What is CKP Computers’ Hybrid Cloud Backup & Recovery?
It’s a service offered to you, our customer that takes the backup and recovery of data, servers, workstations, databases – you name it, and moves it to the cloud.
What do we mean by ‘Hybrid’?
Our offering includes synchronized cloud and local storage that allows for local backup and recovery of data even when the Internet is inaccessible.
Hybrid-Cloud Customer Benefits over tape/hard disk backups
1. Faster backup & recovery
Tape is slow, disk is faster. But CKP Computers’ Backup is fastest. The True Delta technology (which only transfers the data that has changed at a block level) matched with finetuned data compression and automatic selection of the fastest recovery medium (local storage or cloud) yields backup and recovery as fast as 5GB/min.
2. Better Availability
Local disk only provides on-site access to backups that may not be available after a disaster. Tape allows for off-site copies that must be retrieved (assuming the tape system is still accessible). In addition to using local disk-based storage, CKP Computers’ cloud-based storage is available anywhere with an Internet connection.
3. Less Expensive
Hardware is expensive and usually involves an investment before it’s ready to fully utilize all that was purchased. By moving to a hybrid cloud backup & recovery service, the cost becomes a far lower monthly expense that only grows as the company does.
4. Stronger Security
CKP Computers’ Backup uses encryption up to 448-bit Blowfish to secure your data. By using encryption where only you have access to the private key, you can rest assured only approved eyes can access and see the data.
5. Management & monitoring
CKP Computers Backup and Recovery is completely managed & monitored at all times, to ensure correct operation.
6. Better Reliability/Redundancy
Both local disk and tape are single storage instance mediums; subject to failure. CKP Computers’ Hybrid Backup has redundancy by using local storage and cloud-based storage. The datacentres we use have a fully redundant architecture to ensure data is available for recovery 99.999% of the time.
7. Better Scalability
As the backup needs grow, CKP Computers’ Backup cloud storage is infinitely scalable. Just add data, without investments.
Hybrid-Cloud vs Cloud Only
1. Better Accessibility
With the addition of a synchronized backup on local storage, MAXBackup provides access to backups even when there is no Internet connection.
2. Better Redundancy
Because backups are stored on both local and cloud-based storage, an additional layer of redundancy exists over cloud only.
3. Faster Recovery
CKP Computers’ Backup uses True Delta technology, which only transfers the data that has changed at a block level, as well as data compression and automatic selection of the fastest recovery medium (local storage or cloud) yields backup and recovery as fast as 5GB/min.
Understanding Data Centre Security
1. What is the ‘Cloud’ & can I trust it?
Put simply, ‘The Cloud’ is a concept, a generalized destination or target on the internet which is just made up of a bunch of networked servers. A ‘Private Cloud’ however, is a much more specific concept, destination or target because it has boundaries, like an owner, defined resources, physical locations, controlled access, established security, etc. It is these known boundaries that make online or cloud backup feasible, trustworthy and reliable.
2. Can’t I just use tape backup?
While tape isn’t dead, it is old, inconvenient and the last time I checked, it is only for servers. That’s very inconvenient because most of your data is created and lost by users with laptops and desktops. Meaning you end up implementing and maintaining network file use servers to store user data and backup servers to protect that data when you could just use our solution and protect user, application and server data directly from the systems where it is created, used and stored. Plus you can’t forget mobile users, with cloud backup solutions all you need is an Internet connection and you’re protected.
3. Isn’t tape more secure?
If you use tape for backup but not sending it off-site then you are setting yourself up for a failure. With a single act of nature, fire, or theft your business could suffer a total loss with no recourse to recover your valuable data. If you are storing physical tapes off-site already then hopefully you are using some form of password protection or encryption to prevent unauthorized access. But unless you’re making two copies of every tape, your data is already out of your control the moment you hand it to the vaulting company, a courier, or your admin who is putting it in a filing cabinet or trunk of their car.
4. Isn’t tape more efficient?
You might think tapes are more efficient, but there is a reason that all major backup software providers have implemented the ability to backup to disk. With tape the reality often is that you are wasting money by not utilizing the tape to full capacity. Worse yet you using a lot of tapes protecting the same files and documents over and over again, night after night even though the files have not changed or have only changed by a few bytes. Tape based solutions do not provide any of the performance and capacity benefits gained by solutions that leverage disk-based backup and data deduplication. And neither a tape not disk based solution can give you the total peace of mind of a fully automated hybrid-cloud based solution capable of archiving and electronic vaulting all of your business critical data.
