Remote backup service: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Service

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that provides users with a system for the backup, storage, and recovery of computer files}}

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{{internet hosting}}

A '''remote''', '''online''', or '''managed backup service''', sometimes marketed as '''cloud backup''' or '''backup-as-a-service''', is a service that provides users with a system for the [[backup]], storage, and recovery of [[computer file]]s. [[List of online backup services|Online backup providers]] are companies that provide this type of service to end users (or clients). Such backup services are considered a form of [[cloud computing]].

Online backup systems are typically built aroundfor a client software program that runs on a given schedule. Some systems run once a day, usually at night while computers aren't in use. Other newer cloud backup services run continuously to capture changes to user systems nearly in real-time. The onlyonline backup system typically collects, compresses, encrypts, and transfers the data to the remote backup service provider's servers or off-site hardware.

There are many products on the market – all offering different feature sets, service levels, and types of encryption. Providers of this type of service frequently target specific market segments. High-end LAN-based backup systems may offer services such as [[Active Directory]], client remote control, or open file backups. Consumer online backup companies frequently have beta software offerings and/or free-trial backup services with fewer live support options.

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== History ==

In the mid-1980s, the computer industry was in a great state of change with modems at speeds of 1200 to 2400 baud, making transfers of large amounts of data slow (1 MB in 72 minutes). While faster modems and more secure network protocols were in development, tape backup systems gained in popularity. During that same period the need for an affordable, reliable online backup system was becoming clear, especially for businesses with critical data.

Remote Backup Systems, formerly known as Quantum Tech and founded in 1987 by Rob Cosgrove, was the second company to offer remote backup solutions to service providers, after [http://www.websoftware.com/about-us/ TeleBack] (developed by WEBsoftware). Remote Backup Systems still operates to this day. Also in 1987 he wrote the first book on remote backup services, ''The RBS Book: How to Start and Operate a Remote Backup Data Service.''<ref>{{cite book|last=Edwards|first=Paul and Sarah|title=The Best Home Businesses For The 90s|year=1994|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons|isbn=0874777844|page=112}}</ref>

More online/remote backup services came into existence during the heyday of the [[dot-com boom]] in the late 1990s. The initial years of these large industry service providers were about capturing market share and understanding the importance and the role that these online backup providers were playing in the web services arena. Today, most service providers of online backup services position their services using the [[SaaS]] (software as a service) and [[PaaS]] (Platform as a service) strategy and its relevance is predicted to increase exponentially in the years to come as personal and enterprise data storage needs rise. The last few years have also witnessed a healthy rise in the number of independent online backup providers.

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===Ubiquitous access===

#Cloud BUR utilizes standard networking protocols (which today are primarily but not exclusively IP based) to transfer data between the customer and the service provider.

#Vaults or repositories need to be always available to restore data to any ___location connected to the Service Provider’sProvider's Cloud via private or public networks.

===Scalable and elastic===

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#Cloud Backup allows customers to align the value of data with the cost of protecting it. It is procured on a per-gigabyte per month basis. Prices tend to vary based on the age of data, type of data (email, databases, files etc.), volume, number of backup copies and RTOs.

Cloud Backup is a modern and efficient data backup solution that operates on a native cloud multitenant platform. This advanced platform is specifically designed to share resources among users, which makes data mobility possible for customers. With this solution, customers are not restricted to a single provider and can effortlessly move their data to another provider or back to a dedicated Private or Hybrid Cloud. The security of customer data is of utmost importance, and service providers take all necessary measures to ensure that customer data is always kept private and secure. Such security measures include making sure that customer data is never accessible to other customers. Service providers should also only access customer data with explicit permission. By adhering to these strict security measures, Cloud Backup providers can offer peace of mind to their customers and build trust in their services, making it a reliable and trustworthy data backup solution for businesses of all sizes.

===Shared and secure===

#The underlying enabling technology for Cloud Backup is a full stack native cloud multitenant platform (shared everything).

#Data mobility/portability prevents service provider lock-in and allows customers to move their data from one Service Provider to another, or entirely back into a dedicated Private Cloud (or a [[Hybrid Cloud]]).

#Security in the cloud is critical. One customer can never have access to another’s data. Additionally, even Service Providers must not be able to access their customer’s data without the customer’s permission.

