A couple of days ago I wrote an article about the benefits of using an online backup service. This article has invoked quite a bit of interest and many of you have emailed me with questions about the service.

Most of the questions were of a similar theme so hopefully this FAQ will answer the majority of them:

How long does it take to set up?

Setting up the remote backup service usually takes 10 -15 minutes. It is a simple ‘walk-though’ process and help is available along the way. If you do experience difficulties a Customer Support Team is on hand to guide you through the process.

Where is my data stored?

With most remote backup services your data is securely stored at one or two, geographically dispersed data centres. These are high security facilities employing state-of-the-art technical and security measures to guarantee the integrity of your data.

Is Transmission Secure?

Yes, your transmissions are protected in several ways:

Encryption

Encryption converts data into an unreadable format to prevent unauthorised viewing or access. Most remote backup services encrypt all data before it leaves your PC, so that it travels over the network to the Secure Data Centres in an unreadable format.

Password Protection

If a laptop is stolen or a desktop PC is left unattended, password protection ensures your data is protected from unauthorised access.

Removing the Hacker Threat

Most remote backup services do not create an opening for incoming connections and outgoing connections can be limited to specific ports at specific IP addresses.

What data should I back up?

It is important to backup your critical data:

• Data that would be difficult to replace, like your finances, My Documents etc.
• Used frequently, like your web browser bookmarks/favourites

It is not as necessary to backup operating system files or programs such as:

• Operating system files (Windows®)
• Temporary files (with the .TMP extension)
• Applications or program files and settings (with the .EXE, .DLL, or .INI extensions)
• Scan Disk error files (with the .CHK extension)

Free Remote Backup Service Trial – No Credit Card Required

With a remote or online backup service your data is automatically backed up each day to secure offsite data centres. In the event of a catastrophic event (fire, flood, explosion etc.) your data is recoverable with just a few clicks of a mouse.

Why whould you use a remote backup service?

All computers lose data. It’s not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Whether you lose data through hardware failure, human error or a disaster such as fire or theft, a remote backup service ensures that your data is recoverable within minutes.

If you are backing up your data using tape, network drive, USB memory sticks or CD, you are not fully protected. These methods carry inherent risks and do not guarantee the security of your data. This is especially true in the case of a catastrophic event.

Free Remote Backup Service Trial – No Credit Card Required

How does a remote backup service work?

There are numerous services available but typically an online backup service works as follows:

1) Download the remote backup software
2) Select the files you’d like to back up and the daily backup time
3) The software encrypts your data for security and compresses it for speed of transmission
4) The data is sent to the primary offsite data centre
5) The data is then mirrored to a second data centre for complete security

In the event of data loss you can recover your data with a few clicks of a mouse.

One such remote backup service is provided by Clunk Click.

Clunk Click’s service is low cost, hands-free, completely secure and works quietly in the background. It automatically backs up your data to two secure offsite data centres each day and gives you 100% security and 100% efficiency.

Clunk Click’s service is a ‘set it and forget it’ process that allows you to get on with your work without having to worry about your backups.

For a Free 14 day trial (no credit card required) click on the link below:

Free Remote Backup Service Trial – No Credit Card Required

For enterprise customers, HP offers deduplication with the HP StorageWorks Virtual Library Systems (VLS).

HP has recently announced new disk-based backup systems with data deduplication technology that increases disk utilization by up to 50 times to deliver scalable solutions that reduce storage costs and protect business critical data.

HP provides two distinct methods of data deduplication to address the demands of customers of different sizes.

For small and midsize (SMB) customers, HP has integrated this functionality which is easy to deploy and simple to manage into the HP StorageWorks D2D Backup Systems (D2D).

For enterprise customers, HP offers deduplication with the HP StorageWorks Virtual Library Systems (VLS).

To provide data protection for micro and small businesses, HP has also introduced the new HP StorageWorks RDX Removable Disk Backup Systems (RDX160 and RDX320). These disk backup solutions are easy to use and affordable, allowing small businesses to store data off-site as part of their disaster recovery plan.

For Further Information Click On The Link Below:

HP StorageWorks RDX Removable Disk Backup System

Right now you probably in a lot of mental pain, and all you’re concerned about is recovering your data as quickly as possible – so we’ll refrain from comments on the wisdom of regular back-ups. The time for preventative measures has gone – the issue at hand is data recovery.

First – a simple tip could save you a lot of money. Contact PC & Network Support Services! We’ll do everything we can to get your data back – but before you do, here are some things you should be aware of:

Be prepared for a lot of time being wasted – data recovery can take a long time.

The first thing to establish is what exactly is wrong with your computer:

1) Your computer won’t boot up, or
2) Your computer boots up OK but you can’t see one of your other drives.

Let’s see if we can eliminate the worst scenario. Listen closely to your hard drive – is it making any sort of scratching, scraping or ticking noises?

If so, then your drive could be physically damaged and the only hope we have is to take it to a data recovery service where experts might be able to get the data off for you. These services are expensive and time consuming – so you need to make a judgement call as to the value of data on the disk.

- If it’s only your saved game data or downloaded music files you would like back, you’re probably better off kicking yourself for not backing up, and accepting the data loss.

- If, on the other hand, it’s information that you can’t live without (emails, contacts, accounts etc.) that you’ve been accumulating for years, then we can send it to a data recovery service for an evaluation and free quote

If your hard disk sounds OK, then we stand a better chance of recovering the data.

Our next steps will be based on how your hard drive’s were setup:

If you only have a single hard drive that has not been partitioned or split into different “logical” drives, we’ll probably be able to attach it to another computer and transfer the data to one of our workstations. This can be quite technical so if you don’t have the skills please feel free to contact us.

If you have a multiple drive setup and your computer boots up fine, then it will merely be a case of transferring the data rom one drive to another – provided you have a drive with enough space on it.

The scenario where you have a multiple drive setup, where the problem drive is the one that contains your operating system files is more tricky. We have software that has a boot disk option available. What this means is that when we start your computer with the boot disk, we will be able to run a data recovery program without trying to start your computer. We should be able to see your files and then copy them across to the other drive.

Whatever the scenario – contact us and we’ll do our best to assist.