No circus performer in his right mind would step out on the high wire without a safety net. It is equally important for a modern business to have a data back-up solution that is able to store critical information and restore it in the event of a disaster without leaving you bereft of the lifeblood of your company.

While you might choose to harness an on-premises back-up solution, this is not necessarily the smartest move because it means that you are putting all of your eggs in one basket and committing all of your data to a single physical location.

The alternative is to invest in an online data back-up solution, which is far more modern and considerably better suited to contemporary business use.

The first benefit of an online data back-up is that you can easily set up an account with a third-party service provider, storing your information remotely and without any overly complex processes involved.

The streamlined nature of this approach means that you can store information as quickly as it is created and then restore it equally quickly if your on-premises systems are compromised.

Security is a second bonus of outsourcing data back-up services, since the provider will have far greater resources available to it to protect your data than you would be able to source internally. In addition, the continuity of access to the data is going to be strengthened because it will be housed within managed data centres that are run around the clock to ensure the maximum degree of uptime.

If you opt for a managed data back-up solution, this will be a hands-off approach to protecting your information. No human interaction from your in-house team will be required to run the back-ups, since this is being looked after externally by a company that needs to keep the best interests of its clients at heart.

Another benefit that comes from using an online data back-up is that you will be able to access and restore your information no matter where you happen to be. If you have access to the internet you will also be presented with a gateway to your business’ vital information, which means that you can retrieve it for use at any time and in any place.

This is not only useful from the point of view of ensuring business continuity, but also if you want to make mobile and remote working a key part of your company. You may have colleagues and clients based overseas who need to collaborate on a project or access information stored within your business and that access can be delivered by an online data back-up solution of your choice.

The final feature of an online data back-up service that is worth mentioning is the scalability, because harnessing a third-party data centre to keep your information on tap will also allow you to enjoy as much or as little storage space as you require at any one time.

While an in-house solution will be strictly limited by the amount of hardware storage that you can afford to install and maintain, an online solution will have no such limitations. If your need for a back-up suddenly expands without much notice, you can accommodate this with a remote back-up platform that flexes to fit your company’s needs.

More and more businesses are adopting online data back-up solutions in order to save money and ensure that they can restore data after a disaster without the usual headaches involved in the process. It is often not simply a case of trimming a little bit from the budget, but actually ensuring the long-term viability of a company.

Daisy Group plc are a leading provider of storage and backup solutions. Visit their website to find out more at www.daisygroupplc.com.