Tag: business data

  • Is the cloud still your best option or would an on-premises server be the smarter way to go? 5 facts to consider about both

    Is the cloud still your best option or would an on-premises server be the smarter way to go? 5 facts to consider about both

    Originally touted as the wave of the future “the cloud”, which is nebulous phrasing that basically means putting your data anywhere besides your direct location, is often seen as the solution for corralling data into one central online location that’s managed by someone else (IE cloud providers).

    However, rising costs of data storage and uncertainty surrounding data security and availability in the wake of ever-increasing data breach threats has meant more businesses are seriously considering their options when it comes to the best strategy for data storage in their business. Where once more and more businesses were on board with an all-cloud solution, now many are turning away from the cloud for on-premises solutions or even a hybrid solution.

    First, five facts to consider in favor of an all-cloud solution:

    1. Scalability: Cloud solutions provide on-demand scalability, allowing businesses to easily increase or decrease resources such as storage, processing power, and bandwidth, based on changing needs without having to invest in physical infrastructure.
    2. Cost Efficiency: Moving to the cloud can reduce capital expenses (CapEx) for hardware and maintenance. Instead, businesses can move to an operating expense (OpEx) model, where they only pay for the resources they use, thus reducing waste and optimizing budgets.
    3. Accessibility and Flexibility: Cloud platforms allow employees to access data and applications from anywhere with an internet connection. This supports remote work, global collaboration, and increases flexibility for businesses.
    4. Automatic Updates and Maintenance: Cloud service providers manage routine maintenance, security patches, and software updates, freeing up internal IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks, and ensuring systems are up to date with the latest technologies.
    5. Disaster Recovery and Backup: Cloud solutions offer robust disaster recovery options, ensuring data redundancy and availability. Cloud providers often have geographically distributed data centers, reducing the risk of data loss due to localized incidents and enhancing business continuity.

    On the other hand, here are five facts in favor of an on-premises solution:

    1. Greater Control and Customization: With on-premises servers, organizations have full control over their hardware, software, and network configurations. This allows for highly customized setups that can be tailored to meet specific business or security needs.
    2. Data Security and Privacy: On-premises storage allows businesses to maintain direct oversight of their data, which can be crucial for industries that require strict data security and regulatory compliance (e.g., healthcare or finance). Sensitive data stays within the company’s infrastructure, reducing third-party access risks.
    3. No Dependence on Internet Connectivity: Unlike cloud-based solutions that require constant internet access, on-premises servers allow organizations to access and manage their data even if there are internet outages or network interruptions, ensuring business continuity.
    4. Predictable Costs: While the upfront costs of on-premises servers can be higher, they are typically one-time capital expenditures. Over time, businesses have greater control over their long-term budget for hardware upgrades and maintenance without the recurring subscription fees that cloud services often require.
    5. Legacy Systems Integration: Many businesses have legacy applications or systems that are better suited for, or only compatible with, on-premises infrastructure. Keeping data and applications on-site ensures better performance and integration with existing, sometimes older, internal systems.

    There are factors to consider when it comes to choosing either cloud or on-premises for your business storage solution, but what about a mix of both? Maintaining an on-premises storage solution combined with a cloud storage solution as a backup gives you both the redundancy you need with the flexibility of cloud storage and alongside the control of an on-premises solution in a hybrid solution completely customized for your needs.

    In today’s world, data storage can be customized to your business’s specific needs and here at Valley Techlogic we are experts in developing backup solutions that work for you (through our program TechVault). Whether you’re looking to protect your current data, migrate your data to the cloud or to an on-premises solution, or even if you’ve reached this article while going through a data loss event – Valley Techlogic can help. Reach out for a consultation today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.

  • Are you sure you can count on your data backups? 5 ways to confirm your backups are working (and avoid the 37% data backup failure rate)

    Are you sure you can count on your data backups? 5 ways to confirm your backups are working (and avoid the 37% data backup failure rate)

    Data backups are a big part of our service offering here at Valley Techlogic (learn more here) and we believe backing up your data is one of the easiest preventative option for a host of technology related headaches – including device failure, cyber breaches, accidental deletions and more.

    According to the statistics 91% of business organizations have some form of data backup in place but 76% report having a data loss in the last year. This tells us backups are happening, they’re just not happening very well.

    Here are five ways to check to see if your data backups are functioning as they should:

    1. Regular Backup Testing: Schedule regular tests where you restore data from your backups to ensure they are functional. This can involve restoring a small subset of data or running a full restoration process in a test environment.
    2. Data Integrity Checks: Use checksums or hash functions to verify the integrity of backed-up data. By comparing checksums or hashes of original data with those of the backed-up data, you can ensure that the backup process has not introduced any errors or corruptions.
    3. Backup Monitoring Tools: Implement backup monitoring tools that provide real-time alerts and reports on backup status, including successful completion, errors, or failures. These tools can help you proactively identify any issues with your backup process.
    4. Versioning Verification: If your backup system supports versioning, regularly check that multiple versions of files are being retained as expected. This ensures that you have access to historical versions of data in case of accidental deletions or data corruption.
    5. Backup Logging and Auditing: Maintain detailed logs of backup activities, including start and end times, success or failure statuses, and any error messages encountered. Regularly review these logs to identify any anomalies or patterns that may indicate problems with the backup process.

    Other pitfalls we see when it comes to backups? Not backing up everything you intend to, there’s nothing worse than going to look for a file and realizing it was deleted accidentally at some point. Or not moving your files to the intended central location that does receive regular backing up and experiencing a device failure.

    It’s a good idea to take a look at the full picture when it comes to backups, for many simply backing up your office server is enough because all work stems from that central location (this is especially true if you use a type of specialized software that all employees must work through and that software is stored on the office server).

    For others work is less centralized, and it might make sense to backup the workstations of specific employees because if their devices were lost, compromised, or broken it would also mean a loss of files that are significant to your day-to-day operations.

    Another backup related item to consider? Your email. While most email services offer ample storage, we still find it’s a good idea to add a backup to that just in case (and again, this is another protection against losing data due to a breach which occurs frequently with email). At Valley Techlogic we even have a product that can backup your Microsoft 365 data specifically, and if you use Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. throughout your business or as your business productivity software suite of choice, this kind of backup coverage can go a long way.

    In a nutshell, if you’re looking for assistance in determining if your backups are functioning as they should, in expanding your backups to include more of your data, a switch from on-premises backups to cloud or even establishing backups from the ground up Valley Techlogic is able to assist you with all of these and more. Backups are one facet of the services you’ll receive as a Valley Techlogic client, so what are you waiting for? Get started today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.