Benefits of a functional online backup and restore programme

A world of data types – and one solution to back them all up

Your business uses a lot of different file types – in fact it’s probably impossible to count them all. No matter what category of file you need to back up, a high quality online backup and restore programme will have you covered.

Here are some of the data types you can back up using a system like this:

Files
Applications
Disk images
Databases
Virtual machines
Any other type of data you can think of

backup your data when and how you require

Depending on the amount of data your business creates and how quickly it does so, you may need to back up your sensitive information every week, day, hour, or second.

A good automated backup system will let you select a backup frequency that suits your business to help insure that none of your valuable business information goes missing due to a hardware error or cybercrime attack.

huge files? Seed them on an external HD

One of the main challenges facing the data backup industry in SA is that file sizes are growing rapidly, and internet bandwidth just can’t keep up.

If your data connection is too slow to allow for real time backup over the Internet, you’ll need to seed your data.
If you’re a Soteria client, this means saving your files to an external hard drive or other storage device and sending them to us by secure courier.
Once we receive the device, we transfer your data to the cloud using the same high-security encryption that we applied to data backed up on the Internet.

retention options to suit your company policy

Deciding how long to store your data in the cloud is an important component of every secure backup policy.

A good cloud-based backup solution should offer a range of retention periods, in line with your corporate policy on information storage. This is especially important since the POPI Act was passed earlier this year

The length of time your data will be stored can depend on the number of versions of the same file in the cloud, and retention periods may be applied to single files or entire folders.

high grade encryption

To prevent data breaches, it’s essential to ensure that your online backup and restore programme uses the best quality encryption possible.

We always recommend military grade encryption technology and upload checks which ensure that the file being backed up reaches the cloud with zero corruption

instant restore for peace of mind

Even in the worst case scenario, lost data shouldn’t remain lost for long.

It’s important that your backed up data can be restored to your computer, a backup server, or a replications server. The ideal restore system will also include backups of all versions of a given file.

how to find an online backup and restore programme?

Not sure where to find such a comprehensive back up system? Look no further

Don’t take unnecessary risks with your company’s data. Our online backup and restore software programme contains cutting edge features that will keep your files safe. Contact us today to learn more.

Black Friday: How did SA Websites Handle the Pressure?

Friday 24 November saw consumers and retailers alike steady themselves for the onslaught of Black Friday sales, both online and throughout many stores. The increasingly popular end-of-year sales continued in many outlets until Tuesday 28 November with a big push on Cyber Monday for online stores.

Black Friday – the informal name for the day after Thanksgiving, has long been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas Season shopping spree in America and was adopted by other countries in the early 2000s.

Black Friday Pressure

South African retailers, while slow on the uptake of this phenomena, appear to have fully adopted this crazy sale day without quite understanding the enormity of the demand on their sites. We take a look at just how South African websites fared in the wake of millions of visitors on the biggest day of them all – Black Friday.

So how did South African Websites Handle it?

The likes of Dion Wired, Takealot.com, Incredible Connection, Virgin Active and Toys R Us were just a few South African websites struck with outages in the wake of Black Friday.

The cause of these site outages? Poor website infrastructure or overwhelmed hosting servers. With South Africans showing more signs of trust in online shopping, many of the businesses offering online retail options need to look at the scalability of their websites.

E-Commerce Website Infrastructure

Ultimately, e-commerce websites of today need to be built with a highly scalable and flexible infrastructure which adjusts to the needs of the consumer, most importantly on days such as Black Friday. An elastic infrastructure is the key to surviving major changes in website traffic and ultimately handling the pressure.

With this elasticity, an e-commerce website is able to fully scale itself in order to manage increased traffic based on the use of the CPU and memory usage. This elasticity allows the website to unload the pressure in a more balanced way, rather than imploding on itself due to an overwhelmed server.

Takealot Takes it Home

Despite prolonged outages, Takealot.com managed to net itself a whopping R87 million on Black Friday, recording 2.2 million site visits in just one day!

Despite being down for most of the day on Black Friday, the website managed to bank R6 million in gross merchandising value in the first hour of the Black Friday sale, while showing a 280% increase in year-on-year site visits.

The increase in popularity of online shopping within South Africa drives a need for e-commerce websites to build flexible, scalable and secure website infrastructure in preparation for Black Friday 2018.

Remember, if you are an online shopper the importance of using a fully secure password and regularly backing up your data to the Cloud is paramount. Exposure to hackers is higher than ever in the wake of online exposure during the worldwide phenomenon that is Black Friday!

