What is Online Backup?
I know, this seems like a chapter you could skip. After all, everyone knows what Online Backup is. Right? Read this anyway. I’m going to also tell you what your customers expect from you, and what Online Backup is NOT.
The Online Backup Guide for Service Providers is a complete 196-page guide on starting and operating an Online Backup Service – the latest revision of Rob Cosgrove’s industry defining RBS Book originally published in 1987. The entire book is being published here, chapter by chapter.
At its core, Online Backup means making a copy of data on a geographically distant computer for the purpose of protecting the data from loss like accidental erasure, hardware failure, computer theft or destruction. In the event of a loss, the backup copy can be restored.
There are several features of Online Backup services that the public have come to expect. All Online Backup services operate over the Internet. Some, like the kind that can be operated by RBackup software, can also support local networks, direct connections, and even telephone modems.
These are the most important requirements for all Online Backup customers – Personal and Business. These are the features they demand in a Service.
Personal and Business Requirements
Privacy – Users expect privacy. They don’t want anyone else to see their data, either in transit across the Internet, or at rest on the backup servers. This is the most critical concern of Online Backup customers.
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.
File-by-File Restore – Users want to be able to restore files themselves, without assistance from the Service Provider. So, the service should provide at some kind of simple restore procedure that at least lets users select files by name and/or folder. More advanced services (like RBackup and Mercury) also allow users to select files by searching for parts of filenames and folder names, by dates, by file type, by backup set, and by tags.
Easy File Selection – NO file selection would be better. End users do not usually know which files need to be backed up. So, the Online Backup Service should be capable of pre-selecting the most common file types and locations, discovering which files are used the most often, and automatically backing them up. It should also give the user some way to edit its selections.
Automation – End users want to set it and forget it. They want the Online Backup service to simply work. They often don’t want to see progress screens, and they don’t want to have to push a button to start a backup. The service should simply back up their files without any questions, and without any user intervention. This is easier said than done, and in the real world, may not be practical in all applications.
Web Access – Users want to be able to access their backed-up data from a web browser anywhere on the Internet, in case they are away from their computers and they need a copy of a file.
Reliability – The Service should work day in and day out, without failure. Users come to rely on their Online Backup Service and unless they are told otherwise, they assume it is working.
Exception Reporting – If something goes wrong with a backup, the user needs to be alerted by an on-screen message and an email. Email alone is not adequate for exception reporting, since email does not have a guaranteed delivery. In the best Online Backup Services, someone at the service monitors all accounts and also gets a notice.
Ease of Installation – Some Online Backup services (who charge more than $5/month) offer to install the Client (or Agent) software either in person or by remote control. Customers love this kind of personal service, and are willing to pay for it – especially business customers. If you don’t intend to install the software, customers will expect to be able to go to a website, pay for the service, download the software immediately, and start backing up. Some Service Providers sell CDs. Some pre-install their software on new computers, and on computers brought in for repair.
Business Requirements
In addition to these over-all expectations, business customers have some additional requirements.
Server Backup – Business customers expect their Online Backup service to be able to back up Windows Servers, and the special databases that run on them. This includes MS Exchange (Brick Level), SQL Server, Active Directory, System State, and open files.
Multiple Versioning – Businesses require that their Online Backup service keep multiple versions of their files at different points during their development so they will be able to roll them back to a point in time. The bookkeeper might want last month’s copy of a spreadsheet. A virus might have infected the network on June 8, and the customer needs virus-free copies of his files from before then.
Flexible File Retention Policy – Some files need to be kept for up to ten years, while others can be deleted after ninety days. Some don’t require deletion after a specific age, but should be deleted after a number of versions. Business customers need a service that offers a flexible file retention policy that can be applied to an unlimited number of groups of files called “Backup Sets.”
Regulatory Compliance – Some business customers are required to comply with government regulations that govern privacy, disclosure, and legal discovery. For example, Healthcare Providers are required to conform to HIPAA (see the chapter on HIPAA). Others are required to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) and more. Different countries have different regulations. Since Online Backup services handle the data covered by these regulations, they must assist customers with proper compliance with the laws.
