Protect Your Important Computer Data with Offsite Backup Services

If you're in the world of small-business owners, freelancers, or entrepreneurs who rely on digital documents and data for their livelihoods, then it's safe to say that your data is probably pretty darn important. And if you've ever had a laptop stolen or know someone who has lost an entire computer tower due to a hard drive crash, then it's also safe to say that you understand the importance of safeguarding your data from catastrophic loss.

With this in mind, we wanted to draw attention to the benefits of offsite backup services — which allow you to store copies of your server's most important information on remote servers for redundancy and protection against hardware failure or natural disaster.

Whatever your computer's needs (or budget), there are several professional services at your disposal:

1. Online Data Storage for Small Office/Home Office Users

Traditional online backup services like Carbonite and Mozy use Continuous Data Protection (CDP) to guard against catastrophic hard drive failures by storing copies of your data on remote servers. As you create, update and delete information, these services make instantaneous backups of your data in real-time, meaning that if any kind of disaster occurs to your local computer, you can quickly access all of the backed-up versions of your files from anywhere on the Internet.

2. Remote Backup Support for SMB Users

If your organization needs remote data backup support and doesn't need a dedicated server or an in-house IT team, then managed data backup services may be the way to go. For example, companies like Redstor offer enterprise-grade data protection with 24/7 monitoring and immediate restoration services for servers that are located at your business' location or in any offsite location. In this scenario, you're able to take advantage of the same offsite storage capabilities as large companies receive from their own private datacenters, but at a fraction of the cost — allowing you to focus on growing your business instead of managing information technology infrastructure.

3. Online Backup for Businesses of All Sizes

Many established companies offer their employees or clients the chance to completely offload all of their computer data to outside storage facilities. For example, Carbonite offers its users secure online backup for notebooks and desktops, but also promises disaster recovery for any other personal computer, device or server via its CDP system. Mozy offers similar services as well and is even able to back up and restore your entire home network in addition to individual computers and mobile devices.

If you're still unsure about which online backup service is right for your needs, the best thing to do may be to ask your IT support team — they'll have access to server-level data and may be able to weigh in on which services are the most efficient depending on your business' size and needs.

That said, if you don't already have an IT team in place, don't worry! Managed IT providers like Great Lakes Technologies can help. As a full-service IT company that offers a suite of managed system services , we can work with you to create a custom security solution that will keep your business and your data backed up — even if disaster strikes.

Have you had an offsite backup service? If so, what have been the pros and cons of your experience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Posted by Great Lakes Technologies, Inc. at 14:10

Labels: small business , technology , trends

Posted by Great Lakes Technologies, Inc. at 15:10

Labels: Technology Trends , Technology Tips & Advice , web security

Posted by Great Lakes Technologies, Inc. at 17:04

These days, there's a new Internet scam popping up on seemingly every corner of the web. Whether it's through an email you receive or a social networking site you're trying to get your business on, scammers have found new and creative ways to trap their targets into falling victim to fraud. Whether you're a consumer or a business owner looking to connect with others online, the following tips will help keep you safe and help you spot potential scams in your everyday Internet activity.

Should I Visit That Website?

So you've just received a link to an interesting website — either through an email or a message board post — but are hesitant about visiting for fear of downloading malware onto your computer. The following tips will help you decide whether a site is safe to visit and how to tell if you're at risk of downloading a virus or malicious code:

1. Check the URL . If the website address looks fishy, then it's likely that it is. For example, instead of something like www.examplecompany.com, the site may be located at something like www.examplecompany-sucks.com — which should immediately tip you off to its questionable authenticity (and lack thereof).

2. Check the spelling . Is the URL spelled correctly? If the website's called makeabetterdecision.com, a typo would be a red flag. And if "make" is spelled "made" instead, that's an even bigger giveaway.

3. Look for misspellings and typos . Just because someone can type fast enough to create a list of supposed free concert tickets doesn't mean they are able to keep track of every letter and number properly. Today's scammers have access to plenty of online resources — such as Wikipedia and forums — that allow them to search for scam-related information and copy/paste it in their own websites.

4. What's the website's purpose? If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. If you're promised free concert tickets or discounted computer equipment but have to fill out a survey in order to qualify, then you can count on being spammed with an endless amount of advertisements and spam emails afterward.

5. Does your spam filter show that the site is a scam? While spam filters aren't perfect, they're able to flag websites containing keywords related to phishing scams and other fraudulent activity — meaning that if your email client or web browser shows that the website URL is listed as a potential threat, you should proceed with caution.

6. Do some quick research .

Conclusion

If your gut tells you that something looks fishy, it probably is. If you're looking to purchase an item on eBay, remember that the best deals are found through people who have consistently positive feedback and know what they're talking about. In addition, if a seller offers their items at prices way too low for the real-life economy to support — such as $10 items with $40 shipping costs — be prepared to see the quality of the product you receive match (or fall below) its listed value.

By following these six tips, your next online venture should go smoothly — and without any unwanted surprises from scam artists or phishing programs .

Posted by Great Lakes Technologies, Inc.