5. Isn’t recovery from tape faster than from the cloud?
No, hybrid cloud backup and recovery solution we provide gives you the best of both worlds. First you’ve got an online cloud copy of your data. This off-site, archival copy replaces the tapes you would have been manually swapping and sending to off-site storage. Secondly, you have a local recovery copy that is good for everything from individual file and database restores to full system, bare metal recovery. Gone are the days of requesting and then waiting days for a tape to be returned from off-site or the need to manually reinstall the operating system before you can recover the data.
6. How will my data be protected in the cloud?
All local backup copies are stored in an encrypted format as well as all data being sent off-site, making it unreadable by anyone. Your encrypted data is transmitted over a secure network connection to our off-site cloud datacenter where it remains in encrypted format on our redundant storage.
7. How does encryption secure my data?
Encryption secures your data from unauthorized eyes by converting the data so that it is unreadable unless you possess the encryption key used to encrypt it. Encryption is the most effective way to secure your data because you alone hold the decryption key and are the only one who can read your data.
8. Who will have access to my data?
Only you have access to your data files, because we encrypt your data prior to transmission to our off-site datacenter. The encryption technology and your encryption key ensure that nobody, including us can access your data.
9. What types/levels of encryption are available?
We rely on military grade encryption, providing you with the choice of AES-128, AES-256 or Blowfish 448 level encryption.
- AES-128 (default): This method is a block cipher adopted as an encryption standard by the U.S. government. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has been extensively analyzed and is now used worldwide.
- AES-256: is more secure but is a slower version of the AES-128 method.
- Blowfish-448: provides a good encryption rate in software, and no effective cryptanalysis of it has been found to date. Blowfish still remains less popular than AES.
10. How do I create my encryption key?
You will be prompted to create an encryption key during installation of the backup software. Any word or phrase you choose can serve as a key. We highly recommend you select a key that you can remember and that nobody else knows or can guess. The minimum length of an encryption key is 6 characters and the maximum length is 30 characters. Remember to keep your encryption key safe. If you lose your private encryption key, your data will be lost.
11. Can I use the same encryption key for multiple systems?
Yes, while this is possible to enter the same encryption key on multiple protected systems, it is not a recommended practice. We recommend that a unique key is created for each protected system.
12. What steps should I take to protect my encryption key?
Your encryption key requires special attention. We encourage you to establish a secure, yet memorable encryption key and to record it in a secure location and/or to entrust it only to individuals whom you can trust with your data.
13. What happens if I lose or forget my encryption key?
In most cases if an encryption key is lost or forgotten then access to historic backup data is presumed lost. However, before uninstalling or reinstalling the backup client software you should contact technical support to determine if you have options. If regular backups can still be performed then local restore operations may also be possible. However it is impossible to retrieve an encryption key from a protected system even if it is still performing regular backup operations. Disaster recovery and read only restores are also impossible without the encryption key.
14. Can I change my encryption key?
No, once an encryption key has been established for a protected system, that key cannot be changed for the historic backups. Reinstallation of the backup client as a new instance will allow you to create a new encryption key that will be used for new backups, but without access to the prior backups.
15. When will I need my encryption key?
Your encryption key is created during the backup client software installation. Your encryption key is cached on the protected system in an encrypted format and you will not be asked for your encryption key again. Unless you are performing a read-only restore from a separate machine, reinstalling the backup client software for a second time using the same device name and password or are performing a disaster recovery operation.
16. Where is my data stored?
Your protected data is stored off-site in one or more of our and global datacenters with the option of also storing a local, on-premise, recovery copy of your data on your storage using our LocalSpeedVault™ functionality.
17. Where are the datacenters located?
There are currently multiple datacenters operating across six countries including: Australia, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, with more coming online.
18. Can I choose which datacenter stores my data?
Typically data storage locations are assigned by a customer’s location; however it is possible to customize the data storage location to meet customer needs. Please contact us for more details.
19. How secure are the datacenters?
All of the global datacenters we use hold either an ISO certification or are SSAE compliant. Our infrastructure is maintained in a temperature controlled environment and protected by redundant disk arrays and backup power generators. In addition, physical security processes such as restricted/ named access, CCTV monitoring, and regular security audits are conducted at each site.
With over 18 years in the IT industry and a broad range of experience, you’re in good hands when you contact CKP Computers. Phone us on 0447 619 397 or Contact us today to discuss your computer requirements.