Offsite Data Storage

Why offsite data storage - Why outsource - How it works

With VaultCentral as your outsource partner, you will have the peace-of-mind which comes from knowing that your data backups are comprehensively managed, secure and protected. This will enable you to recover from a disaster, retrieve lost or corrupt files and documents, and minimise your legal exposure through compliance with electronic record retention regulations.

Outsourcing offers clear advantages

Storage in an Office Safe, Bank Vault, Drawer at Home, etc is inadequate

Offsite backups must be available and work when needed. Proper care during transit and storage is essential.

Ensure that offsite backups have been done

Automated VaultCentral reminders prompt you each time an offsite backup is due. Should we not receive scheduled backups, we notify the nominated person.

Use the correct media

A reliable back-up regime incorporates multiple daily, weekly, monthly and annual backups to ensure that you can access data in a disaster. Our system ensures proper management of this process.

Remove a significant burden from staff

Offsite backups are a big responsibility – oversights by staff could be the cause of your business failing. Many employees are unhappy with this burden.

Senior management could be exposed to litigation

Senior management have a responsibility to take reasonable care of system data, which includes ensuring that there are secure offsite backups. If you do not have offsite backups or if they are not stored in a secure environment this can render management responsible for losses incurred by creditors, bankers, shareholders, customers etc.

A DIY approach is not adequate.

Correct care and handling is essential to preserve the physical integrity of backup media both for short-term usage and long-term archiving. Among the most critical factors are correct temperature and humidity, cleanliness and the absence of contaminants.

Can you rely on your offsite backups?

It's not as simple as you think to ensure the reliability of your offsite backups! A number of factors affect whether they will work when you need them.

Do your staff follow procedures?

Ensuring that offsite backup procedures are followed is time consuming, and often difficult to do effectively. And if you have branches it's even harder!

Also keep in mind that appointing an employee to be responisile for offsite backups places significant burdern of responsibility on that person. What if they forget or something goes wrong? Is that fair on that person?

Do you have an appropriate backup schedule?

It can take time before you discover that you have damaged or deleted data. Numerous backups can be affected. Or it may be necessary to locate archived data prior to the financial year end. Do you have a backup rotation schedule that you can rely on?

Do you know where all your offsite data backups are right now?

Are they safe? Are they all accounted for? Can you get to them quickly in an emergency? Do you know what is on each backup? Is your confidential data being accessed in an unauthorised manner?

Do you replace media regularly?

Backup media manufacturers recommend that regular replacement of media as they become less reliable with use and the passing of time. This is a difficult task to manage as it requires accurate recording and processing of data, which is time consuming.