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Data Backup Solutions

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Data Backup Software
Data Backup Solution
Data Backup Storage
Disk Backup
Disk Cloning
Disk Duplication
Disk Recovery
Hard Disk Cloning
Data Backup System
Data Disaster Recovery
Data Protection
DVD Backup
DVD Backup Software
Exchange Server Backup
File Backup
Data Recovery Experts
Data Recovery Software
Data Transfer
Data Vaulting
Hard Disk Data Recovery Software
Hard Disk Drive Recovery
Hard Drive Cloning
Hard Drive Copy

Data Backup Solution

Finding the right data backup solution for your company can be a daunting task. The range of backup options covers the full spectrum of technologies and applications, and can confuse even industry veterans at times. To be effective, a data backup solution must consider the specific needs of the organization for which it will be employed.

Does your organization need multiple levels of protection for your data? If so, a combination of local area network backup and a remote offsite backup solution might be the answer. Do you have terabytes of data that needs to be backed up every day? If so, a LAN solution may be the only option due to limitations and bandwidth capabilities.

For most organizations - those who have a fairly large amount of data, but relatively static data sets - remote online backup software may be the ultimate data backup solution. Providing unmatched levels of automation and security, remote backup can decrease your company’s resource dedication, while increasing the reliability and regularity of the backup sessions.

Launching automatically each day according to a user-defined schedule, RBackup online backup software performs quickly what has traditionally taken IT staff hours to accomplish. Offsite transfer is native to this data backup solution, and is also configurable by the user; data can be backed up to any destination server that the licensee chooses. Some companies choose to house their backup server in a secure collocation or hosting facility, while others simply deploy a server at an existing alternate business location.

Whatever your needs, LAN Support Remote Backup Systems can suggest a data backup solution for you. Our technical and sales staffs have a wealth of information to share, gained through countless hours of consultation with IT service companies of all types and sizes. Browse our site for additional information or give us a call for one-on-one discussions - we are here to help.

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Data Backup Storage

Now that you have decided to implement a backup solution, it is time to think about offsite data backup storage. Some backup solutions require manual transport of the data backups to an offsite location while other solutions, such as remote backup software, include this critical feature natively.

Data backup storage is a key consideration when evaluating remote backup software products, as the destination storage server will be the host for all data backed up using the system. The right data backup storage array is, therefore, half of the consideration - in terms of hardware. The better remote backup software solutions are compatible with almost any storage back-end, from simple tower servers to high-end NAS and SAN devices capable of storing terabytes of data backups.

Disk drive sizes and overall backup capacity will dictate not only how much data can be backed up to the device(s), but also for what time period the hardware will be appropriate for the job. Again, the better remote backup software packages do not ‘lock you in’ to whatever data backup storage unit you initially choose, but allow you to migrate the data and backup software to another more suitable machine when and if the need arises.

Depending on your needs, the right backend hardware will become evident after a bit of research into the type and amounts of data you’ll be storing and some calculations which consider storage space and retention requirements.

The staff at LAN Support in conjunction with Remote Systems has been consulting on data backup storage requirements for over 18 years, and we’ll be glad to assist you, too.

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Disk Backup

For many years, tape was the only backup medium available for storing business computer data backups. These days, tape backup is increasingly being replaced by disk backup as the most common storage choice for data management professionals.

Disk backup can refer to backing data up to disks of almost any kind, from CDs to DVDs to hard disk drive arrays in regular server computers or in complex NAS or SAN type storage devices. Of these options, it normally refers to hard drive disks within standard computing equipment.

Tape backup and the processes surrounding it were (and are still) fraught with problems from both a logistics and recoverability perspective. Tapes are notorious for their failure rates when the time to recover backed up data arrives. Unlike a modern disk backup, tape backups have to be physically removed from the host premises to insure their safety. Using remote backup software it is possible to perform a secure disk backup to a hard drive located off premises, automatically.
Another legacy problem that is handled quite easily by disk backup is the regularity of the backup sessions. Since many tape, CD, and DVD backup regimens are completely dependent on human interaction - and therefore the dependability of busy humans - they sometimes don’t get done. Most leading disk backup utilities are fully automated and run on a user-defined schedule.

