Frequently Asked Questions
What is a remote backup system
and what does it do?
What if we already have a tape backup
system?
What if we already have a Zip
drive?
How long does a remote backup
take?
On-site, Off-site? What's the
difference?
Why are remote backups considered more
beneficial?
How secure are remote
backups?
What is
encryption?
Remote Backup works
basically like regular data backup software, with one
important difference.
Instead of sending backups to a tape drive
or other media attached to the computer it is backing up, remote
backup sends the backup over the Internet, regular telephone lines
or network connections to another computer safely offsite. It does
this (usually) at night while your computers aren't being
used.
It’s
completely automatic. In fact, you may even forget it is working.
Most businesses put their lives on the line every night and don’t
realize it. With businesses depending more and more on the data
stored in their computers, proper backups are becoming much more
critical. Acme Data, LLC
provides a means for businesses to ensure that critical data is
stored off site, yet accessible.
Acme Data operates an off-site server designed to
store a customer's data. There, an account is maintained for each
customer and each account is protected by a password known only to
the customer! The remote backup system is set up so that at a
preset time, usually late at night, the client's computer
automatically wakes up and prepares its data for backup. It
determines which files have been modified since the
last backup,
compresses them, and then encrypts them for security.
When
the data is ready, the computer uses its internet connection to
locate Acme's remote backup server. The customer PC then transmits
the data to Acme's server.Acme
Data's remote backup server verifies and stores the data. Acme then
copies the customer's encrypted data to either CD, DVD or tape for
safe storage.
Using a tape backup system
and a remote backup system offers the best of both worlds. Critical
files, like billing, customer contact files and databases, can be
kept on the remote backup system. Your tape system can be used to
create a full backup of the entire system once or twice a month,
instead of on a daily basis. The tapes and drive will last longer,
and they will require less maintenance. The remote backup system can
provide a quick and easy way to retrieve critical files and
databases without the time-consuming task ofsearching through
tapes. One of the golden rules of backing up is
REDUNDANCY!
Frankly, we believe that it is not optimal for most users to
use a zip, or other removable disk media, for backups. An remote
backup service is completely automated and has the
required file
redundancy to protect important data. The only safe way to use a zip
drive for backup is to have three disks and make the same backup
three times. That way when one of the disk fails you are still
protected.
Offices with high-speed Internet
connections should find this service comparable with tape drives.
Dial up users will be able to do incremental backups in thirty to
sixty minutes. The initial backup can take several nights to
complete. We recommend backing up the most
important files first
and then selecting other files as the backup progresses. Or, the
initial backup can be run over the weekend. Also, we can come to
your office and make the initial backup of your
system.
Basically, remote backups work like
regular tape backups, with one important difference. Instead of
sending backups to a tape drive or other media attached to the
computer being backed up, a remote backup system sends encrypted
file data over the Internet to a computer file storage system safely
off-site. This usually happens at night while your
business is
closed and nobody is using the computers. It's completely automatic.
In fact, you may forget it's working every night.
The data is immediately stored off-site
using an automated backup system. Also, only an Internet connection
is needed, completely eliminating the need for expensive backup
equipment and media. Since the system is automated, manual labor and
the chance that a backup is missed are
eliminated.
Very secure. All files are
encrypted using Blowfish or DES encryption which is selected by the
user with their own personal encryption code, known only by the user
of the system. Blowfish encryption has never been broken by a
hacker. DES is used by the federal banking
system.
Encryption is basically a mathematical
formula that scrambles a data file. The only way to unscramble it is
with the encryption code.
For more information, please refer to the
link "Why Use Acme Data's
RBS?"