Cloud applications have changed the world of networked computing but like every applications they did have holes that you might not be thinking about. I want to talk with you about backup because it is often the missing piece. The Cloud providers although they are hosting your data, they don’t want to be responsible for it.
How far back can you restore from? In most cases it’s 30 days or less. For some applications, like database applications this is generally sufficient. Such as your ERP/LOB system. If you went back more than a few hours the loss could be catastrophic. But for email and file storage you probably do want to go back much farther than 30 days. Many times we are asked to retrieve a file or email that someone doesn’t realize has gone missing for many months.
What can you recover? In some cases what you can recover is the whole thing, rather than a specific thing. For example, in Office 365 your mailbox can be recovered but an individual email by itself cannot be.
Can you restore your files at all? There are even cloud solutions that do not include backup at all. Yes, they will tell you that they backup but this doesn’t mean that their backup is available to you. For many, in the fine print is a clause that says that you are responsible for your data.
We’ve been looking at this problem and we’ve finally come up with a solution. Luckily the solution comes from a vendor that we’ve trusted for 15 years and we can now extend the solution that you’ve come to trust for backing up your servers into the cloud to backup your data there too.
In a nutshell here’s how it works:
- A connector is setup to the cloud application
- Data is captured as it changes in the cloud
- This data sync’s to another cloud location owned by the backup service
- We choose the time to store the backup. Just like we always have.
- We can restore the files one by one or in a group
This solution works and it’s not very expensive. We’ve got a winner here. Finally a great solution for protecting your data while using the cloud for what the cloud does best.
– Amy, president
About Harbor Computer Services
Harbor Computer Services is an IT firm servicing Southeastern Michigan. We work exclusively under contract with our clients to provide technology direction and either become the IT department or provide assistance to the internal IT they already have. We have won many awards for our work over the years, including the worldwide Microsoft Partner of the Year in 2010. We’re the smallest firm to have ever won this most prestigious award. Most recently we were recognized as one of the top 20 visionaries in small business IT by ChannelPro Magazine (2015). And in 2016 as the top Michigan IT firm for Manufacturing. There are a few simple things that make Harbor Computer Services the best choice for your business. •We are Professionals •We are Responsible •We are Concerned About The Success of Your Business
