Business Backup
- Financial Services

On-line backup for financial services

The financial services sector must now adhere to strict data protection compliance. This is for the protection of the consumer and members of the industry and is widely welcomed by members. A compliant system increases the efficiency and stability of the business and protects against data loss and litigation.

While the guidelines are very clear on what you should and shouldn't do from a data manipulation and availability perspective, the methods of deployment are left to members to decide for themselves. Any method involves the implementation of a modern, future proof data backup system. While excellence from a data backup perspective is only one part of the equation, it is an essential component and the backbone to basic data availability and retention management.

It is still common on an industry wide basis for small players to use a tape system to backup their data. Even prior to the advances in regulation and the increase in sheer volume of data experienced in recent years, analog manual tape backup of advanced digital systems has shown some serious and obvious weaknesses for some time. The absence of an affordable replacement has been the only real reason for non deployment of replacement systems. Here are a few options considered by brokers and the issues attributable to them. Some are obvious, some commonly discovered only after investment.

N.A.S., network-attached storage devices are a part of a network and normally are placed between a server and file systems. While generally well beyond tape in technology, functionality and scope, they are not generally accepted as a sole backup as they are in effect a live device and are prone to suffering and hardware outages applicable to your server and systems. Using them alongside tape complicates your network and leaves you with two separate intended backup devices with no clear distinction on advantage of device level tasks as the business grows.

S.A.N., storage area network is not actually intended as a network device but a storage network. It has been effectively deployed at corporate level to increase data availability but is not an affordable or suitable sole data backup solution in the true sense at broker level. Many low level S.A.N. Installations actually represent a N.A.S. device and this has given rise to confusion between the two. They are two separate non competing solutions.

R.A.I.D., redundant array of inexpensive disks is not a backup. The original purpose was to increase uptime by allowing one or a number of drives to fail and be replaced without system interruption. R.AI.D. Offers excellent redundancy and should be used in all servers. It is not however a backup and any R.A.I.D. System needs to be backed up.

Removable hard drive. It is astounding the number of business users (in fairness not many in the financial services sector) who will employ a R.A.I.D. System because they understand that all hard drives will die without warning at some point and then dump all data on a removable hard drive for backup. Modern hard drives spin at 7200 rmp and will die as inevitable and unpredictably surely as we all will. They are not intended as or useful as a backup device.

U.S.B. Device. If you have a pocket drive, ensure it is not an only copy and you do not carry confidential information outside the office on it. It will likely “flash” on entry or exit one day. It is very fragile and easily lost. They are also commonly stolen. If it does flash and delete you have lost your data. If you lose the drive your data may end up in the wrong hands and if it is stolen it is in the wrong hands. Using pen drives for backup is reckless and irresponsible. If you do use them for backup, you likely didn't know. Now you do.

So how should you backup?
In one word, online. On-line backup offers you the facility to use corporate level backup and at the same time only requires investment relative to the portion you use. Prior to online backup, this type of top level I.T. system share purchase was not available even for off-line backup.

How does it work?
Each night after work, your server selects all files for backup. They are encrypted to make the data readable to the code holder only. You are the code holder Even your online backup service provider (if they are using a world class system like backupanytime) can not read your data and have no requirement to. Next the data is compressed to reduce the size. This means that your online store per data bit is lower off-line than online thus reducing your transfer time and cost while making everything backed up available whenever you want. The data resides on managed servers and is full archived and indexed from your end. This makes data restore far easier than with a tape system and will encourage more frequent restores even on an individual file level rather than as commonly is the case with tape where people accept that fro non critical restore requirements you are better off start the work all over again! After each backup you will receive an email providing basic detail from a success or failure viewpoint and a detailed attachment for your perusal should you want to view file by file reports. In addition, online backup, being a subscription based service comes with expert technical support when you need it. Add to this that online backup (again we are talking about leading commercial offerings) allows you to simultaneously backup off-line Given that off-line and online backup are run by the same system, there will be no conflict. This off-line option often makes the transition less fraught for people who initially may see online backup as somewhat intangible. These same people in time realise that online backup is the most tangible data backup system in existence. When literally everything is gone, online backup is all theft is left.

If you have read this document to this point, it is likely that you are in the financial service sector and have concerns about your current online backup system. Call backupanytime today in strict confidence and we will offer you the following:

On-line backup consultation on an individual level.
A no commitment free trial.
Bank level encryption of your data.
Physical sign off on security and confidentiality.
Written guarantee that even we can not see your data. Most providers can not do this as they generate your initial encryption code. With our system you generate your own encryption code.
Single backup detail line reporting with detailed attachment.
Technician install and assistance.
One to one online backup support ongoing.
Guaranteed server uptime. (Possible due to multiple server implementation)
Local restore point if your own broadband is down.
“Man in van” facility if local restore point is unavailable for any reason.

Most online backup companies offer little of the above. We currently (Dec 07) know of no other company worldwide offering all of the above.

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Backupanytime.com, for responsible people and their important data.