Ahhh Backup… It’s messy, unreliable, prone to failure and the log file reporting is cryptic (to say the least). The hidden costs for managing a tape or hard disk based backup solution are unbelievably high. But, backup is critical and it is not an overstatement to say that a successfully recovered backup could save your business.
Here are 10 Things to think about when evaluating your strategy.
- It’s not about the Backup. It’s about the RECOVERY.
- Needs to be affordable.
- If you are still using tapes as your primary media. STOP.
- Don’t forget offsite components in your planning.
- Are you backing up everything you need and is it recoverable?
- Does your backup/recovery plan include a strategy in the event of a down server?
- Retention Issues
- Is once a day enough?
- Backed up data needs to be secure (encrypted).
- Who is Responsible and a few questions to ask yourself.
If you don’t do regular test restores of various files (monthly) and full server recoveries bi-annually there is no real way to know that your backup/recovery strategy will work when you most need it.
One way to control costs is to revisit your procedures annually. Emerging technologies are providing more affordable and effective options. Solutions that were cost prohibitive only a year ago are now very affordable.
Tape Drives are mechanical devices prone to failure. The tapes themselves have a relatively short shelf life (6-12 months) and are affected by environmental conditions like heat, humidity and magnetic interference.
Backup/ recovery plans should be multi-faceted and include local backup for convenient restoring of files and other data in the day to day business environment. Offsite and secure copies of your data should be readily accessible in the event of a disaster situation or in the event a critical server failure (See virtualization below).
Too often we are called to restore data only to find out that it is not recoverable because backup procedures were not followed; often because of lack of training or expertise. This is especially prevalent with SQL (and other) data base products as well as Exchange and other email systems.
Can business wait for recovery? For some of us, each hour of down time comes at a high cost. In some backup plans, even in the best of circumstances, the company can expect a day down with the solutions they have in place. It may be time to think about solutions such as server virtualization, bare metal recovery capability or an in-house spare server.
Retention, archiving and data availability must be considered depending on your industry and regulations that govern your long term storage requirements. Also, some data you just want to keep longer for reference. Review your overwrite and destruction plans at least annually.
Take a good look at your backup schedule. If you are backing up just once a day, is this enough? If you backup overnight and lose a key file at 2PM can you live with a copy from the day before? The capability to do incremental snapshots of your key data during the day is an important part of any backup/recovery strategy.
Whether you are using tapes, usb drives or NAS sub-systems, the data needs to be encrypted. Not only to comply with various governing bodies, but it’s just plain good business to have your data protected in the event of a stolen or lost tape or other medium. If your backup data contains information which is considered protected (i.e., name and social security number or patient health information) it is imperative to review accessibility from nonauthorized users. In addition to HIPPA and Sarbanes Oxley, the MA Privacy regulations will apply to all business with information about a MA resident so careful review of the security of backup media is required.
Responsibility for the entire backup process should be clearly defined. Who is responsible for the actual backup process? Who monitors your backup? If your backup fails, when do you know it and what do you do? Who decides the how recovery will take place? When was the last time you tested your backed up files? Where is the report? Where is the backup media? In a sentence: Having all of this in writing is critical!
Solid disaster recovery and Business Continuity planning is a component of a well-managed business so spend the time to investigate new backup solutions. You might find that you will spend less IT money on a new approach.