===Enterprise-class cloud backup===

An enterprise-class cloud backup solution must include an on-premises cache, to mitigate any issues due to inconsistent Internet connectivity.<ref>Vendor Landscape Storyboard: Cloud Backup. InfoTech Research Group Research, July 2011. p. 4</ref>

Hybrid cloud backup works by storing data to local disk so that the backup can be captured at high speed, and then either the backup software or a [[Cloud Storage Gateway|D2D2C (Disk to Disk to Cloud) appliance]] encrypts and transmits data to a service provider. This adds protection against local

Hybrid cloud backup is an approach combining local backup for fast backup and restore, along with off-site backup for protection against local disasters.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Taylor|first1=Martin|title=Cloud backup options: Pure cloud vs hybrid cloud backup|url=http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Cloud-backup-options-Pure-cloud-vs-hybrid-cloud-backup|accessdate=3 September 2015|work=computerweekly.com|publisher=TechTarget|date=May 2012}}</ref>

disasters.<ref>{{cite news

|author=Martin Taylor |title=Cloud backup options: Pure cloud vs hybrid cloud backup

|url=http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Cloud-backup-options-Pure-cloud-vs-hybrid-cloud-backup

|access-date=3 September 2015 |work=computerweekly.com

|publisher=TechTarget|date=May 2012}}</ref> Recent backups are retained locally, to speed data recovery operations.

Hybrid cloud backup works by storing data to local disk so that the backup can be captured at high speed, and then either the backup software or a [[Cloud Storage Gateway|D2D2C (Disk to Disk to Cloud) appliance]] encrypts and transmits data to a service provider. Recent backups are retained locally, to speed data recovery operations. There are a number of cloud storage appliances on the market that can be used as a backup target, including appliances from [[CTERA Networks]], [[StorSimple]] and [[TwinStrata]].<ref>Boles, Jeff. [http://searchdatabackup.techtarget.com/tutorial/Hybrid-cloud-backup-D2D2C-emerging-as-a-viable-data-backup-strategy Hybrid cloud backup: D2D2C emerging as a viable data backup strategy]. SearchDataBackup, 2 May 2011</ref>

Hybrid cloud backup is also beneficial for enterprise users who have security concerns. When storing data locally before sending it to the cloud, backup users can perform the necessary encryption operations, incl. technologies like:

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* Configurable TLS (SSL) communications encryption between each component (storage, client and cloud)

* Computation of MD5 or SHA1 signatures of the file data, if configured

Data encryption should additionally be applied when you choose a public cloud service provider.

The same is important for the compression of backup data. The local backup cache is used to compress the data before sending it to the cloud in order to lower the network bandwidth load and improve backup speed. This becomes critical for enterprises which backup huge databases like [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] or [[Microsoft SQL Server|MS SQL]] or huge files like [[virtual machine]] images or mail server databases (EDB files of [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Exchange]]).

Recent improvements in CPU availability allow increased use of software agents instead of hardware appliances for enterprise cloud backup.<ref>Slack, Eric. "[http://www.storage-switzerland.com/articles/entries/2012/6/14_Does_Cloud_Backup_Need_An_Appliance.html Does Cloud Backup Need An Appliance?]" Storage Switzerland, 14 June 2012</ref> The software-only approach can offer advantages including decreased complexity, simple scalability, significant cost savings and improved data recovery times.<ref>Whitehouse, Lauren. "[http://searchdatabackup.techtarget.com/tip/The-pros-and-cons-of-cloud-backup-technologies The pros and cons of cloud backup technologies]” SearchDataBackup, March 2009</ref><ref>“[http://searchsmbstorage.techtarget.com/feature/Backup-as-a-service-FAQ Backup as a service FAQ]” SearchSMBStorage, October 2008</ref>

== Typical features ==

; Encryption: Data should be encrypted before it is sent across the internet, and it should be stored in its encrypted state. [[Encryption]] should be at least 256 bits, and the user should have the option of using his own encryption key, which should never be sent to the server.

; Network backup: A backup service supporting network backup can back up multiple computers, servers or [[Network Attached Storage]] appliances on a local area network from a single computer or device.

; [[Continuous backup]] -– Continuous Data Protection: Allows the service to back up continuously or on a predefined schedule. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. Most backup services are schedule-based and perform backups at a predetermined time. Some services provide continuous data backups which are used by large financial institutions and large online retailers. However, there is typically a trade-off with performance and system resources.