At LAN Support with Remote Backup Systems, we defined the industry of online remote disk backup software and services. Our sales staff and technicians interact with organizations of all sizes every day, many whom are considering adding remote backup services. Give us a call to discuss your plans, and leverage our many years of experience joint experience.

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Disk Cloning

The process of copying an entire image of a computer disk drive to another blank disk drive is called disk cloning. When cloning a disk, data files, as well as operating system, application, system state and active directory files, are copied directly to the new drive.

Disk cloning allows a computer user to simply boot the new computer and resume use, as if they were using the original machine. As a data backup and recovery tool, disk cloning has received attention as a great way to preserve entire computing environments instead of only the data and files preserved by data backup and remote backup utilities.
For the average computer, or even an average small-to-medium sized business, anything more than periodic disk cloning might be considered overkill for backup purposes. Once these businesses have a good backup copy of OS files and applications, which are usually readily available in the form of OEM or recovery disks, it is only the data and files that change on a regular basis that need to be backed up to insure their accuracy and value upon restore.

Another common use for disk cloning is to use it as a process to migrate data from one computer to another. Instead of creating multiple backups of data and files to be manually installed on a new computer, a simple disk cloning process can allow a user to migrate to a new, perhaps faster, computer while minimizing hassle, downtime and manual processes.

LAN Support with the RBackup software has been used in disk cloning applications, primarily where those disks contained data and files, perhaps as a component in a drive array. If you are considering disk cloning as a means of data backup, give us an opportunity to show you how our remote backup software may be the ideal data protection solution for you.

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Disk Duplication

At its simplest, disk duplication could mean simply duplicating a CD or DVD disk via regular CDR/RW or DVDR/RW technology and software. Drop a CD in your CD/ROM drive and another in your CD-R/RW drive, choose copy disk, and the disk duplication job is done in just a few minutes.

Perhaps, as discussed earlier in our disk cloning entry, the process of disk duplication refers to ghosting or cloning a hard drive image, either for backup or migration purposes. Disk duplication, when dealing with removable media, is usually referred to simply as ‘copying a disk’, so we’ll discuss the latter process here.

While disk duplication can be facilitated by several software applications, there are some concerns when working in certain environments. Computers that run Windows XP, for example, use a unique identifier known as a security ID (SID), and when using disk duplication software, the administrator must ensure the uniqueness of these SIDs to avoid accidental transmission of permissions through duplicate SIDs.

Again in the case of removable media, a duplicate SID might give an account access to files even though NTFS permissions for the account specifically deny access to those files. Also, companies like Microsoft don’t support machines that were setup using SID duplicating tools other than the System Preparation tool.

If you are considering disk duplication for data or environment migration, be very sure to check with the OEM software company for information on best practices and caveats to what might seem like a very easy task. If you are looking for the best way to preserve and add redundancy to your critical data stores, contact LAN Suppport for an enlightening conversation about online data backup software.

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Disk Recovery

The range of software for disk recovery is always expanding. With the introduction of new disk media from time to time, software vendors find ways to provide disk recovery and disk recovery services for users of those media. From floppy disks to CDS, and from DVDs to hard disk drives, there is a disk recovery utility out there to cure the ills of almost any disk-based media.

Using LAN Supports disk recovery software, data from computer hard disks can be restored very quickly. Using some of Remote Backup Systems various LAN-based utilities, hard disk recovery for local area network machines can be a breeze instead of a chore. From .pst files to massive Exchange and SQL databases, RBS has a solution for practically any disk recovery project.

In deciding on media to use for disk backups, one should consider carefully the various choices available, and weigh those against the resources available for both backup and restore of data. While disk recovery using one backup media may be relatively straightforward, it may be next to impossible for non-tech staff to accomplish a disk recovery using another.

RBS recommends using hard disk drives and remote backup software to prepare for recovering data. The failure rates of other media are simply too high to trust them with your critical data and files, or those of your clients. Also, remote backup software automatically ships the data to an offsite backup server, making disk recovery possible in situations where other media and processes would simply fail.

Contact one of our sales engineers today to discuss your plans and preparations for disk recovery. Having seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in disk backup and recovery solutions, RBS technicians have a unique perspective on what choice might be right for your business. Put our experience to work for you.

