the safety of your data. Data backup may seem like a chore, but having copies of your files offline, off premises, or in the cloud will ensure the continuity of your business in the event of a disaster. Call our data backup experts today to learn more. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Here’s how SaaS can benefit your business
The IT sector relentlessly comes up with new business solutions that cut costs and increase efficiency. One such innovation is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). In this post, you’ll learn more about what SaaS is — and why you shouldn’t miss out on it. What is SaaS, and what does Software-as-a-Service even mean? Just a few years ago, the main way for computer users to get software was to either buy a physical CD or download the software from the internet. The software needed to be installed in users’ machines, which meant that those machines had to have sufficient storage space and processing power for the software to work. Moreover, the license to use the software copy is usually limited to one machine. Therefore, the user had to buy another copy of the software if they wanted to install the software on another machine. In business settings, software delivery was streamlined so that on-premises (on-prem) servers held the software programs, and users accessed these programs via the company’s intranet. The user’s own device became a medium for entering input and displaying output, but most, if not all, of the processing was done by the on-prem servers. In this setup, economically priced license packages allowed a single software copy to be used by tens or hundreds of users at a time. Today, SaaS essentially allows users to go online, “borrow” the machines of a service provider, and use the software applications installed on those machines. Since the user only has to access the internet to access SaaS apps, they can use portable devices like laptops and smartphones and use the software wherever there is internet connectivity. This gives users more flexibility since they don’t have to go to the office to work. Should I stick to on-prem IT infrastructure or switch to SaaS? SaaS is an ideal solution for businesses that want to reduce upfront costs. With on-prem software, you first need to buy on-prem hardware, which you will then need to maintain. Next, you need to purchase a software license and pay yearly support fees, which can amount to 22% of the license fees (ouch!). With SaaS, you don’t need to buy your own servers to host the actual software. Moreover, you pay only a monthly or annual subscription fee that covers licenses, support, and other fees. This lets you spread out costs, which is more manageable than buying expensive lifetime licenses and paying huge maintenance bills annually. How flexible is SaaS? Will it be able to fulfill the particular needs of my business? Traditional on-prem solutions used to have two advantages over SaaS: the former granted more functionality and allowed full customization. However, SaaS vendors now continually introduce more and more features that users ask for. Moreover, businesses can often integrate SaaS apps with other apps to suit their needs. That is, if one app is missing a particular feature, it can be integrated with another app that has that needed feature. How safe will my data be? Organizations often cite data security concerns as reasons for not adopting SaaS. Will the company’s data be safe? Who will own such data? What if the SaaS vendor’s business goes kaput? These are all valid concerns. But you should know that the average SaaS vendor invests more in cybersecurity, backup tech, and maintenance than the typical small- or medium-sized business. This is the vendor’s line of business, and they can’t afford to lose their clients’ trust. Moreover, they’re subjected to strict security audits, especially those that are covered by data regulations like HIPAA. Additionally, when your organization takes on a SaaS vendor, both parties sign a service level agreement (SLA). This SLA has clauses specifying who owns the data inputted into a program and the output produced by the program, and the vendor’s obligation to grant you access to your data even if they suffer economic setbacks or business failures. For more information on SaaS, send us a message today. We’ll help you determine if utilizing SaaS is best for your business. Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.