tech tip title II

We – very – often get asked, “what should I be doing for backup?”  That’s kind of a loaded question, because there are multiple different kinds of backups for multiple different kinds of systems at multiple price points with multiple degrees of efficacy.

If you’re backing up a server: we ALWAYS recommend Datto’s SIRIS platform.  It takes full image level backups as frequently as every 15 minutes, and can replicate them offsite as frequently as once an hour (depending on the speed of your Internet connection).  The platform has several built-in verifications that runs on each backup job, so you can rest assured that if a backup says that it ran successfully, it did.  In the event of an outage, you can activate a fully functional duplicate copy of your server on the SIRIS device in as few as 5 minutes (or, if there is a catastrophic loss, you can do the same on a cloud server hosted by Datto).  Datto products are sold only through Managed Service Providers (like us!), so if this is a solution you’re interested in, please contact us for pricing and details.

If you’re backing up a cloud solution: most cloud providers have safeguards in case of loss caused by an act of God or negligence on their part, but not on yours.  We recommend Backupify, which can back up Office 365, Google Apps (or G-Suite), and Salesforce.  The software is easy to set up and incredibly affordable.  This is also a Datto product, so please contact us for pricing information if you’re interested in this solution as well.

If you’re backing up a regular computer or notebook: this is where it gets a little bit more complicated.  The first question you have to ask yourself is: how critical is the data on this computer, and how fast do I need it back?

  • If this is a system that you’ll need fully functional again in a very short period of time, we still recommend the Datto SIRIS (see above), as it will also protect laptops and desktops.
  • If this is a system that you’ll need fully functional again, but with less of a time consideration, we recommend Datto’s ALTO solution.  It has many of the features of the SIRIS, but it lacks the ability to activate copies of the failed machines on the device itself.  However, you can still virtualize in the cloud if needed, and you can quickly export an image of the failed computer or perform a Bare Metal Restore (BMR) of the system to a new computer, which retains all programs, files, and settings.  The biggest advantage to the ALTO solution is that it is significantly cheaper than the SIRIS family.  We can also price this solution out if you’re interested.
  • If this is a system that is not situation-critical, and you only need your files backed up, we’ve had great luck with Dell’s Mozy.  It will back all files that you specify up to the cloud, and in the event of an outage, you simply need to get to another computer and go to Mozy’s website to start the download of the files.  Plans start at as low as $10 a month at mozy.com

jay