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Hard Disk Cloning

For the average computer, or even an average small-to-medium sized business, anything more than periodic hard disk cloning might be considered overkill for backup purposes. Once these businesses have a good backup copy of OS files and applications (which are usually readily available in the form of OEM or recovery disks) it is only the data and files that change on a regular basis that need to be backed up to insure their accuracy and value upon restore.

The process of copying an entire image of a computer disk drive to another blank disk drive is called hard disk cloning. When cloning a disk, data files, as well as operating system, application, system state and active directory files, are copied directly to the new drive. Instead of multiple formats of data, a single source can be tapped for an entire drive’s worth of data.

Hard disk cloning allows a computer user to simply boot the new ‘cloned’ computer and resume use, as if they were using the original machine. As a data backup and recovery tool, disk cloning has received attention as a great way to preserve entire computing environments instead of only the data and files preserved by data backup and remote backup utilities.

Another common use for hard disk cloning is as a process to migrate data from one computer to another. Instead of creating multiple backups of data and files to be manually installed on a new computer, a hard disk cloning process allows a user to migrate to a new, perhaps faster, computer while minimizing hassle, downtime and manual processes. For moving a mobile workforce member’s data to a new laptop, for example, hard disk cloning is ideal.

At LAN Support using RBS, the software has been used in hard disk cloning-type applications for many years, primarily where those disks contained data and files, perhaps as a component in a drive array. If you are considering hard disk cloning as a means of data backup, give us an opportunity to show you our remote backup software may be the ideal data protection solution for you.

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Data Backup System

Configuring a data backup system should not end after selecting a backup software solution and hardware on which to run it. Data backup should be systemic throughout the organization, and should extend to every aspect of the business. Experts agree that data backup best practices include proactive behavior and technologies to address everything from virus protection to firewall configuration and from proper software update practices to aggressive email and spam filtering.

Your data is the most valuable asset of the business, and there is no sound reason to cut corners when deciding how to protect it. The data backup system you choose today could likely be your businesses lifeline in the event of a disaster or catastrophic data loss. For the same reasons that businesses don’t hedge their spending on bandwidth or application software licenses, cutting corners in creating your backup environment and practices can return negative dividends in the long run.

The backup needs of one company are rarely identical to another company, even within the same industry, and likewise the data backup system for one rarely matches the other. Graphic-intensive companies such as design firms or marketing companies will create a large number of very large files in a typical day’s work. Other businesses, such as insurance agencies or retail stores, will have a larger number of typically very small files.

Considering the varied types of data created and maintained by different organizations is a key element in understanding, and planning, the correct data backup system and environment for your company or clients. Our technicians are the best in the business, and have consulted with thousands of companies as they prepare to launch a data backup system. Please drop us an email or give us a call with any questions you may have.

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Data Disaster Recovery

Recovering data as part of a data disaster recovery process can be a nightmare if the tools or systems you are using are outdated or substandard. Members of your organization and perhaps your client companies will be under a bit of stress during this operation, and it helps immensely if the restore process goes smoothly.

A data disaster recovery is a special operation most commonly used to recover a client computer from a massive data loss where the backup client software was also lost and needs to be reinstalled. These major data loss events are usually caused by a bad hard drive, stolen or destroyed computer, or accidental erasure or reformatting - or a combination of all three. Whatever the cause, a data disaster recovery is the ultimate test of any type of backup software, and the best solutions handle it with style.
The disaster recovery procedure is a relatively straightforward one, and can automatically recover the previous remote backup software installation with all its settings intact, including the login name and password, encryption key, and catalogs; and all the data that was backed up using the previous installation.

System state and active directory settings are also available for restore during a data disaster recovery, and can make the process of recovering to a ‘previous state’ much simpler. Without these critical settings, crucial go-live time will be lost installing and configuring patches, user permissions, and other system-level settings.

Planning ahead and preparing written plans for data disaster recovery processes and procedures will save critical time when it is most valuable. The staff members at LS and Remote Backup Systems, Inc. are seasoned veterans of disaster recovery, having assisted hundreds of service providers with their disasters, and those of their clients. Contact us to discuss how you can be prepared.

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Data Protection

In today’s complex computing environments and networks, data protection is one of the largest concerns of many organizations - and a particularly critical one for companies in healthcare, legal and financial sectors. There are a host of products, services, and industries that have sprung up in response to the growing need for data management and protection by companies of all sizes.

