Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Cloud Backup and Its Benefits

Cloud backup, as the name implies, is a kind of backup plan that is used to store data and information in the 'cloud' or in a remote server, other than the computer itself. In the cyber world, this concept is also referred to as online backup, the service being usually provided by 3rd party service providers.


The strategy of Cloud backup runs somewhat like this - it backs up data that entails forwarding a copy of the same across a public/proprietary network to a server, which is offsite. This server is typically hosted by a 3rd party service operator, who takes a fee from the backup customer, and based on how big or how small his requirement is, the bandwidth needed and/or the volume of users.


As far as data and information are concerned, this kind of 3rd party backup has gained immense popularity in the field, more so with home computer users and small scale business houses. The main reason for this can be accredited to the fact that it is super-convenient a thing - capital expenses for extra hardware for offline backup are not needed and it can be run automatically, sans any kind of manual intervention from the backup customer.


Cloud backup vs traditional backup


Ranging from quicker recovery times to remarkable cost savings, not to mention 100% guaranteed backup, cloud computing benefits for both storage and disaster recovery are way above anything else.


Below are enlisted a few grave problems that can come up with traditional backup/recovery and the advantages of cloud that works swiftly to negate them.


Problems associated with traditional backup/recovery


• Most of the traditional back-up facilities are superiorly error-prone, accounting for frequent failures in their functional capabilities.


• There is also an increased risk of hardware/software incompatibilities.


• Take into account the added disadvantage of time-consuming restoration and recovery that traditional back-ups pose.


• Last but not the least, traditional backup cannot be done without significant storage facilities available. This is not only inconvenient but may also enhance the expenses within a production environment.


Advantages of cloud backup


• Since this kind of backup is provided by a 3rd party service operator, overall costs associated with it are significantly less. There is less of servers to be maintained and less manual functions to be preformed. As a consequence, it eradicates hardware dependencies to big limits.


• A big purpose of cloud backup is RTO or Recovery Time Objective. And likewise, it cuts down the recovery time in big portions. So what previously used to take days or even weeks will now take only a few minutes or at the most, a few hours.


• It also guarantees that the server environment is in full synch and that the data gets backed up in the most foolproof of ways.


• It is also the best for disaster recovery.


• Quicker online backup is a natural trigger of cloud backup.


Cloud backup is therefore a viable option and if you are looking for a hassle-free backup that is also the most feasible don't hesitate to move towards the cloud right away.


The author is an expert in internet services like Cloud backup


View the original article here

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