Newly-formed London-based Secure Backup Systems has launched an automatic secure off-site back-up service aimed at small to mid-sized businesses. It is available for stand-alone and network personal computer users working on MS-DOS, Windows and local area networks. Secure Backup has been working with British Telecommunications Plc on many of the aspects of the system, however, it cannot say exactly what, as British Telecom has gagged it. However, it is likely to be something to do with the system’s use of Integrated Services Digital Network given British Telecom’s eagerness to promote ISDN. Secure Backup’s Windows-based system automatically saves a company’s data to a different location where it is maintained on optical disks. How frequently the data is saved is up to the client, but it can be hourly, daily or monthly, all the user has to do is ensure the system is left on, so the program can run. Secure Backup suggests over night to take advantage of cheaper rate calls. The data is encrypted and only the user has the password, if it is lost so is the data. The system saves all versions of any file. When the user exceeds the limit then the oldest data is archived. Users can restore files, singly, from their personal computer. A major loss of data would, however, require an engineer to visit the site to restore the information. Jeff Maynard, chief executive of Secure Backup, said that since the terrorist bombing of the City of London last year, more and more companies were appreciating the need to ensure the safe keeping of data. But people do see backing up data as a chore, a non-productive time. He said the company was considering whether to offer a similar service on the continent, but said the company would not franchise the service because of quality control. Secure Backup is the information technology division of BYSS Co Ltd, a London-based storage company which was itself affected by terrorist bombs in 1992.