10 Reasons Why You Need Cloud Backup and Online Backup in South Africa

Cloud backup – also known as online backup in South Africa, is essential for your business and we would like to share with you just why it is such an important transition for any organisation! Below is our pick of the top 10 reasons:

Increased cyber crime means that no connected device is really safe. Any data stored on your computer hard drive or device is at risk.
Crime happens and for this reason, backing up your important or sensitive data to a flash drive or removable hard drive is simply unsafe. The unit could be stolen or even lost, taking your data with it.
Data backed up in the cloud, will be available to you with a restore if you ever need to restore your data. If you are backing up to a removable device and this device gets lost or stolen, then it’s gone and you cannot restore your data from the cloud.
Data stored to a hard drive can be password protected but that’s not 100% safe. Online backup offers the extra security of 256 bit data encryption and 24/7 monitoring for potential breach or risk.
Cloud backups are scheduled and automatic. This means that as long as your device is connected to the internet, the backup will be done automatically for you – one less thing for you to remember to do each day.
If your computer or device malfunctions or is stolen, you can quickly and easily restore all the data at no additional cost!
Online backups give you the option to set your own encryption password, which only you know and can use if you need to restore your data later on. With Hard drive backups, you can’t limit access with passwords.
Online backup is a budgeted cost and cheaper than buying hard drives. Chances are that you will run out of hard drive space eventually. The external hard drives have a limited life span which means that you will spend more money on buying new ones. In the long run, backups offer a much more affordable way to store your data.
Save on storage space. The beauty of online backups is that they are digital and stored in the cloud. A cloud backup takes up no physical space on your work premises and you won’t have to waste time planning safe storage space for your backups / hard drives.
Recovery of data is guaranteed. When using hard drives or other devices for storage, you stand the risk of damage and malfunction negatively impacting on your data. Damaged hard drives can prove impossible and extremely expensive to recover. When you backup to the cloud, these are things you won’t have to worry about.

With cyber crime constantly on the rise, it’s important that you don’t leave yourself and your business open to potential threats. Protect the integrity of your business and ensure that your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands or get lost forever. Find out what a good data backup package features right here at Soteria Cloud.

6 Reasons to Use an Online Backup Service in South Africa

Just about every document, memory and personal details that we have is in digital format these days. If you have your important data stored to your devices, it is vital that you regularly backup the information.

A few years ago it would have been perfectly acceptable to regularly back your data up to removable hard drives or discs which are then stored in your IT department or home, but that leaves data at risk.

With high speed internet and a number of reputable online backup service providers, the opportunity to back up your data safely, securely and quickly, off-site and out of harm’s way, is a reality and in most instances a better option.

Some people still grapple with the concept of online storage. If this is the case with you, here are a few reasons why you might want to consider moving away from a hard drive backup for all your home and business data.

Mother Nature

The risk of a natural disaster destroying your data is negated. Storing data to hard drives and flash drives means that your information is exposed to the dangers of floods, fires and similar. Chances are that your hard drive isn’t going to make it if a fire breaks out in your office. Backing up online safely stores your sensitive and valuable data where no natural disaster can touch it: in the cloud.

Hardware failure

When your backups are stored in the cloud there’s no way of losing your data due to malfunction or damage. Hard drives aren’t fail proof. You might take the time to religiously backup your data. only to find that your hard drive gives up a few years down the line. And while data can sometimes be recovered from these devices, it costs money and sometimes proves fruitless.

Theft

With online backup the possibility of theft becomes a non-topic. Data thieves might just steal the whole hard drive and then you’re in trouble. Maybe it’s not even someone after your data. It could just be a criminal stealing the hard drive itself. Either way, your data will be lost and you will have no hope of recovery!

Petty Crime

You won’t feel like you’ve lost everything if / when your laptop or computer is stolen. As mentioned in the point above, theft is of real concern in South Africa. Laptops and computers are prime targets of criminals as they are very rarely recovered in this country. With your data stored in the cloud, at least you won’t have lost everything if you are a victim of common South African crime.

Convenience

Forgetting to backup is not something you ever have to worry about if you choose the right service provider. If you’re backing up to an external device manually and you have a busy week, it’s easy to overlook a backup and let’s face it, as luck usually has it, that will be the week that your computer breaks down or ransomware locks up all your files. With online backup services, your data will be backed up automatically for you at a certain time on certain days. All you have to do is let it do its thing.

