CHANGING JOBS DECISION

The short list should only consist of those who can meet the minimum criteria as explained below.

1. Established.

Many vendors have come and gone. On this basis, I would recommend considering vendors with a track record of at least 5 years. This will ensure you have an established vendor to support your business needs in the long term.

1. 2. Large business customer base.
2. A large customer base by itself is further proof of the provider sustaining in the long term. Businesses by nature have more stringent requirements than say home / end users. So, having many business customers (with testimonials) usually mean that the offsite backup vendor has consistently provided the minimum satisfactory service standard at the very least.
3. 3. Secured Premise.

While impressed with what the online backup services provider can offer, do remember to check out the service provider's premise before subscribing to their service. There should be physical security mechanism to allow only authorised people to have access to the service provider's premise. Also, this premise should have protective measures against earthquake, fire and other natural disasters.

Established services providers often use world class data centres for their premises.

4. Scalable.

As your business grows, your data storage needs will also increase. Do consider those vendors who have data plans that can cater for your present requirements and can be expanded in future when required.