In capital dollars, online backup services can cost you more than an in-house disaster recovery setup. But behind the scenes, these increasingly popular services are commanding -- and getting -- premium prices. The key is to avoid paying too much.
Among the benefits online backup services offer to IT consumers are the time savings that come from performing incremental backups simultaneously and the resource relief when someone else handles the huge headaches of backup and recovery. For many, these are features worth paying for.
It can be tough to justify the cost of a service, even though the savings are there, according to the latest Byte and Switch Insider, this sites paid subscription research service.
The report, "Online Backup: Making the Service Call," says part of the problem is that backup services typically don't conform to traditional ROI models. After all, how can one quantify job security to the company's board? The problem is further compounded by complicated pricing models. Service providers, for instance, often acknowledge that what they offer is no cheaper -- at least from the standpoint of equipment outlay -- than going it alone.
All that said, there are differences among service providers when it comes to pricing online backup. Armed with the right questions, it's possible to compare products realistically up front and to avoid unnecessary charges.