; File-by-File Restore: The ability for users to restore files themselves, without the assistance of a Service Provider by allowing the user select files by name and/or folder. Some services allow users to select files by searching for filenames and folder names, by dates, by file type, by backup set, and by tags.

; Online access to files: Some services allow you to access backed-up files via a normal web browser. Many services do not provide this type of functionality.

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;File retention policies

:Many businesses require a flexible file retention policy that can be applied to an unlimited number of groups of files called "sets".

;Fully [[managed services]]

:Some services offer a higher level of support to businesses that might request immediate help, proactive monitoring, personal visits from their service provider, or telephone support.

;Redundancy

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:Ability to send a first backup on a portable storage device rather than over the Internet when a user has large amounts of data that they need quickly backed up.

;Server backup

:Many businesses require backups of servers and the special applications or databases that run on them, such as [[groupware]], SQL, ERP- or CRM-systems and [[directory service]]s. This requires not only regular file-based approach, but specific point-in-time backups and restores for databases.<ref>[http://www.backup-utility.com/res/backup-types.html Scheduled backups of SQL Server or SQL Server Express databases (without version limitation).].</ref>

;Versioning

:Keeps multiple past versions of files to allow for rollback to or restoration from a specific point in time.

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Some vendors limit the number of versions of a file that can be kept in the system. Some services omit this restriction and provide an unlimited number of versions. Add-on features (plug-ins), like the ability to back up currently open or locked files, are usually charged as an extra, but some services provide this built in.

Most remote backup services reduce the amount of data to be sent over the wire by only backing up changed files.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} This approach to backing up means that the customers total stored data is reduced. Reducing the amount of data sent and also stored can be further drastically reduced by only transmitting the changed data bits by binary or block level incremental backups. [[List of online backup services|Solutions]] that transmit only these changed binary data bits do not waste bandwidth by transmitting the same file data over and over again if only small amounts change.

== Advantages ==

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* Some remote backup services will work continuously, backing up files as they are changed.

* Most remote backup services will maintain a list of versions of your files.

* Most remote backup services will use a 128 -– 4482048 bit encryption to send data over unsecured links (e.g. internet).

* A few remote backup services can reduce backup by only transmitting changed data.

* Manage and secure digital data information.

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* If the encryption password is lost, data recovery will be impossible. However, with managed services this should not be a problem.

* Residential broadband services often have monthly limits that preclude large backups. They are also usually asymmetric; the user-to-network link regularly used to store backups is much slower than the network-to-user link used only when data is restored.

* In terms of price, when looking at the raw cost of hard disks, remote backups cost about 1-20 times per GB what a local backup would.<ref>Zaborszky, Peter. (2012-11-16 November 2012) [http://www.bestbackups.com/blog/1518/online-backups-worth-it-how-much-are-you-paying-per-gb-at-home/ Are online backups worth it? How much are you paying per GB at home?]. Best Backups.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-10.</ref>

== Managed vs. unmanaged ==

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* Assistance in restoring and recovering data

== Scheduled vs. Manualmanual vs. Eventevent-based Backupbackup ==

There are 2three distinct types of backup modes,: scheduled, manual and manualevent-based.

* Scheduled Backup -– data is backed up according to a fixed schedule.

* Manual Backup -– backup of data is triggered by user input.

* Event-based Backup -– backup of data is triggered by some computer events, e.g. database or application stoppage ([[cold backup]]).

== See also ==

{{cmn|

*[[File hosting service]]

*[[Attix5 Online Backup]]

*[[Cloud storage]]

*[[Comparison of backup software]] (includes Managedmanaged backup providers)

*[[Comparison of file hosting services]]

*[[Comparison of file synchronization software]]

*[[Comparison of online backup services]]

*[[Comparison of backup software]] (includes Managed backup providers)

*[[Off-site data protection]] - The practice of sending data off-site for safe keeping, but not necessarily using a remote backup service.

*[[Comparison of online music lockers]]

*[[File hosting service]]

*[[Comparison of file synchronization software]]

*[[Comparison of file hosting services]]

*[[Cloud storage]]

*[[Shared disk access]]

*[[File sharing]]

*[[List of backup software]]

*[[Off-site data protection]] -– The practice of sending data off-site for safe keeping, but not necessarily using a remote backup service.

*[[Shared disk access]]

}}

==References==