Stating the Obvious

This statement, though hopefully obvious, must be said because we are always running into environments where a backup does not exist: “Any backup is better than no backup at all”. So if you currently are not backing up your data then we implore and encourage you to start. Your first step can be as simple as a phone call to us so that we can guide you to a tailored solution that fits your needs and your budget. Data loss is totally preventable and no one ever needs to suffer it.

The Challenge

For those of us with experience backing up data, at some point, we’ve come face to face with Murphy’s law which states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Issues such as the backup having data corruption or equipment failure can arise during the point of data restoration (retrieval). We quickly learn that relying on only one backup is unsound. Having learned this tough lesson, we begin to employ two or more devices in our backup procedure.

Multiple backups become a saving grace up to the point where disaster strikes. A building fire or theft can easily compromise our ability to recover data. It is now evident that maintaining backups in only one location is risky. Rotating backups off-site becomes part of the new procedure. Then suddenly mother nature steps in with a flood or an earthquake which can affect an entire region. If the computer(s) along with the on-site and off-site backup exist within the affected region then you may be unable to recover data.

Fortunately, cloud storage providers, who have data centers in different parts of the country for redundancy, exist and offer backup plans at affordable prices. However, because internet speeds dramatically affect cloud backup, it takes too long to perform a complete recovery. So what is the ideal backup strategy?

The Strategy

The ideal backup strategy consists of three parts so that we don’t place our eggs all in one basket. For the sake of rapid recovery, the first part is a local backup which is accomplished through software and some form of data storage. Software is used for automation and the ability to perform an incremental backup, which backs up only the changes that occurred since the previous backup. Automation is extremely important because as humans, we are simply not consistent enough to ensure that the backup job gets accomplished (we get busy, tired, or forgetful). Since the data needs to get backed up to some sort of storage, this gets accomplished through either direct attached storage, like an external hard drive or network access storage on the local area network.

The second part of the strategy is an off-site backup. The easiest way to accomplish this is by incorporating a scheduled rotation of a secondary storage device or storage media. Because of the fragility of conventional storage and media, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that damage does not occur during transport. A more sophisticated off-site backup can be accomplished via software over the internet through a secure VPN connection to a secondary storage device. However, performing complete data recovery from an off-site backup will require the transport of the storage device or media back to the office.

The last part of the strategy is to use a cloud backup service that has redundant data centers or where at least their data center is not located in the same region. Cloud backup is best used as the last resort when local and off-site backups have been compromised like in the case of a major disaster.

Although this three-part backup strategy is ideal, not everyone can abide by it. In some cases, a two-part strategy is all that can be accomplished. Even if only one part of this strategy is used the fact still remains that “any backup is better than no backup at all”.