Backup is a lot like insurance. When you have it in place it helps when the worst happens. When you don’t have it in place when you need it you’ll never go without again! For almost every business it is wise to have it in place BEFORE the worst actually happens.
Backing up your data is an important measure to make sure you don’t lose anything in the event of a computer crash, virus infection, or some other nasty event. However not everyone knows there are varying levels of backing up depending on the needs of your organization.
In it’s simplest form Backing up is the process of taking your files and putting them in a second location. This could be taking files on your Computer or Server and putting them on a CD, Disk, Tape, or even to the cloud. In some cases this is enough protection for you or your organization. Some things to consider with a simple backup are:
- Is the backup happening automatically or does someone have to manually start a backup?
- How often is the backup happening?
- Is the backup staying in the same location or is it being moved offsite (taken home or to a different location or sent out to the cloud)?
- Is the backup being tested on any regular basis to ensure it works? – It is important to note that just because the backup looks successful doesn’t mean that it is! It has to be tested to ensure it works.
- Do you have a plan of action should you need to restore from your backup?
- If you have a system failure what does it look like to get your computer/server back online, reinstall programs, and restore your data?
Depending on the need of your business a simple backup may be sufficient but if data (and its availability) is an important part of your business you may already know that backup isn’t quite enough to help you sleep at night. If you already know that a simple backup isn’t quite enough try to meet this need through taking a backup home with them (or having a staff person take it home) and even go as far as trying to rotate the backups.
Taking the human element out of backing up is important to accomplish. Lets face it, things happen-You have to run to an important client meeting, something happens with the kids, you get busy and forget, etc and the backup doesn’t always happen or get taken offsite regularly.
The next level of Backup is Disaster Recovery (or DR). This means that you have a backup that can survive in the event of a major disaster such as Fire, Theft, Flood, or a Ransomware/Virus attack. Disaster recovery does all of the things that a simple backup does except it automates most of the process and it takes an image of the system the data lives on. Disaster Recovery also ensures that the data lives somewhere else besides it’s primary location such as in the cloud or another office location that is geographically separated so it wouldn’t be affected by any disaster. The important difference between a Simple Backup and DR is that the backup captures the system as well as the data. This means you can restore the system and it’s data and be up and running without having to do a full reinstall of Operating System, Programs, Drivers, Etc as it is part of the DR Backup,
Some of the things to consider with Disaster Recovery are:
- Are ALL of your systems being backed up regularly?
- How long can your business go without its data/servers/infrastructure before the business is at risk?
- Can it go 24 hours, 48 hours, a week, two weeks?
- How much data can your business lose before the business is at risk?
- If you lose the last day of production will that affect your business?
- Two days? A week? Two Weeks?
- Is there a written plan that covers all of thee things?
- Has the plan been tested?
- What about other data/systems besides what lives in your office such as
- Email delivery
- Phones
- etc.
- Is the cost of operating and maintaining a DR justifiable to the business?
- Is your business part of a regulated industry that has specific requirements pertaining to how data is transmitted and stored?
The highest level of backup for SMBs is Business Continuity (or BC). BC addresses all the features of Backup, The recoverability of DR, adds quicker recovery options, and takes all of your systems into account. BC generally allows for very quick startup of your servers/systems either onsite or in the cloud depending on the nature of the issue at hand. It takes all of your other business systems into account and the system is tested on some sort of regularity to ensure that it works and documentation is maintained based on testing.
Although this seems like a lot of information about Backup, DR, and BC this is only the tip of the iceberg! Every business is unique in how they operate, what their requirements are (based on the business or any regulations). BITS can help you determine what the best level of protection for your business and make a plan to ensure you are protected against Data Loss, Disaster, or whatever the situation requires.
If you have questions about what type of Backup is best for your organization or would like a second opinion on your current backup feel free to Contact Us and setup a free consultation.