It has been in existence from the 1750s when traders used to insure their shipments against pirates. This concept of insuring your valuables has simply carried on in the modern day. However, today commercial enterprises from large multinational corporations to small manufacturing enterprises store intangible valuables in the form of data. Data is the lifeline and pulse of every company. Research suggests that data loss leads to the closure of more than 80% of small manufacturing enterprises. Data loss cripples vital departmental functions of huge organisations making them a losing proposition for an indeterminate period of time. The common disasters which could wipe out vital data are:

• Natural disaster of snow storm which can occur in the British Isles completely cutting off one area from another. Snow storms have been known to affect the manufacturing and trading sector.



• Terrorism such as the London bombings of 7th July which successfully wiped out crucial information



• Internal organisational theft and vandalism



• Medical epidemics which could isolate a rural area from the urban city



• Virus attacks and data hacking

It becomes very important for the firm to have a modern secure backup in place. Contingency business plans do not succeed in the face of natural and man-made disasters which hit an entire region. In 1943, entire London and neighbouring areas were severely hit by Nazi bombings eradicating completely military and security data held in organisational vaults in more than one site. Thus, remote backup can only be deemed useful if the secondary site is placed in another city, geographically distant from the main site. Today organisations use multiprotocol Storage Area Networks i.e. SANs supporting fibre-channel over IP ?FCIP. This technology coupled with remote backup enables very long-distance co-location of data over thousands of kilometres. A prime example of the popularity and demand of this new technology can be seen in the global company of Cisco which stores all vital data in two data centres, one located on the West Coast of the United States and the other on the East Coast ? cities more than 2,500 miles apart.

Another type of backup being increasingly used is that of continuous data protection which enables user monitoring and daily checks providing a high-level of data security. Continuous Data Protection or CDP is based on the premise that backup should always be divided into two parts and kept at different places. This means that every organization should and must back up departmental short-term information in one place and overall organizational data in another chamber. In addition, CDP also advocates data and physical access controls. This means that CDP backup devices come equipped with inbuilt security mechanisms. Coupled with that, CDP also provides for encrypted passwords and physical security such as manually checking users with swipe card systems. CDP also provides file-centric unified organisation backup and block-based departmental backup. In short, CDP allows for continuous data replication, self-defending networks and wide-area file services enabling long-distance co-location and consolidation of data into secure centres.

Another secure method of data backup used extensively is the system of outsourcing data backup. This system is slated to be more dependable, faster and guarantees maximum level of data protection. Banks and healthcare institutions use the Electronic Data Vaulting backup system. EDV provides complete automated data backup with full monitoring and encryption facilities. The data is stored in two electronic vaults which mirror each other but are placed at a geographical distance of more than a thousand miles. This is done to ensure optimal security against any natural or man-made disasters. It allows for uninterrupted business continuity with facilities of modifying saved data. The main advantage of this system is that it shifts the burden of data backup to professionals. The burden is shared by a neutral third party which provides for logical and physical data backup on time through a high-speed Internet connection. The organizational employees are left with time to pursue their organizational functions and responsibilities. Another feature of EDV is that it does not use software which is specific to that particular company. Rather it uses all kinds of software ensuring minimal access to hackers. In addition, EDV functions on the fundamental premise of creating awareness not only within the organizational employees but also among the suppliers and customers. An example would be sharing data critical function with a group of people with the organization and not being dependent on just one employee. Similarly, it is better to keep suppliers and a few important customers aware of company happenings.

Thus, backup has changed form and function. Today backup does not simply mean storing data ? replicating data or having another copy of it for safety measures. Data backup has become an entire process of awareness and business continuity.