The masses of data each business, no matter how small it is, needs to manage every day grow exponentially. Information keeps coming from numerous resources, informing the ways of conducting business, selling products and services to customers more productively, and improving the business operations. Thus, at a particular moment, managing data becomes costly and cumbersome without remote data storage alternatives.

In terms of remote data storage and backup, all companies realize the importance of ensuring the added data security today. But as soon as it comes to choosing the best method of storing vital corporate information, businesses often find it challenging to choose between the available options. Here we consider the most popular systems and methods of data storage, digging a bit deeper into the technicalities and explaining how it works.

 

Remote Storage Methods Available for Businesses

Overall, data can be stored in four ways, and the one you choose depends on your unique needs and the budget for data management you possess. The data storage alternatives range from establishing a physical server on the premises of your company to renting space in a private cloud, each of which has its pros and cons.

#1 On-premises data storage

The oldest and the most expensive method of data storage is that of establishing a physical server in your office. It’s the safest option because all sensitive corporate data remains within the premises of your company, but keep in mind that equipment requires updates, replacement, maintenance, and management. Thus, you’ll need to keep specialized staff for data management, and investing in the software and hardware upgrades is inevitable. Because of such limitations, this data storage option suits large companies for which data security is pivotal.

#2 Colocation

If you don’t want to set a data storage server in your office but still wish to keep maximum control over data storage, then finding a local data center and placing your equipment there (or renting its equipment) is a viable alternative. The colocation option is ideal for businesses that can afford to buy expensive data storage devices but don’t want to manage and maintain it. By locating your equipment in a data center, you also avoid the hassle of cooling the stations and guaranteeing an uninterrupted power supply.

#3 Opting for a Public Cloud Provider

A public cloud is an excellent option for small businesses with small data storage needs; besides, it’s a highly affordable variant as some space is provided for users free of charge. Cloud solutions are also flexible and scalable, allowing you to pay only for the amount of extra space you need as soon as the volume of data you store exceeds the set free limit. However, public clouds are less secure and can become inaccessible for data owners in case the cloud server is attacked, during emergencies, etc.

#4 Enhancing Security with a Private Cloud

Choosing a private cloud is safer than using public cloud services, but it’s also a more expensive option. Private clouds enable their services to users via virtual data centers and accompany every step of storing and sharing data with advanced encryption and protection. Thus, in case you are afraid of compromising the sensitive business data in a private cloud but can’t afford to purchase data storage stations, the private cloud is an ideal solution with added security, pricing flexibility, and ease of access.

 

System of Remote Data Storage

To date, the system of remote data storage is as follows:

• Data physically located on the client’s computer is stored on a remote storage device, e.g., a server.
• The client’s computer doesn’t store the data itself, hosting only the backup software for data transfer to the remote server.
• Remote storage is continually enabled by the backup scheduler and launcher software that activates the data backup in line with the set schedule.
• Every time the remote data storage and backup activities take place, the backup software scans the backup list to load the files to the remote storage device.

Thus, in a nutshell, the process of data backup is a series of communication sessions between your computer and the remote server to which you load your data for secure storage. It requires the client’s authentication every time a backup session starts to make sure that the data of the client is securely transmitted. This is how Nakivo’s VMware backup software works.