First backup seeding

With a locally based backup service provider such as Soteria Cloud, you can send your first backup to us on a disc or hard drive and thereafter, schedule your updates online (once we have uploaded your information to the cloud).

At Soteria Cloud we cannot stress enough how important it is to ensure that your data is backed up and encrypted, before it’s too late. We have various packages available for home and business and invite you to chat to us more about the backup features available to you.

How online backup is better than cloud storage

Many people assume that online backup and cloud storage is the same thing and it’s easy to see why. It can be a modern dilemma trying to decide which service you actually need, if you aren’t familiar with the differences between the two, and they are significant. Online storage / cloud storage and online backup are designed to do different things. Let’s take a look at each:

Cloud storage

This online service is designed to allow users to save and share select photos and documents. With this service, you will select which files are to be stored and saved. You can update or delete them as you see fit as well as access them from other devices. Most people opt for cloud storage when they want to free up space on a drive.

Online backup

This service is designed to offer users protection of their files and data – automatically. With this service, the files on your computer will be routinely backed up to the server at a time specified by the user, daily. Should you lose an important document or data due to system malfunction, human error or even theft you can easily restore the data from the saved versions online.

Features of online backup:

Automated backups of your business data
After first full backup – incremental backups
Quick and easy restoring of lost data
Access files remotely
Encrypted and secure

What makes online backup better than cloud storage?

Cloud storage is quite simply a manual method of storing files and data in the cloud, but online backup takes things a few steps further. Once you have chosen all your important documents and folders and files to backup, an automatic online backup of the selected files and folders in these locations is done on a regular basis. And your backup is encrypted so no-one can access your files. The files that you store on your computer will be automatically copied and kept safe and secure (it’s best if the data is encrypted in the process – which is what Soteria online backup does) on a remote server – ready for you immediately should you need to restore or retrieve data that your computer has lost.

Why you should opt for online cloud backup instead of cloud storage

Cloud storage doesn’t have a replica of all of your system files and folders as in most instances you will select to store only files that you access often.
Not all devices offer restore options and you might not be able to restore data from cloud storage across a variety of platforms when it has been encoded.

Want to learn more about the great features of online backup? Get in touch with us at Soteria Cloud and we’ll provide you with all the information and advice that you need!

Why online and cloud backup is better than an external hard drive

We all know that backing up our important data is vital, especially in the business environment, but with a variety of options available, how do you know which one is the best for you? One of the most popular choices is often between online backups and external hard drive backups. Many people worry that backing up online poses additional security risks when in fact, more often than not, it is the safest method of backing up – and it has certainly proven itself in the past few years. While external hard drives have had their time and place over the years, at Soteria Cloud we strongly believe that online backup is far better than external hard drives. Let’s take a look at why:

Why External Hard Drives Are NOT the Ideal Backup Option

While a hard drive can always be with you, it’s not necessarily a good thing. An accident, theft or even a fire can cause irreparable damage.
Hard drives aren’t invincible and neither is your data when it is backed up to one. Your hard drive can fail or it can be damaged and along with it; your data, both of which need to be replaced.
Data recovery from a damaged or malfunctioning external hard drive can be expensive and sometimes even impossible.
Hard drives need to be physically linked up to the machine you are working on in order to access the backed up data. This can be quite problematic if you don’t have the required hard drive on you, or if you need to access the data unexpectedly / remotely.
The security of your data is your responsibility and unless you are particularly knowledgeable about IT, encrypting data can be an overwhelming task. Data saved on an external device that can be accessed by anyone stands to face a variety of security risks if it isn’t encoded.

Why Online Backup IS the Ideal Backup Option

Online backup offers exceptional security features such as 256 bit data encryption and 24 hour security monitoring.
Your backed up data is always safe! There’s no need to worry about losing important data if your device is stolen or becomes damaged. You can still retrieve backed up data even if your hard drive fails / malfunctions.
It’s affordable. Online backups cost in the region of R2 per Gig, which can be budgeted for upfront. Investing in hard drives that might need replacing along the way is an unknown expense.
Quick and easy data backup restores. Any and all lost files can be recovered within a couple of hours by contacting a local South African support team.
Everything is automated so you won’t have to remember to process backups. Simply set up the system to an automatic schedule and as long as you are connected to the Internet, your backup will be handled for you.

At Soteria Cloud we offer affordable, encrypted online backup options to our clients. We invite you to learn more about our business online backup packages as well as our personal home online backup packages.