Do you know what goes into a successful data backup strategy? If not, know that your business depends on these contingencies to confidently face the challenges of today’s business world. Today, we’re breaking down the essentials of a sound backup strategy—and trust us when we say it’s more complicated than you think.
Off-Site and Cloud Storage
When you store data on-site, you’re risking falling victim to any potential issues your on-site infrastructure might encounter, like a disaster or a cyberattack. This is why off-site and cloud storage are so important; when backups are isolated, they’re safer. It’s fine to have a local backup, but it should be in combination with off-site options.
Maximizing Redundancy
Files often get rewritten, sometimes by accident, but there will also be times when data can get corrupted or other such deletions occur (sometimes not by accident). A good backup solution will have versioning in place as a guarantee that you’ll be able to salvage just about any file as needed. Furthermore, redundancy (having multiple copies of files) should help you recover from just about any possible disaster through multiple viable restoration paths.
Building Your Disaster Recovery Plan
A clear disaster recovery plan should help your business prepare for any situation where operations are disrupted. Here are some of the steps you should define:
- Recovery steps - Detailed procedures for data restoration, system recovery, and operational resumption.
- Roles and responsibilities - Assigning specific recovery tasks to key personnel.
- Communication strategy - How stakeholders, employees, and potentially clients will be kept informed during an incident.
It helps to think of this as a proposed response protocol so everyone is on the same page about what to do during a disaster recovery situation (and who’s doing it).
Cybersecurity for Your Backups
Cybersecurity threats like ransomware can impact your backups, eliminating the possibility of recovery without paying the ransom. This is why it’s crucial that you protect them with strong encryption, while it’s being stored and while it’s in transit. You should also ensure firewalls and access controls are in place to limit who can access backups, and consider immutable storage, which prevents data from being altered or destroyed for a certain amount of time, as a last-ditch precaution against ransomware.
Regular Testing and Updates
You should consider your backup and recovery plan a living, breathing thing that changes over time. As technology evolves, your backup needs will change to accommodate the countless developing threats and innovations. Be sure to test your systems periodically to make sure they work and are in alignment with your recovery timelines, and make adjustments to your disaster recovery plan to accommodate any changes to your infrastructure.
Aim for Business Continuity
You want your business to live to see another day. That’s what business continuity is all about, and all efforts should be made with this in mind. To learn more about data backup and disaster recovery, call us today at (432) 520-3539.
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