Tom Block of Block Data Systems in California has another great idea. Using off the shelf components he can create a secure off site data back up system for your dental office.
You should know that off site back up is critical. Usually that has been done with tape or removable disk that is copied each night and then tossed in the back of the car the next day. Copy and Carry, good but prone to error.
Internet back up sites like Dentrix Backup, Oaktree or Iron Mountain offer many advantages to traditional copy and carry back up. However they are also limited by data transfer speeds and are too expensive running $60 to $100 a month for most offices.
Tom’s system is to install a NAS (Network Applied Storage) device in a remote site, most likely your home. These NAS are designed to hold massive Nasamounts of data starting as low as 500GB up to several TeraBytes. (wow).
The Netgear ReadyNAS shown here is Tom’s choice.
The next step is to install a secure Internet connection from the office server to the NAS in your home. This is usually done with a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The last step is to install a network back up application that will copy the data from the server to the NAS.
This system is not cheap. The whole setup will come to around $1,200. But it offers tremendous advantages over copy and carry and it is no more than a year or so of Internet service.