Remote data backup is gaining a lot of steam, as it’s a very convenient way for both office and home computer users to back up their data. However, it’s not a very well understood technology, even by its users. Here’s a look at how remote data backup companies are able to securely provide data storage and backups for their customers.
Data room, is one phrase that you will get to hear from everyone who needs data backup.
The Software
The basis of all remote data backup is a piece of software installed on the end user’s computer. This software sends data to the servers of the remote data backup company, where it’s stored. Good data backup software runs in the background or during specific times of day when the computer’s not in full use; that way, it doesn’t interfere with normal computer usage. Backup software can be set up to run at certain intervals, times of day, days of the week, etc. It’s usually extremely customizable. The software only works if the user has an account with the remote data backup company, which usually runs from $5-10 per month, depending on the company. Some companies charge yearly, monthly, or even offer free services, though these are usually very limited in that only a few gigabytes of data can be backed up at one time.
Encryption
Before data can be sent to the remote backup servers, though, it needs to be encrypted. Encryption essentially codes files so that they aren’t readable by any computer that doesn’t have the correct password. This password is chosen by the person or people who are buying the data backup service, and the level of encryption is so great that if they forget or lose their password, all data that they’ve backed up is completely unrecoverable. This means, of course, that any intercepted data is completely useless to hackers, so it’s a very good system for keeping data secure, as long as the password is kept intact.
The Servers
When data is lost, all a remote data backup user has to do is re-download it from the servers of the company that’s been storing the data for them. The servers that store the data are extremely redundant, which means that they’re set up in a way that if one or more drives fail at the server, no data is lost. Some companies even go so far as to keep a secondary server running that the first server backs up onto. That way, even if a natural disaster were to hit, customer data wouldn’t be lost. This makes remote data backup one of the best data backup methods for home and office computer users, provided that the initial software setup is handled correctly and the user’s internet connection is sufficient to handle sending large amounts of data to the storage servers.
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