Data Backup Digest

The Schools Information Management System is developed by Capita and has a market share of over 80% in the UK’s primary and secondary schools. BackupVault, an online backup provider founded in 2004 for small and medium sized businesses and enterprises in the UK, is now offering a new service that will provide backup of these systems.

Schools are legally required to store their data backups off-site in secure facilities, meaning they have to rely on professional services like BackupVault to keep their data protected. In order to help schools remain compliant with the latest standards and legislation, BackupVault encrypts their data and uses ISO27001 and 9001 certified data centres.

The Backup for Schools system is powered by Attixt5 software, which is the only method that has been approved by Capita. Some of the benefits of this system are that files are compressed to ensure minimal bandwidth strain, multiple versions of files are stored, and everything can be resurrected with very few clicks.

It’s important to keep all data safe, but never has that rung truer than with educational data. It’s vital that this information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, which is why BackupVault encrypts all the data before it is sent off-site to two of their UK-based data centres. This data is then stored using 256bit AES encryption.

The backup system is entirely automated, which allows schools to not have to worry about the procedure once it has been established. Backups are taken multiple times a day and all files are immediately replicated in order to ensure for redundancy.

“We are delighted at BackupVault to have secured this critical and valuable project, and are really enthusiastic about playing a small part in the futures of many young people across the country,” said Rob Stevenson of BackupVault. “As one of the few data specialists in Britain that utilises only UK-based data centres - as well as 24/7 support staff and offices - we are uniquely placed to offer a secure and state-of-the-art service to British schools.”

Of course, BackupVault aren’t the only company who offer backup plans to educational institutions. Along with providing more general backup, Redstor has a Backup for Schools plan that is specifically designed for educational and is Capital approved and proven with all major UK schools’ MIS. They protect their data at all times – at source, in transit and at rest – and offer a simple annual pricing policy with no hidden extras.

Similar services are also offered by mySchoolBackup, which offers a fully managed backup system that can protect your entire network with a single install. Everything can be backed up, including files, NAS, SAN, databases and applications, ensuring that the entire network is protected. They also offer local and cloud storage, meaning that restorations can be made from both for the ultimate upkeep. They also offer web portal monitoring so that schools can always remain on top of their backups.

For more information about BackupVault’s role in this data protection, be sure to check out the company’s official blog post on the story.