Backing up your data – 8 tips – Part 1
3 potential virtual data backup problems
Backing up data? Avoid these mistakes
One of the most important aspects of your business is the data you store. From client information to emails and even whole business functions, the data you store needs to be protected. While companies are starting to take steps to protect data, many are not taking enough steps to ensure efficient backup.
If you are looking to protect your data, one of the best ways to do so is to be informed, and learn from the mistakes other companies make when they develop data protection or Business Continuity Plans.
1. Not backing up data
It may seem like common sense when preparing for a disaster or developing a continuity plan that you should back up your data. However, a 2011 study from Semantic found that only half of businesses back up more than 60% of their data. Other businesses don’t back up data or only back up certain systems. This means that if these businesses are faced with a disaster, they could lose up to 40% of their data. Some businesses could lose all of it.
Many experts suggest that businesses not only back up their data, but take more of an all-or-nothing approach. All data should be backed up so that should a disaster happen you can guarantee that nothing will be lost.
2. Failing to protect off site data
Business is becoming increasingly spread out, with many employees working from outside of the office, or on their own systems. People who telecommute or use their own systems usually store important data on their local machines. When a company goes to protect or back up their data, some may forget to back up data on machines outside of the company premises.
What’s more, some industries have regulations stating that you must back up data from all end-points (e.g., computers and devices) regardless of their location. So, when you are backing up data, be sure that you also back up data on systems that aren’t in the office.
3. Not backing up data consistently
The data in your business is always evolving and growing. Therefore, you need to ensure that it is backed up regularly. Because backups take time, there is a higher chance for them to fail. If you only back up once a year without checking, and disaster strikes, you could find that your data is incomplete, inaccessible or out of date. This may make any recovered data essentially useless.
The question is, how often should you back up your data? For most small businesses, a full backup at least once a week is suggested. If you work with client data on a regular basis or in a regulated industry, daily backups would likely be the best plan.
4. Using outdated backup methods
Just because you back up your data doesn’t mean it will always be available, especially if you use older backup methods such as data tapes or disks. These physical backups can be lost or even destroyed in a disaster and possibly even stolen. You may want to employ a more modern data backup solution that is more reliable, such as cloud backup.
That being said, you don’t have to give up older methods as these can come in handy, especially if you are going to be operating without the Internet for an extended period of time. By employing more than one solution, you can cover all bases while ensuring that data is largely backed up and available.
If you are looking to learn more about how you can protect your data, please contact us today to see how our systems and solutions can help.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Offsite backup – 5 benefits!
Disaster can strike at anytime and in any form when it comes to business and sometimes something as seemingly straightforward as dropping a hard drive can really create havoc. Regardless of what disaster may occur, one will eventually strike your organization. To stave off the negative effects many companies have instituted a disaster recovery plan, which involves data backup. You may have heard of offsite backup, but do you know what it is, and how it can help?
Here are five benefits and a definition of offsite backup.
Offsite backup defined
The definition of offsite backup can be a bit difficult to nail down, as when many IT providers talk about this idea they are usually referring to one of a number of different kinds of backup. The key idea revolving around offsite backup is that your company’s data and backups are sent out of your physical location(s). In other words, your backups are not stored in your office or building.
Offsite backup is usually done in one of two ways:
- Physical transport – This can range from something as simple as copying important files onto a removable hard drive and storing this in another location, to backing up entire systems on tape and storing them off site.
- Remote backup – This is a more modern approach to data backup, whereby your data and files are stored on servers located off site. This form of backup is commonly referred to as ‘cloud backup’.
For the purpose of this article, we will focus on remote backup as this is the main solution companies are enquiring about.
Benefits of remote backup
1. It’s more reliable
The major benefit of remote backup is that it can be automated. Your files are updated on a daily basis, or you can set the time for the update. Because these solutions work over the Internet, you will be able to recover files quickly. Beyond that, the servers that offer this solution are often located in numerous locations, which ensures that your backups are always available, even if one server crashes.
2. It reduces workload
Traditional backup solutions require a person, whether you or an IT professional, to manually back up or copy files. This can take a long time, and will take you away from your normal job. Many remote backup solutions can be initiated at the click of a mouse after setup, or can be scheduled for when you aren’t in the office.
3. It’s easy to set up
Backup solutions are managed by an IT partner who can work with you to set up which files and data to back up. Other solutions can be set up with a few clicks and even automated, so you can rest assured that your data is backed up and up-to-date.
4. It’s secure
Most backup providers store their servers in secure locations, meaning that your data is physically secure. To ensure that backup data is transmitted securely, most solutions use advanced encryption tools to keep data secure.
5. It will save money
If you have numerous computers with large amounts of data that you back up regularly, you know that physical storage solutions can be costly. The majority of remote backup solutions are billed on a monthly-basis and support a near unlimited amount of backup space. If your company operates in an industry where backups are mandatory, or you have a large amount of files to back up, these options will save you money.
If you are interested in learning more about how offsite, remote backup can help ensure that your business is ready for disaster recovery, please contact us today.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.
Backup your data or lose it all