Security and Data Backup
8 Tips for a better backup strategy
Security and data backup go together collectively. Having a secure network and computers is only part of the equation. If your data is lost, all the security in the world cannot recover important customer records, client transactions or other vital company information like employee files.
A solid backup strategy is required to ensure the continuity of your business operations in the event of a fatal data corruption.
Most business owners know that they have to back up their local computer systems and file servers. But it is also vitally important to keep the servers for your email, database, video, telephone systems and other data properly backed up as well. These systems often require specific backup solutions that are compatible with their particular data structures. In this situation it is probably best to work with a specialist company (such as EOL IT Services) to ensure your systems are correctly backed up.
It is also ideal if backups occur automatically removing human reliance on performing this function as we all have many competing demands in our day job – data backup is something that must not simply be forgotten so automate this if at all possible.
You really should have a properly implemented security and backup solution for your own peace of mind.
Not properly backing up your data can mean:
- damage to your image or brand (this is often far more costly than the actual data that is irrecoverable),
- loss of customer confidence possibly leading to loss of business,
- financial penalties via civil and/or criminal proceedings,
- other stakeholder proceedings and more.
Here are EOL’s 8 tips that will give you practical guidelines for a better backup protection strategy:
1. Identify & track where your business’s data is retained
It is clearly impossible to ensure your data is backed up if you do not know what you have or where it is. Work with a specialist company or IT professional to learn what information you have and where it is kept e.g. is your data residing on a server in your corporate offices? Is critical data stored on a remote server in a satellite office? Is data stored in notebooks (ideally, this should never be the case)?
Create an inventory and monitor this regularly regarding the type of data you have. This inventory can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or as complex as a paid for system. Use something appropriate to the scale of your business.
In terms of data, you may have a large assortment of client testimonial video files, documented profiles on a number of your clients, personnel files for your employees or corporate films used in publicity promotions. These are all types of files that take up a lot of space and may grow fast. The type of data you have and its content will be a factor in how your data is backed up.
2. Keep your data/applications backed up (surprise, surprise) and, ideally, remotely
Often businesses do not consider backing up their applications when they devise their backup solution. They back up the data files they create, but they often do not think to back up the installed software and operating system files.
It is important to create an image of your servers and computers to make sure that the data, applications and operating system can be completely and seamlessly recovered to their ‘pre-disaster’ status. To properly and completely recover from disaster, you need your applications, your system files (operating system) and the data files you have created to run your business.
Recovering just your data files, but not the applications to run your computers or operating system(s) to run your servers, is not complete recovery.
3. Remote offsite or local backup?
Traditional backup solutions usually involve backing up to a local hard disk, external drive, tape or other removable media such as DVD or CD. Over the past few years the use of remote offsite backup services has increased enormously and the fact that they can be automated prevents that reliance on your stretched IT manager remembering to complete the task. You need to consider which solution is best for your business.
4. Test, test and test again
Worse than not backing up your data at all, is not backing it up correctly.
Imagine that a disaster strikes your local area (this, of course, is another reason to have a remote offsite solution in place some distance from your operational base) and all your business data is completely destroyed? If you go to recover your data only to discover your backups are corrupted what will you do?
You must regularly test your system to ensure that your data is properly backed up.
5. The servers
Your business data is not just on an individual PC or on a shared folder on the company’s shared file server. The data is in your email server, application server and any other servers you use (including your website and hosted data). All these need to be backed up to ensure business continuation in the event of a catastrophic failure.
6. Backup policies and procedures
Backing up your data is not a one-time event; it is a critical part of conducting business life today.
So much information is now at our finger tips, it is not always possible to tell which is critical and which is not. The simplest information, if not available, could be damaging to a business.
You must have processes in place so that the data generated is safely backed up and ready to be recovered. The more this is automated as your business grows the easier this task becomes for your IT team or department – and for the security of your business.
Don’t procrastinate...it cannot be put off to another day or it may be too late by then.
7. Engage trusted suppliers
With limited time, budget and employees you should look to a solution provider to help ensure your data is stored safely and securely. Using an ISO 27001 accredited company is one way of doing this. Your trusted supplier can also show your IT employees how to retrieve information from backups, when needed. All this helps protect your critical data.
Using the expertise of EOL IT Services can ensure that you don’t fall victim to data loss and/or not being able to recover your remotely stored information.
8. Ensure there is a guaranteed Data Recovery Policy
Having your data stored off site with a reputable company is of the utmost importance but just as important is how you get your data back on a daily basis or, indeed, because you have suffered a major disaster such as a fire, flood or vandalism.
Disaster recovery is not something that should be overlooked and restoring vast amounts of data over the internet can take far too long. Restoring a small amount of data via the internet is very quick and simple but restoring everything following a disaster can be time consuming and take weeks to return the data to an active state on your infrastructure.
By going through EOL to store your data off site in the UK, we are able to provide a Disaster Recovery policy completely free of charge. Our promise to you is to restore your data within 24 hours of a disaster being reported to us (UK only).
The encrypted data will be downloaded onto a hard-drive and couriered directly to you to ensure that your company suffers minimal downtime due to data loss following a disaster. Normal file restores can be completed within a few seconds by using the software provided.
All data stored via EOL on your behalf is encrypted to military standards and remains that way until it is returned to your infrastructure.
So why is backup so important?
Data loss can happen for a number of reasons; whether it is due to accidental deletion by an absent-minded employee, intentional vandalism by an individual having gained access to your network, or a massive attack of thousands of infected computers, losing your data is a business reality.
In such a situation you need to be able to recover your data quickly and efficiently.
Back up should not be a choice – everyone has something they need to back up ... paranoia is a good thing.