Centralized Management – Larger business customers might have an IT department, or at least one IT person on staff, whose job it is to manage the computers. He might also want to manage the Online Backups. So, some business customers want a centralized management console that can control and monitor all the backups for the company.
Fully Managed Service – Business customers demand a much higher level of service than personal customers. They may expect to be able to phone in a support request and get immediate help, sometimes in the form of a personal visit by a technician. They will want their backups monitored proactively, and they will expect far more functionality and flexibility in their service than personal users do.
Redundancy – Some business customers want multiple copies of their backed-up data at different locations. This requirement might be satisfied by having two or more mirrored data centers, or by keeping a local copy of the latest version of backed up data on site with the business.
Accepted Encryption Technology – Blowfish is a great encryption technology. It is fast and very secure – up to 448 bits. However, it is not government-approved. Some businesses (like banks and brokerages) require the use of a “standard” encryption technology like DES or AES. RBackup supports six “standard” encryption technologies as well as Blowfish.
High Security Data Centers – Business customers are more conscious of the features of the Online Backup data center than personal customers are. They may require redundant Internet connections, biometric security, armed guards, backup generators, backup air conditioning, special fire suppression, redundant alarm systems, earthquake-proof buildings, and video monitoring.
Bulk Loading – Many business customers have large amounts of data that would make the first backup too big to go over the Internet. Of course, subsequent backups are smaller. But that first one can be huge. These customers will want to send their first backup on a portable USB drive rather than online. RBackup fully supports bulk loading.
Bulk Restore – Like Bulk Loading, full restores (while rarely needed) might take too long to do over the Internet. So, there should be a way to restore data from a portable USB drive instead. RBackup also supports Bulk Restore. This bulk load technology was pioneered and first commercialized by RBS in the early 90’s to deal with the very slow speeds of telephone modems.
What Online Backup is NOT
There is some confusion in the marketplace because of the number of services that are similar to Online Backup, but are not Online Backup. Some Online Backup services also offer similar services like one of these.
File Sharing – File Sharing services allow you to upload files that can be shared with others. Facebook, MySpace, and many other web sites provide cheap or free temporary storage space that allows users to upload files (usually via a web browser) to be shared with others. These services are almost never encrypted, file names are in the clear, and they are intrinsically insecure.
Collaboration – Collaboration services allow you to upload documents to be worked with jointly by two or more people. Sometimes these documents are project files or word processing documents. Microsoft Office Live is a good example.
Synchronization – Synchronization services monitor changes to files on one computer and mirror those changes to another, thereby keeping the computers “in sync.” These services often work in a peer-to-peer network, where there is no central server.
Data Warehousing – Just as the name implies, the simple answer is that a Data Warehouse stores data in dissimilar, often unstructured formats, and provides a unified catalog for cross referencing and locating the information. It’s a way to store many years of (often legacy) data in an easily retrievable way.
Remote Hosting – Files actually live on a server somewhere in a data center, and may never be downloaded to a local computer. They are used and edited by remote. Such files often consist of big databases rather than individual documents.
Data Archiving – While many Online Backup Services can keep data online for up to ten years, Data Archiving is not considered a standard component of an Online Backup service.
Data Mining – This can include options for legal discovery and reporting, allowing users to search through files and metadata looking for key words and phrases. This service is rarely (if ever) offered by any Online Backup Service.
Rob Cosgrove is the President of Remote Backup Systems, founder of the Online Backup Industry, and a vocal advocate for maintaining the highest standards in Online Backup software. His latest book, the Online Backup Guide for Service Providers: How to Start and Operate an Online Backup Service, is available online now, on Amazon.com, and at bookstores.
Remote Backup Systems provides brandable, scalable software and solutions to MSPs and VARs enabling them to offer Online Backup Services.
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