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The data protection gamble

One in five small to medium businesses will suffer a data loss every year. And unless that information is protected by a suitable backup and restore system, it could result in financial, reputational or productivity losses. That much is clear from ATTIX5 partner IronTree, which reports that of the more than 5000 SMBs that use its automated, offsite data protection solution, some 1000 put it to the test each year to restore lost or corrupt information.

Says IronTree joint CEO David Lees: “While these figures may or may not be extrapolated to provide an indication of the need for appropriate data protection across all SMBs, it nevertheless does demonstrate just how prevalent data loss is for business owners.”

Important for the SMB owner, continues Lees, is simplicity, ease of use, accessible support and a clear value proposition. He points to the ‘setup and leave it alone’ nature of the data protection solution. “Once installed, ATTIX5 technology automatically does everything that is required to ensure that the client’s data is protected. And should their machine not back up for any reason, such as being switched off at the time of the scheduled backup, we have a process in place to monitor client backup frequency as well as follow up calls to alert clients where their backup is out-of-date.

With an initial copy of the client’s data stored offsite in a secure data centre, at a pre-set time each day, ATTIX5’s software scans the protected machine for any changes to data, sending just these changes over an Internet connection to update the offsite copy. Only new data and data which has changed subsequent to the last backup is incorporated into the backup files, which are then compressed and encrypted for bandwidth efficiency and data integrity. “So efficient is this technology that ADSL and wireless connections are more than adequate,” Lees explains.

He says growing awareness of the necessity of a backup – and an understanding that even a DVD or USB stick ‘somewhere in a desk drawer’ is insufficient – is helping to drive acceptance of automated solutions.

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