Many people consider data backup as the primary, and most critical, element in a comprehensive data protection plan. At LS Remote Backup Systems, we agree with this thinking, and regularly advise companies to augment data backup with other proactive measures like proper update and patch management practices, email filtering, proper use and maintenance of virus protection software, firewalls, and spyware/adware scanning programs.

Data protection has become a hot topic in many circles, especially since the passage of various pieces of legislation which mandates proper security and data protection measures be taken at companies in certain industries. HIPAA, Gramm Leach Bliley, and Sarbanes-Oxley are just a few examples of how the US federal government is cracking down on lax security and data management practices. As always there are also prime examples within the UK government departments.

For IT service companies, data protection services offered to clients may include remote backup and archiving. LS RBackup online backup software is leveraged by more service companies worldwide than any other remote backup software product. Contact us today to discuss how our products can benefit you and your clients.

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DVD Backup

Similar to CD/R/RW backup tasks, DVD backup is a largely manual process which involves copying data and files from a computer hard disk to a recordable DVD. DVDs are available in a variety of formats, so it is important to purchase not only the type that is compatible with the machine performing backups, but also one that will facilitate an easy restore of the backed up data. If the backup DVD is incompatible with replacement hardware, the restore process will be lengthened.

DVDs hold an increasingly large advantage over recordable CDs in terms of storage space. The larger capacity blu-ray DVDs can hold upward of 27 Gigabytes on one disk, making a DVD backup more feasible for larger data sets and organizations. Comparatively, regular CDRs typically hold only 750 MB of data, and can only be recorded once.
DVD backup, like CD backup, is still fraught with manual processes and prone to human errors and forgetfulness. If the DVD backup copies are left onsite with the computers that created the data, it is entirely possible that all data and backups could be lost in the case of disaster. Restoring 27 Gigabytes of data from a DVD, while certainly better than not being able to restore any data, can be a complex procedure - especially without a software interface to ease the process.

LS Remote Backup Systems RBackup software, properly deployed and using high speed internet connections, can backup virtually any amount of data. The sessions encrypt and compress the data prior to sending it offsite, which is a critical shortcoming of all DVD backup processes. Further, RBackup provides an intuitive user interface and advanced restore options when the time comes to restore the backed up files.

If you are tired of DVD backup processes, or if you consistently neglect them, perhaps the time is right to take a test drive of true, commercial grade online backup software. Once you rid yourself of the burdens of DVD backup, we’ll be very surprised if you go back to them for anything other than temporary storage of files.

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DVD Backup Software

While DVD backups and DVD backup software certainly have a place in today’s complex computing environment, the real question is what place is it. DVDs have more capacity today than ever before, and the outlook is good for truly massive storage being available to mainstream computers very soon. Space, then, is not really a concern.
The best DVD backup software programs provide the ability for users to choose their media for backup. Choices for the end-user may include DVD, CD, CDRW, or other removable drives and storage media. Most DVD backup solutions also share a common fault in that the copies of data, regardless of storage media, are made on the local area network.

Data backups made to any media on the LAN require that the media be taken offsite to be truly secure. If not, they run the risk of being destroyed along with the original copies and hardware should a disaster such as a fire or floods affect the business location. Imagine a scenario where fresh backups were created using state of the art DVD backup software were destroyed simply because they were left onsite.

Now imagine a scenario where the data were copied not using DVD backup software, but online backup software. While files copied to DVDs or other portable media are rarely encrypted, remote backup software typically requires some level of encryption and compression in order to do its job. While files backed up using even the best DVD backup software are typically left onsite, remote backup software natively ships it to a secure offsite server for storage.

At LS Remote Backup Systems, we have been outfitting both end-users and technology companies of all types with the world’s most secure online backup software since 1987. We have heard our share of horror stories regarding backups made with DVD backup software. When you are serious about data protection, we’re seriously interested in talking to you about how our solutions may fit the bill for your backup plans.

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Exchange Server Backup

Of the data used by many small and large businesses alike, one of the most complex backup jobs is a Microsoft Exchange Server Backup. Due to rising compliance and archiving requirements in several industries, a reliable backup for exchange servers is becoming more important every day. As dependency on electronic messaging grows, email is considered a mission-critical application for most businesses.

