We’ve all experienced that gut wrenching feeling of panic when we’d been working long hours on something crucial be it some official report, a new configuration update or any official task to meet an approaching deadline and then suddenly the system crashed or the power went off and we ended up having nothing to show for it.
It’s nearly impossible to be able to tell when disaster might strike. Not only would it be an absolute nightmare to redo all the work, being unable to recover large databases of classified information can possibly signal the end for business processes that depend on them.
Why is Data Backup Necessary?
Losing vital data could be the outcome of anything from hardware failure, power failure, system application failure, natural disasters, ransomware attacks and of course human ignorance. Whichever be the cause of data loss, having a backup plan is more than essential since the consequences can be catastrophic.
However, in the event of any of the aforementioned scenarios, having a secure copy of all the original data can quickly compensate for any unfortunate data loss. Data backup strategy allows quick recovery of the compensated data making sure businesses can be up and running in no time, depending of course, on the nature of the backup.
Being able to restore data and information to the state prior to the disaster can save companies a lot of time and cost which would have otherwise been necessary to recompute and reorganize all that lost data. Data backup essentially provides a sense of security given the seemingly quick and effortless recovery of crucial information lost to unforeseen events. Following a proper backup strategy ensures business continuity and helps avoid long downtimes.
Backup Strategies for Small and Medium sized Businesses:
With the exponential growth of data theft, cybercrime, security breaches as well as large dependency on information for many business processes, the nature of business is irrelevant when deciding to implement a backup strategy for data recovery. Even small and medium-sized businesses need to safeguard their data assets and prioritize an appropriate disaster recovery solution. In order to protect the business processes and information assets from vulnerability, there are a number of backup strategies for companies to look into as listed below:
Automated Backup:
Companies tend to rely on manual backups made over a network or some on-site server but we cannot rule out the fact that one of the major reasons for data loss is in fact human incompetence. Automated backups eliminate the burden from employees backing up valuable data and files continuously increasing the overall effectiveness and ensuring a complete reliable backup.
Backup at the Endpoint Devices:
Most employees will save their work files and folders in their respective workstations i.e. their laptops or computers which aren’t normally subjected to a backup over the enterprise network. This results in all the work in progress at the end point devices, hindered from being backed up. When the business is backing up all the important data information, a better practice is to begin backing up of the data at the end point devices themselves. In addition to ensuring that all work files are backed up right from the source, employees’ productivity and value is also protected.
Off-site Backup:
The availability of off-site back up gives companies the edge against physical damage of information assets. Whether there’s a natural disaster, power outage or some malware breach into the systems at one site, the backup site can always be relied upon to ensure business continuity. This is the basic concept of the data center and disaster recovery center pairing for data recovery strategy. While some companies still employ physically separated data centers connected over the same network, most businesses prefer having a virtual backup of all the important databases and applications.
Cloud Backup:
Traditional backup based on on-site hardware devices by manually creating copies of databases over the enterprise’s network might not be highly reliable. Physical damage and unexpected failures make this backup strategy extremely vulnerable and cannot be implemented as a long-term plan. Having to invest in huge upfront payments to establish a disaster recovery site that is only useful in the event of a failure can set small companies back in terms of budget and manpower. But of course, modern technologies have brought forward ingenious solutions to this in the form of the cloud.
Data backup in the cloud is not only automated but a lot more simplified, convenient and of course highly cost effective which is more than perfect for smaller businesses. In addition to that, important data and file storage isn’t prone to any errors as cloud solutions are particularly optimized to cater to the needs of easy accessibility and reliable data storage..
The 3-2-1 Approach:
One of the most popular approaches to backing up data is the “3-2-1” approach. According to this, technique, businesses ought to be creating exactly three copies of all the important databases and applications and store two copies in two different storage media while the other is to be stored in the cloud. The cloud backed up data is obviously safe from on-premise disasters and so there’s always an extra copy of the data should there be any compromise to either of the copies.
Investing in data securities not only saves huge amount of time and money by minimizing compensation but also gives employees as well as customers a peace of mind knowing that the risks of losing important information is less than minimal. It is almost impossible for enterprise entities to function well without a solid business continuity plan and disaster mitigation strategy.
At Fridell solutions, ensuring full protection against loss of data is one of the primary services offered. Your budget and requirements are carefully taken into consideration to present you with customized solutions to cater your business needs. We understand the importance of your time, resources, and ensuring business continuity, and the flexible and cost-effective backup strategies that we offer will keep you ahead of data vulnerabilities.
