January 27
Part 3 of a set of articles in our series on Data Safety
Ensuring the protection of your data is just as important as the process of backing up your data in the first place. Making backups is certainly better than not making backups, but there are a few more steps you should consider to make sure that during emergencies your backup will get you up and running quickly.
Location, Location, Location!
Step 1 is to store your backups in a safe place. If your business is keeping all its eggs in one basket, be prepared for the omelette that can follow. Keeping copies of the data beside the server is convenient, but in the event of fire, flood, or theft your live data and backups are both gone. Off-site or online backups may be something to consider.
Testing, Testing, 1,2,3…
Test your backups! If you’ve been faithfully clicking the icon to “Backup” for years and it’s become so much a habit now, maybe you haven’t really been paying attention to those error messages popping up for months. Or maybe your backup runs overnight and the secretary just closes the error screen when she comes in every morning. Tapes wear out, critical data is moved, and old plans need to be updated. If your backup has become damaged, you may not know until it’s too late. Regularly run through a disaster-recovery scenario make sure everything works as it should, and may be your best chance to avoid catastrophe later.
The Only Constant is Change…
As your business needs change so should your continuity plans. Be sure to re-evaluate your backup and recovery plans as your company grows. We’ve seen too many recovery projects where the business was routinely making weekly or daily backups, but since the backup software had been installed and configured the business changed, essential data was moved, or new software was installed that the original planning never took into account. The software and employees have been faithfully copying redundant data for 10 years. As part of your disaster planning run-throughs, make sure your software and staff are all up-to-date on your business requirements in case of downtime.
Category: helpful hints, data loss prevention
Tags: backing up, business continuity, business continuity plan, data safety series, protect data
