Remote Incremental Back-up

[hendie]

Just doing a bit of market research here. If someone offered you the following service:

A remote incremental backup which could be done via the internet over a secure server.
You would have the option to specify which data files you want backed up and how often.
At a specified time of the day or night, your computer would connect to the internet, then directly to the server, finally after negotiating the total amount of data that had changed throughout the day, the incremental changes would be uploaded to the server. (This saves significant time since you are only uploading the changes. )

In the event of a system failure, your data could be couriered overnight on CD/DVD or even downloaded to your new server.

Benefits:
Your data would be safe from local environmental hazards (fire/flood etc)
You wouldn’t have to worry about the back-up process
You would save on hardware/software back-up costs
Your data would be stored in at least 2 separate locations to ensure it's availability when you need it most.

Would you be interested ?
What would you expect to pay for such a service ?
Would you expect anything else (or wish anything else ?) on top of that service ?
Have you considered it previously and disregarded it ? (If so, why ?)
any other comments ?

[csiarch]

Hendie: Nice concept.

No, I wouldn't use it because of my relatively low activity. IMO, many others would hesitate to use it as well because of the uncertaintly of "off-site" storage and the fact that no place is really safe from hacking. Just as soon get hacked at home rather than out of town.

Only safe way for back-ups INO is someone who is diligent enough to plop the info on a secure media then put two copies in two different "safe" places.

Back-up methods are full of holes, as you are well aware. Lots of "IFs" involved in getting the job done right.

:lol:

[VERYCIVILDRAFTER]

hendie

I've actually looked into something like this (briefly) for my company. Where we really want to use something like this is in our daily backups. We have only needed to use a pervious days back-up once maybe twice, but having “convenient” access to a backup might change that. We are so small a company that any backup system that takes, to be honest, any effort to operate (past the initial set up) is an unwanted distraction.

If you could provide me with enough room for five individual days worth of incremental backups, at an annual price lower than that of a back up tape drive, and the interface isn't much more complicated than using Windows explorer and an alarm clock, I would be very interested.

If you could keep the annual price below the cost of 10-12 backup tapes, I’d sign up immediately and get a 1 to 1 scale picture of your face tattooed on my back.

[CADMAN]

LMAO, hasn't Stevo off Jackass got a tatoo like that? not of Hendie obviosuly but of himself....? :D

[hendie]

thanks for the feedback guys, it's all useful stuff.
keep the comments coming.

[VERYCIVILDRAFTER]

hendie

So how serious are you about setting something like this up? Do you have a time fame.

CADMAN
No, I'm pretty sure that's a picture of hendie on Stevo's back. :D :D

Yeah I think Stevo got that tattoo of himself on.... himself for the movie jackass.

[hendie]

VCD,
it's something we are seriously considering (over at resourcecad). at the moment we are trying to gauge feedback to see what the overall interest is like. If the interest is there, which we think it is ~ we just have to tap into the right market, then I'm pretty sure we'll go forward with it. The right market being the one man operation, or the small company as you mentioned, which doesn't want the hassle in house.
The larger companies will already have stuff like this taken care of, but I think a lot of smaller operations may be apprehensive about going to the "big boys" in this business, and I think that's where we can offer a service.
We have done some intitial work on costing but we still have a few things to work out.
As to a timeframe, at this point, I can't really say, other than as soon as we can, if/once we decide it's going forward.
Can I take it from your post that you are definitely interested and would want to be kept informed ?

you may want to have a look at this topic (http://theswamp.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3183) over at theswamp for a bit more information