Offsite data storage is data stored for
backup and restore at a separate geographic location from where that data is actually being created or accessed. The actual physical storage is usually a remote
data center facility operating specifically to house mission-critical computing and communications equipment, with highly fault-tolerant hardware and power configurations. Companies use offsite data storage as part of a
data disaster recovery plan due to the fact that backup data residing offsite is not at risk for physical damage or theft.
Traditionally, organizations have relied heavily on
tape backups, which are sent to an offsite location. However, tape libraries are expensive to maintain and must be manually administered. An increasing number of organizations are switching to
disk-to-disk backup that transfers backup data directly to an offsite storage facility. The advantage of disk-based offsite data storage over tape is that backup sets and recovery points can more easily be explored and administered, and disk-based storage is more flexible and scalable to suit a variety of needs than tape libraries.
While some organizations manage their own offsite data storage, the majority use a backup service provider such as CRC DataProtection who specialize in commercial offsite protection of backup data. These backup providers manage and store remote backups for clients at a secured
data center facility.
Offsite data storage is also known as vaulting, with physical data storage referred to as a vault. Some backup providers such as CRC DataProtection transfer backup data securely via IP-WAN directly to secured offsite disk-based storage, a process also known as "televaulting."
