Offsite Storage Solution for Database.

[Bakedsaxman]

Hello all. I need some suggestions on an offsite storage solution. I work at a small business that uses a database to keep track of all sales/repair orders. Obviously, this database is very important and we currently have an external hard drive hooked up to the machine (Windows Server 2003) to perform backups. This works fine as an onsite backup but we need something offsite incase of fire or flood.

I know services like Amazon's S3 exist and are very reasonably priced, but I would prefer a dedicated machine for the purpose. My boss actually wants it setup at his home to perform offsite backups. This is where I hit a road block with my knowledge. How do I setup a backup to send from our network at work to a computer at his house? Any suggestions or links would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Putz]

could setup a small nas like a QNAP or something with ftp, lots of options really, could also look into co-hosting or asking your ISP for your business for some FTP space, usually you get a free ftp account with your account and a small amount of space you can increase pretty cheap, of course you'll want to password/encrypt your database no matter where you store it offsite.

i just take a tape home once a week and rotate them, not that it does me much good if the tape drive goes up in flames but LTO drives arent too hard to come by

just a suggestion but as for your nightly backups you might want to look into a removable media type backup as well, something you can store on site in a fireproof safe, dvdrw, or even dvdr if 4gb is enough, tapes, or even a pair of removable hard drives and rotate them into the safe every other week

 

[Ockie]

You could colocate or find a dedicated server in a proper facility to host a system at.

 

[Bakedsaxman]

Thanks for the speedy replies guys. Canada's suggestion about ftp lead me on a google search where I found a great ftp guide with windows xp at PC Stats. After reading the article, it seems to be exactly what I need and explains it in very good detail. Thanks again and if I run into anymore roadblocks I will re-post!