OffsiteKopie

OffsiteKopie is a term used in information technology to describe the practice of creating and storing a duplicate of data at a location separate from the primary data source. The purpose is to support disaster recovery, business continuity, and regulatory or contractual requirements by ensuring data availability even after site-level failures or cyber incidents.

Implementation typically involves selecting a remote storage destination such as a data center, cloud object storage, or a physical media depot. Offsite copies are usually encrypted both at rest and in transit, with defined key management and access controls. Retention policies, versioning, and regular restore tests are common components to verify recoverability. Some approaches emphasize air-gapped or offline backups to reduce exposure to online threats, while others use continuous or near-continuous replication to minimize recovery point objectives.

Operational considerations include establishing recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), scheduling backups, and validating restore procedures. OffsiteKopie is often integrated into broader backup and disaster recovery plans, potentially alongside on-site backups and cloud disaster recovery services. It is relevant for regulated environments where data sovereignty and audit trails matter, as well as for organizations seeking resilience against ransomware and other disruptions.

Risks and challenges include potential vendor lock-in, data transfer costs, media degradation over time, and compliance considerations for cross-border storage. The concept originated in German-speaking IT contexts and is commonly used to describe a strategic approach to data protection rather than a specific product.