Due to its intricate setup of databases for personal folders, calendars, mailboxes and other information stores, these products poses a serious challenge for users on both the exchange server backup and restore sides. While backing up and restoring the entire Exchange server is relatively simple, at least on the local area network, restoring an individual mailbox or account can be somewhat time consuming and tedious. Various cost-effective agents exist for exchange server backup on the LAN, but those that are compatible with online backup solutions usually command a fairly hefty fee.

LS RBackup Remote Backup software takes many of the pains out of backing up Exchange servers. The software, in use by thousands of IT companies around the world, can be configured to backup Exchange servers in a variety of ways. Using our revolutionary BitBackup sub-file backup option, the LS RBackup Remote Backup client software can backup only the changes in the Exchange server backup each day.

With the upcoming release of the Exchange Backup for LS RBackup PlugIn, software users will be able to backup the bit level changes within an Exchange server at the bit level, while the programs are open. And, due to the complex and carefully monitored processes used in this exchange server backup tool, mailbox level restores will be a possibility. No longer will backing up an exchange server be a task to avoid or delay, but one to embrace and feel confident about.

When you are considering your options for exchange server backup, consider LS RBackup software from Remote Backup Systems. Using state of the art technology, it ensures that your biggest data backup challenges are manageable and robust, without breaking the bank. Also take a moment to check out our full-featured line of additional Plug-in and utilities.

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File Backup

As any business owner or IT manager knows, a good file backup is critical to the successful recovery of data after a disaster or other event. Depending on the number and nature of files to be backed up, different options should be explored to arrive at the ultimate backup solution for your company. Great strides have been made in recent years, allowing file backup to become a process that is much less painful and time consuming that it previously was.

Some backup software applications only provide the option for file backup, while others give you the ability to backup those files at a sub-file level. The file backup software available today is highly secure and stable, but requires either longer backup and restore windows or greater bandwidth, or both. Bit-level transfers typically require less disk space than file backup products do, but may require more space on the client side hardware in order to perform the analysis of changed data prior to transmission.

LS RBackup software solves this quintessential dilemma by putting the decision where it belongs - with the user. RBackup natively supports both file backup and bit-level transfers of data. It also allows user-configurable settings for compression, encryption, treatment of unique files within a data set, and dozens of other decisions that are best made by the user. While other file backup software companies force you to fit a process to their product, our product allows the product to fit the process.

Configurable retention periods are another critical element of any file backup software solution. Just as you control the construct of the data being backed up, you should be able to retain or delete data in a manner that is in keeping with your desires. If backing up entire files and retaining them for lengthy periods of time is what you need, you should have it. If backing up just granular changes to files and keeping them for relatively short periods is the order of the day, your software solution should be flexible enough to accommodate this request too.

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Data Recovery Experts

To qualify as data recovery experts, the staff members at LS Remote Backup Systems have to undergo rigorous training and testing across all of our backup software products and services. We are data recovery experts, one and all.

They have the experience, products, and expertise to advise virtually any company on best practices across a range of data backup and restore topics. With LAN Support partnering with RBS, through LAN Support you have the data recovery experts that invented the remote backup industry on your team.
Remote backup systems data recovery experts wrote the world’s first remote backup software back in 1987, when the employees from most other companies currently in our industry were still playing solitaire on Windows 2.0 machines.

Our software, and our data recovery experts, has been on the job at least 10 years longer than any other company on the planet. Whether your company is just getting started or has been around for decades, you can rely on the advice and information shared by our in-house data recovery experts.

Becoming experts in data recovery has taken us years to achieve, and we strive every day to add to that base of knowledge so that we constantly refine our understanding of the data backup industry. Get the power of remote backup behind you, our data recovery experts are standing by to assist you.

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Data Recovery Software

When shopping around for different remote backup or data recovery software solutions, be circumspect in your analysis - and in the questions you pose to the different vendors. While there are several companies that may attempt to position their data recovery software products as being similar to RBackup Remote Backup software, some simple questions and a little bit of testing is all you’ll need to clearly see the differences in these products, and that RBackup is the only commercial-grade data recovery software on the market.

The old joke around Remote Backup Systems’ office is one that goes like this:

Q. How many companies manufacture remote backup software?
A. There are a few, but RBS is the only one that manufactures remote backup AND RESTORE software.

