Businesses in the UK are still suffering huge losses from computer and server downtime but have still not put data backup and restore plans in place.

SME's (small to medium sized enterprises) are potentially more reliant on their computer and server infrastructure than larger companies. Due to the nature of smaller companies they have to maintain their systems with fewer resources such as money and staff. As a result SME's require products which are fast, easy and simple to install and require little management thereafter. Smaller companies data backup systems must be automated or are endanger of becoming out of date.

Recently a survey of 2500 small to medium sized businesses was carried out and startling facts we uncovered.

76% of companies had suffered downtime of over 1 week in the last two years.

66% suffered downtime at least every three months.

45% had suffered data loss over the last year.

85% of business regarded their IT system as crucial.

93% viewed their business data as mission critical.

20% have implemented a tried and tested backup and recovery plan.

Of the 20% who backed up their data, no encryption process too place.

It is estimated the total cost of data loss to businesses in United Kingdom could amount ?70bn per year.

Fact, of all small to medium size companies who took part in the survey, 22% stated they insure their pets against bills from vets etc, but only 20% have a data backup and recovery plan in place for their business.

Fact, the fire brigade is called to over 40,000 fires at business premises each year and fire is acknowledged to be one of the largest reasons for loss of data.

Fact, of all surveyed, 80% of organizations who had a backup plan in place left the tape media inside the server overnight.

Fact, if a fire destroys the server, it will more than likely destroy the tape backup at the same time.

Although IT administrators are now more aware than ever of potential threats to their business and yet due to perceived cost and time requirements so many still have no adequate disaster recovery plans in place.

What small businesses need is a totally secure, simple and automated process which will backup their data every night requiring absolutely zero human intervention. Something which will ensure their data is always totally safe, just sat there waiting to be restored.

Online backup is a solution which fits the bill, but what is it. Also referred to as Remote Backup or offsite backup, it is a service which will automatically move your data to a secure location. Specialist companies have invested in highly available infrastructures where your data will be stored, so regardless of disaster, your data will always be safe. A simple but intuitive program is installed on your server which will compress, encrypt and send the business data to the ?secured storage vault?.

The advantages of such a service are:-

Your data will always remain safe.

No administration or human intervention required.

No additional hardware required.

Totally scalable, you only pay for what you use and it grows as your data grows.

Multiple versions of your files are stored so you can ?role back to a certain date?

No need to remove tapes offsite.

Full system state backup facility is available.

It is possible to backup one device or all devices across your network at the same time.

Low monthly cost which is easy to budget, prices start from as little as ?15.00 per month

The disadvantages are:-

The restore process is slower than tape; however, as internet speeds are increasing the gap is getting smaller

If you online service provider is taken over or goes out of business you may have limited or zero access to your data.

We now know all businesses should have a backup and disaster recovery plan. The most important element of any plan is the ease of backup and the speed of recovery. Backing up via your existing internet connection does fit the bill.