Data Backup Storage Yuba City

What you need to know about data backup storage in Yuba City

All modern businesses need a robust data backup process. Choosing the right data backup storage is an integral part of this. With that in mind, here is a quick guide to what you need to know about data backup storage in Yuba City.

It’s important to know where your data backup storage is located

If you’re using the cloud for data backup storage then you need to know where the relevant cloud servers are located. It doesn’t matter if your cloud provider has a global presence. It only matters where they keep your data. Sometimes you will be able to choose this yourself through your cloud management console. Sometimes, however, you’re going to need to clarify it with your cloud platform vendor. In the latter case, it can be prudent to make it a contractual obligation for your vendor to keep your data in an acceptable location.

Similarly, you want to know who has access to (or even contact with) your data and where they are located. This includes remote staff, freelancers, and any IT services vendors you use, for example, cloud vendors and data backup vendors. Again, it might be prudent to make it a contractual obligation for remote staff and freelancers to keep you informed of their physical address and for IT services vendors to guarantee that their staff will only work out of locations that are acceptable to you.

The public cloud is usually the best off-site data backup storage location

Most SMBs will want to stick to the 3-2-1 rule. That’s three copies of your data over two media with one copy being kept off-site. In practical terms, this means that companies will want their production data plus one backup of it kept locally, plus another data backup kept in a remote location. For most companies, even those still running their own data centers, it makes sense for that remote location to be a (second) public cloud.

If you’re already in a public cloud, then using a second public cloud as a data backup storage location is really the only sensible option. If, however, you’re in a private cloud or a data center, then, in principle, you have the option of running a second private cloud or data center as both a data backup storage location and a business continuity/disaster recovery solution. In practice, however, the cost of doing so would probably be far more than the average SMB could afford, let alone justify.

This leaves most SMBs with two realistic options. The first is to use the public cloud as a data backup storage location and make sure that it is set up with export/import access to a second private cloud/data center which is activated as needed, usually in a business continuity/disaster recovery scenario. The second is just to use the public cloud as both a data backup storage location and a business continuity/disaster recovery solution.

These days it is increasingly common for at least the mainstream cloud providers to be able to comply with the major data protection laws and compliance programs. This includes both U.S. domestic ones such as HIPAA and international ones such as PCI/DSS. While this may not be sufficient to make them viable for use as everyday solutions (at least not yet), it may be sufficient to make them viable for use as short-term solutions, for example in a business continuity/disaster recovery scenario.

Data center managers need to think carefully about their choice of physical storage

At present, there are basically only two realistic options for storage media. These are tapes and hard drives. The latter come in various shapes, sizes, and formats, but the underlying hardware technology is the same. SSDs may become a mainstream choice in the future, but given their current pricing levels, that future is some way off.

Tapes are generally used by companies that invested in the associated hardware when they were really the only option and are happy to stick with them for the time being. They work best when partnered with SSDs. Essentially the SSDs buffer, clean and compress the data before loading it on to the tape.

This can significantly improve the data backup process and somewhat improve the data recovery process. It does not, however, change the fact that tapes are not easily searchable.

Hard drives are more affordable and easier to implement, faster than tapes (usually even when partnered with SSDs) and searchable. The problem with them is that they are very delicate and prone to failure. This does not have to be a huge issue when they are used in data centers but could easily become one if you wish to transport them to (and from) an off-site storage facility.

If you’d like to speak to a reputable and experienced data backup storage partner in Yuba City, please click here now to contact Aperio.IT.