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I think cloud-based data backup and disaster recovery (DR) services can be great if they make good sense for your business. Don't just hop on the cloud backup bandwagon and assume all is going to be hands-off and transparent. You have to do some work up front as well as ongoing work. Make sure that you check your vendor's references, assess customer service and ensure that the vendor's procedures mesh with what your business needs. There can be numerous security issues with cloud-based systems that you can't ignore, including access controls, encryption and recovery of sensitive data and the overall security of the Web application.
This was first published in December 2009