Business cloud backup and replication services
IT contingency planning for SMEs in the North West
It’s often an aspect of IT that many SMEs overlook. But it’s usually one of the first considerations that we make on behalf of our clients – an appropriate backup methodology.
It’s like a safety net, if anything unexpected happens. Of course, you’d like to hope that a data loss situation never arises. But businesses of all shapes and sizes need a contingency plan in place in case it does.
Remote backup – All operational data is automatically backed up on a routine basis and typically only stored for a defined period of useful time.
- The process is quick and easy with no client input required.
- A 3-2-1 methodology ensures no single point of failure – there are 3 copies of the data, on 2 separate media types with 1 stored off-site. Local copies are available for fast recovery, but in the event of a fire or flood everything is also accessible in the cloud.
- Backups are maintained and automatically monitored by Q2Q, meaning one less thing for you to think about.
Archiving – The secure storage of legacy data, which is especially important when audit trails are required. The overall size of an archive exponentially increases over time, but unlike routinely updated backups, the data represents static information. It is also important to note that the archiving of operational data should not necessarily be tied to email archiving as cost savings and contingency options could be lost.
Get in touch to discuss your needs
Key differences between Backups and Archive
| Backup | Archive | |
|---|---|---|
| Business Critical | Yes | No |
| Shelf Life / Usefulness | Days | Years |
| Importance of Accessibility | HIGH | LOW |
| Primary Use | Recovery of Operational Data | Reference to static historical data |
| Size/Growth Pattern | Calculable | Exponential |
| Relative Storage Cost | HIGH | LOW |
The backup and archiving solution that suits one SME may not be ideal for the next. That’s why we encourage clients to think beyond a basic ‘one size fits all’ approach. To help understand which methodology would most benefit our customers, for example, we ask questions like:
- In the event you lost your email, how much of an affect would it have on your business?
- If you needed to restore your finance or sales systems how quickly could youwe achieve this and how could you operate whilst this was occurring?
- What would be the effect of you losing all our data at once in the event of a fire or flood, and do you have any immediate operational contingencies?
- How can you further reduce the business risk of a total data loss across your entire IT systems base?
A trusted backup and archiving partner – part of our extensive IT support for SMEs in the North West
When it comes to data handling and storage, you need to know you’re in safe hands. That’s why our off-site solutions are encrypted to AES256 standards and stored across multiple UK based data centres, all certified to ISO27001 security levels.
