Our post last week discussed how "time-to-restore" is the primary factor in data backups. Here are some solutions for speeding up the process.

D2D2T - Disk to Disk to Tape. Many of our clients use this solution. In the event of a server failure (and not a disaster that destroys the server room), the last backup is local and can be restored from a local resource rather than pulling it over the Internet or having devices couriered to the site. These backups complete much more quickly since internal connections (LAN, USB 2.0 ESata, Firewire) are faster than the Internet connection. Meanwhile, the remote backup can be pulled over the Internet for redundancy. 

Bare Metal Restores. When a server fails, getting the server back up and running is time consuming before the restore can even start. It might take 4 to 6 hours to install Windows and its service packs, install applications (Exchange, SQL), then install the backup agents and start the restore. This type of "rebuild" always has long time delays finding the software media as well as configuring the machine (drives, install paths, data paths). With bare metal restore capabilities you typically can boot to a CD and begin restoring the machine much quicker.