Well, our sales staff members think it is pretty funny, until they hear it the umpteenth time.

On a more serious note, the joke was created in response to calls we get from frustrated users of other products. Some bought other products based on guarantees of ‘blazing fast backups’ others bought data recovery software that promised ‘nightly backups of 300GB files’, some of the claims are simply too unbelievable to print.

If you are skeptical of marketing hype and are looking for the world’s most popular, mature, and feature-rich data recovery software, first call your account manager at LAN Support who can put you through to an expert at Remote Backup Systems. RBS invented this industry, and they can answer virtually any question you might have about business and technical areas about remote backup services and software.

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Data Transfer

One important consideration of remote backup software and services is the rate of data transfer you will see between client machines and the RBS Server. Many people assume that a fast downlink will allow them to move massive amounts of data to their server in very little time. In some cases, this can be true.

The actual rate of data transfer is dictated by the slowest link between the client machine and the RBS Server - which is usually, almost always, the client side uplink. Take your average ADSL connection as an example. While the client is happy with the downlink speed of 1840 mbps, the uplink speed (which the client rarely sees) could be one-sixth the downlink speed, or 260 mbps - or less.

In order to properly and securely transfer data to an offsite backup server, the data must be encrypted and compressed prior to the data transfer. Any remote or offsite backup software program that doesn’t encrypt and compress should be avoided. Data transfer, particularly that data transferred from businesses, is simply too valuable to take chances with.

If you are looking to transfer data to an offsite data storage server, consider your choices carefully. Remote Backup Systems has been assisting companies with their data transfer questions and software solutions since 1987. Contact one of our data management sales specialists, and ask them to explain how our RBackup data transfer and backup software can help you secure your data.

Remote Backup Systems. It's how backups get done.

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Data Vaulting

Data backup is sometimes referred to as data vaulting. Like many terms in IT, each time a new data management vendor enters a market segment, they want to brand their solution in a unique way, and their marketing department conjures up a phrase to set them apart. Depending on the software vendors and products that you evaluate, data vaulting may be a common term - or you may not hear it at all in the course of your research.

Offsite data backup is the most secure form of data vaulting. It removes data from its original environment and ‘vaults’ it at a secure remote location. Although data can be vaulted in its original environment by transferring that data to a SAN/NAS or regular server for storage and archiving, data vaulting usually implies offsite backup and storage.

Some online backup service providers who offer data vaulting services actually use vaults and vault-like enclosures to store client data in. In fact, some of these companies employ much higher data security and access rules than banks do. Some backup software and service vendors tout the security features of their facilities, which can include armed guards, redundant fire and humidity suppression systems, biometric access controls, and secure underground data centers, among others.

Whether it is referred to as remote data backup, offsite storage, or data vaulting, the end result is that the process secures data for restore in the event of a disaster or loss. LS RBS has been helping client with their data since 1987.

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Hard Disk Data Recovery Software

Companies who employ hard disk data recovery software see dramatically less downtime and lost revenues than those who rely on traditional means for backup. When faced with the loss of a computing hardware resource or a data loss event of any kind, hard disk data recovery software can literally save the day. As dependence on computer data grows at a breakneck pace, data backup and recovery software is becoming a mainstream ingredient in the backup software mix.

The best data backup plan is one that accomplishes a few critical objectives. The first and most critical is that the backups are actually done. Regardless of what hard disk data recovery software you deploy, it is pointless if it is not used regularly and properly. The internet is littered with stories of well-intentioned IT managers who didn’t have the time to perform backups.

Second, any hard disk data recovery software must be configured to back up the correct files. An improperly configured backup set, or one that fails to adjust for new data added as time passes, will surely result in the loss of critical data. Which exact files to include in your data recovery software will depend on your particular type of business, and should be arrived at through consultation with other members of the organization.

The third consideration for properly configuring your hard disk data backup software is to have it back up to an offsite server. This is a function of remote backup or online backup hard disk data recovery software, the leading form of data backup by companies of all sizes and descriptions. While local area network backups are a step in the right direction, no organization is completely protected from data loss until the backups are taken to a remote location.

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Hard Disk Drive Recovery

To perform a successful hard disk drive recovery, a good backup copy of the data previously contained on the failed hard disk drive is needed. Your success and timeframe for recovery will be somewhat dictated by the backup and restore methodology used. From tape drives to hard disk backups, the restore window can range from minutes to hours to days.

