Offline Backup and Activation without Internet Access

Is it possible to run BackupChain Backup Software without an internet connection? Yes, BackupChain runs in many high security environments without access to the internet. In addition, it’s possible to activate and upgrade the software without internet access.

Pros of Offline Backups

Protected from ransomware and most cyberattacks: Isolated media can survive all attacks. However, the media should be kept offline, ideally.

Not dependent on internet access: there are no dependencies on outside infrastructure. No cloud servers, no comms to the outside needed to restore. No additional costs involved (such as for downloading from the cloud, S3/AWS access/egress fees).

Full control over your data and storage media: No one outside the organization has access. Neither physical nor digital access is granted to anyone outside the business.

Can be faster to restore large amounts of data locally. Local restore operations are lighting fast and efficient. No cloud backup can match the speed and cost of local backups.

Avoids ongoing cloud storage subscription costs. Cloud storage is essential rented space whereas local backups run on hardware that you own. This also means you need to take care of the hardware yourself.

Less exposure to third-party service outages. Outages can be a major problem. They always occur at the wrong time. Apart from outages there are also comm bottlenecks to consider unless you have a premium dedicated connection to the remote backup server.

Useful for long-term archival storage. Long-term archiving can be done at no additional cost when handling backups locally. Cloud backups, on the other hand, require ongoing rentals / service fees.

Can satisfy certain security or compliance requirements: Certain business environments require on-site and isolated private backups. The handling by third parties may be expressly prohibited or legally risky.

Cons of Offline Backups

Vulnerable to physical damage, theft, fire, or flooding: Physical and digital access restrictions need to be implemented in-house. Cloud backups are also vulnerable to theft and vandalism. Also entire data centers have burned down; hence, having blind faith in your cloud providers, no matter how large they are, is generally not a good idea.

 
Easy to forget to update regularly. Human error is the biggest issue with local backups. However, with a good notification system there should be no problem.

 
Manual processes can increase human error. Any form of manual process carries risks but automated processes aren’t automatically better. A good error detection system must always be in place.

 
Limited accessibility when away from the backup location. Offline backups cannot be accessed outside the organization. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the situation.

 
Storage devices fail or degrade over time. Storage devices aren’t immortal. Especially inexperienced IT admins assume because something is digital, it’s perfect. However, even the most expensive enterprise drives fail quite frequently, and often during their warranty period.

 
Requires purchasing and maintaining hardware. Hardware can be difficult to obtain at certain times and in certain highly bureaucratic organizations. When contracts exist with cloud providers the users can charge against existing cloud contracts without having to deal with the same amount of bureaucracy. Unfortunately this leads to making bad decisions at times.

 
Scaling storage capacity can be inconvenient. Scaling from very small to very large storage can be a difficult step in-house, whereas it’s easier in the cloud. However, especially this type of scaling is by orders of magnitude cheaper in-house than in the cloud. In other words, when you need to scale, that’s exactly when you should consider the long-term cost advantage of offline backups.

 
Risk of losing both original and backup if stored in the same location. Physical on-site risks need to be managed properly. For a small business, taking an external drive to another site can be a very good solution. Larger companies will likely need automation and hence an online solution.

 
No automatic synchronization unless special software is used. This is where BackupChain shines, too. BackupChain contains all the tools you need to set up an excellent, secure, automated, and reliable offline backup where you never overlook anything.