Difference Between Onsite and Offsite Storage

Onsite storage simply means storing your critical data periodically or progressively over local storage media such as hard disks, DVDs or CDs. Offsite storage, on the other hand, stores data onto a remote server typically connected through the internet. Although both methods are commonly used in the industry yet there are some vital differences between the two that can help you determine which one to use under which circumstances.

DVD backup is an onsite backup term used to describe the process of backing up the data from a hard disk onto a DVD. The DVD backup is better as compared to CD backups. CDs can hold only 750 MB of data while atypical DVD can hold 4.7 GB of data. DVDs having a capacity of 8 GB are also available in the market. When buying DVDs for your DVD backup system, it is important to check the compatibility of the system where these DVDs will be used. If your DVDs are incompatible with the underlying system, you may not be able to backup or restore data with ease.

Blu-Ray DVDs are a latest addition to the DVD backup system. A single Blu-Ray DVD can hold up to 27 GB of data onto a single disk. Blu-Ray DVDs have eased the data backup processes but recovering 27 GB of data from a single disk can be really daunting especially in the absence of software to facilitate the process. However, unlike CDs, DVDs are faster and provide multiple recording sessions on the single disk. DVD backup has certain disadvantages. If you place your backup DVDs on-site with the source computers, you will not be able to save any of them in the event of a natural disaster. With an increase in the data, DVDs get piled up and become difficult to manage.

Cost

One of the major differences is of cost. Onsite data backup may cost in terms of software license and fees but on an ongoing basis, the overall cost is substantially reduced as only the storage media is to be purchased. Offsite data backup involves a 3rd party server and bandwidth costs. If your company’s data is huge, the remote storage and bandwidth costs actually cost a lot which can make you think twice before selecting a remote backup.

Performance

The performance of an onsite storage and recovery is much faster as compared to offsite backup system. When you share backup your data using a disk drive, CDS or DVDs you actually are doing it much faster as compared to storing it offsite. The same is with the recovery process which again involves internet and special remote client software. There is a considerable network delay as well in the case of offsite back up which is not an issue with the onsite data backup and recovery.

Security

As a general rule, the backup data and the original source should not be at the same physical location. If you use CDs, DVDs or had disks to store your data, you should store them at another location. This is not a problem with the offsite data backups because they are already stored offsite and often replicated to ensure maximum data security. The data in a remote storage is encrypted too. It hampers performance but it is more secure as compared to onsite data storage and backup.