Hard disk drive recovery is never a fun assignment. The owners or stewards of the lost data will need it back almost immediately. Depending on the value of the data and what role it plays in the day-to-day business processes for a company or department within a company, the hard disk drive recovery may be holding people (and production levels) at bay - they might be unable to do their jobs during the recovery process.

If the hard disk drive that crashed was a central server, for instance, application software and web-based tools may be unavailable until the hard disk drive recovery process is completed. Using outdated tools to accomplish the recovery only adds to this critical recovery timeframe. Though located on premises, using a tape drive to perform the hard disk drive recovery could take many hours.

The best method for restoring a hard disk drive recovery is usually a disk-based backup software application which has access to a local data store. Many online backup software products, including RBackup from Remote Backup Systems, Inc. feature a local data store expressly to facilitate the hard disk drive recovery process. A redundant copy is stored offsite as part of the remote backup service and using our BitBackup technology the most recent version of files are located on the client’s local area network.

If you are preparing for a hard disk drive recovery on behalf of your company or clients, make sure to prepare using the best tools available. RBackup Remote Backup software has been instrumental in hundreds of hard disk drive recoveries in countries all around the globe. Put the power of our experience to work for you.

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Hard Drive Cloning

The process of copying the contents of a computer hard disk drive to blank hard drive is called hard drive cloning. When cloning a drive, data files, as well as operating system, application, system state and active directory files, are copied directly to the new drive. Also referred to as disk cloning or hard disk drive cloning, this process has been successful in migrating data to thousands of hard drives.

Hard drive cloning, when used to migrate data to a new computer, allows the user to simply boot the new computer and resume use, as if they were using the original machine. As a data backup and recovery tool, hard drive cloning has received attention as a great way to preserve entire computing environments instead of only the data and files preserved by data backup and remote backup utilities.

For the average computer, or even an average business, anything more than occasional hard drive cloning might be considered overkill for backup purposes. Once these businesses have a good backup copy of operating system files and applications, which are usually readily available from original system recovery disks, it is only the data and files that change on a regular basis that need to be backed up to insure their accuracy and value upon restore.

A common use for hard drive cloning is to use it as a process to migrate data from one computer to another. Instead of creating multiple backups of data and files to be manually installed on a new computer, a simple hard drive cloning process can allow a user to migrate to a new, perhaps faster, computer while minimizing hassle, downtime and manual processes.

LS RBackup software has been used in many hard drive cloning applications, primarily where those disks contained data and files, perhaps as a component in a drive array. If you are considering hard drive cloning as a means of data backup, give us an opportunity to show you have our remote backup software may be the ideal data protection solution for you.

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Hard Drive Copy

The best way to maintain a backup of your businesses critical computer data and files is by creating a hard disk copy of these files. Unlike tape backups, CD backups, or DVD backups, creating a hard drive copy of your data is usually a fully automated process. The right files are backed up automatically each night, and the hard drive copy of backup records can be mirrored or re-copied for redundancy.

Using advanced local area network or remote backup software are two options for creating and maintaining the hard drive copy. LAN backup software is usually employed to create a local data backup which can be restored quickly if needed. This LAN hard drive copy is a basic step taken by most organizations to preserve their data.
Remote backup software can be used in conjunction with this LAN backup to provide a couple of elements that are critical to maintaining a hard drive copy for disaster recovery purposes. If the LAN is destroyed along with the building that housed it, the backup copy of data is also destroyed. Adding remote backup software to the mix ensures that a local data store is there for convenience, and that the online backup copy is there for disasters.

Many have found that even though remote backup data is viewed as a disaster recovery measure, restoring files from the remote data store can be very quick and painless when compared to a LAN restore. If a tape drive was used for the LAN hard drive copy, tapes must be requested or located, loaded and screened for the particular file that is being restored. Most quality remote backup software programs include an intuitive software interface that allows even non-technical staff to quickly locate and restore files.

RBackup Remote Backup software is the ‘weapon of choice’ for thousands of companies worldwide. They use it to create a hard drive copy of multiple machines, both on and off their networks. When evaluating data backup software and disaster recovery software products, be sure to take RBackup for a test drive.

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