TSS Backup Solutions

To help you better understand the TSS Backup service, we've included this list of common questions and definitions.  Should you have a question or concern that is not adequately addressed here, please don't hesitate to let us know - we truly want you to understand how utilizing a remote backup service works and and how it benefits your business.  Let us remove all the mystery - so it makes sense to YOU.

A: Encryption is the process of transforming information to make it unreadable to anyone without the "key".  The easiest way to explain it is like this.  I take your data and put it in a box and then lock the box with a padlock.  I then send the box to you.  Since you and I are the only ones with the key to the lock, the data is secure and accessible to only you and me.  Data encryption includes a cipher (the algorithm used to "lock" the data) and a "key" used to unlock or de-encrypt the data.  We use AES-256 - a standard in high level security in use by the US government.

A: Rather than just selecting a difficult to guess pass "word", our security employs BOTH a pass "word" and a pass "phrase".  Once your data has been encrypted with your unique pass "phrase", it cannot be unlocked or viewed without presenting the EXACT pass phrase" - including spaces and punctuation.  Utilizing a pass "phrase" in addition to the pass "word" helps maintain the highest level of security.

A: Geographic redundancy is a critical component in data protection.  Let's say your building burns to the ground tonight - if you have no off-site backup, your data is totally lost.  Now, if you were wise enough to take a backup tape or disk home with you and the building burns, you're not happy but, you at least have a copy of your important data.  Well, what if a tornado roars through town and destroys both your home and your office - now your back to the totally lost predicament, and that's not good.  With geographic redundancy, we keep an extra copy of your data in a data center that is highly unlikely to be destroyed by the same event that takes out your building (and home) - this greatly minimizes any of the risk that you will suffer a total loss.  Our facilities in Utah and Georgia can offer you the peace-of-mind that comes from a backup strategy that includes geographic redundancy.

A: A StoragePC is simply a PC residing on your network whose primary function is to store data from your servers and network connected workstations.  By utilizing the StoragePC, you both simplify the remote backup process and add an extra layer of data protection.  You have your live data - the copy on the StoragePC and a third copy stored off-site.  The StoragePC (included in our COMPLETE backup solution) allows us to provide a robust and comprehensive off-site backup solution.

A: Clearly, this is a decision that is best made by you while in communication with TSS.  While some might say, backup everything, this can get quite costly and may not even be necessary.  In general terms, you backup all of the data that is critical to your operation (from both servers and PC workstations) and omit the data that is not (562 pictures of your summer vacation, for example).  TSS will work with you to help determine which data should be protected - but, in the end, this is totally up to you.