To back up or not to back up: is there still a question? Data is your business\u2019 most valuable asset. Having reliable data backup and recovery strategies is vital for your organization\u2019s long-term success.<\/p>\n
Data backup and recovery methods give you peace of mind. Protecting your business against data loss caused by human error, equipment failure and cyberattacks can prevent you from experiencing an unrecoverable data failure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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When it comes to natural disasters, 40%<\/a> of small businesses never reopen after a disaster, according to FEMA. Of those that do reopen, another 25% fail within a year.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Today we\u2019ll take a closer look at different types of data backup, along with the best data recovery methods.<\/p>\n There are four basic levels of data backup. Let\u2019s review each so you can pick the most suitable place to store your data.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Because data backup is crucial to any business\u2019 continuity, we\u2019re still shocked to come across companies that don\u2019t have any backup strategies in place. Common reasons given for not backing up data include, \u201cit\u2019s an added expense,\u201d or, \u201ca disaster will never happen to us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s a perception among small businesses that they\u2019re not at risk from data loss. However, 43%<\/a> of data breach victims in 2019 were small and medium businesses. Hackers widely targeted SMBs due to the perception that they are unprepared or have fewer security measures in place.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Using a local backup solution is a decent option. Local methods provide fast backup and restore times and give you control over who can access your data.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Traditional local backup solutions include:<\/p>\n External hard drives\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Magnetic tape drives<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Having an extra copy of your files on premise is a good move, but it will not provide the best protection from data loss.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The shortcomings of depending on a local backup solution include disasters like fires, earthquakes and floods, which can destroy your servers and backup drives.\u00a0 Additionally, cyberattacks, user error and hardware malfunctions that can lead to significant data loss render local backups alone less effective.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Hybrid cloud backups refer to a mixture of local storage, private cloud storage and public cloud storage for redundancy. Storing your data in multiple locations ensures that you always have a local copy, as well as a copy stored securely offsite.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Backing up your data to the cloud bypasses using any local devices for storage. If there\u2019s ever a natural disaster<\/a> that destroys your building (or even your city block), you can rest easy knowing your data will be safe. The disadvantage of cloud-only storage is that backups can take longer, depending on your internet speed.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ask your service provider<\/a> about the locations of their cloud data centers. Ideally, you will want to go with a data backup solution that uses multiple data centers and has them spread throughout the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve established where<\/em> you will backup your data, you can determine how<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A full backup is a complete copy of all files on a designated system or drive. While this sounds like the best data backup method, the disadvantage of a full backup is that it also uses massive storage and network resources by creating copies of files that are seldom changed. A full backup takes longer than other backup methods.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A mirror backup is comparable to a full backup. A mirror backup creates an exact copy of your data but without compression, taking up more of your storage space. While mirror backups offer fast recovery time, they do not store previous versions of backup data.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A differential backup copies all the files that have changed since the last full backup. This includes only the data that has been created, updated or altered in any way and does not copy all of the data every time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n An incremental backup only backs up the files that changed since the last backup. It\u2019s a great way of capturing daily changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For example: If you do a full backup on Monday, Tuesday\u2019s incremental backup will contain only the data that has changed since Monday. Wednesday\u2019s backup will contain only the data that has changed since Tuesday, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Incremental backups are fast and require few resources but have slower data recovery time than other backup methods.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The 3-2-1 backup method comprises three elements:<\/p>\n Three: Three distinct copies of your data are maintained: the original, or production data, plus two backup copies. All copies contain the same data from the same point in time. This method aims to save at least one copy of data should the others fail or disappear.<\/p>\n Two: Two copies of your data exist on media that\u2019s separate from one another, even if they\u2019re in the same geographic location. Example: One copy on a server, another on an external hard disk.<\/p>\n One: One data copy exists in an offsite location, like another office, data center or the cloud.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n GFS is a common backup strategy, \u201cchunking\u201d backups into more manageable timelines. Backups rotate daily, using a FIFO (first in, first out) system. GFS plans generally entail daily backups (\u201csons\u201d), weekly backups (\u201cfathers\u201d) and monthly backups (\u201cgrandfathers\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Note: Whatever backup method you choose, the process should be automated so that it\u2019s not reliant on humans to remember to keep it up-to-date. Out-of-date backups defeat the purpose and can be almost worthless.<\/p>\n Backing up your data is the first step \u2013 restoring that data is the second. The goal of any disaster recovery<\/a> strategy is to restore your company\u2019s operational data and systems in the least amount of time possible and with the least amount of data and financial loss.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To determine the type of data recovery that\u2019s best for your business, you must establish your goals concerning two measurements: RPO and RTO.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Recovery Point Objective<\/strong>, or RPO, determines the amount of time your systems can be down before it becomes catastrophic to your business. The more often you run a backup, the better RPO you will achieve. How much data can you afford to lose between a backup and recovery period? This will determine the minimal method of recovery time (RTO) you should consider.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Recovery Time Objective<\/strong>, or RTO, measures how long your IT department or service provider takes to recover your data and bring your systems back online and running again. The shorter the time, the more expensive it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Recovering backup data from a local device (like an external hard drive or tape drive) is one of the fastest data recovery methods. However, it also has the highest frequency of failure. If constant monitoring policies are instituted, reliability can be improved.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Backup from the cloud can involve transferring massive amounts of data over your internet connection, which can cause excessive downtime. If you have internet connectivity issues, this can be problematic. The physical distance between your business and your cloud data center can determine recovery time and reliability.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n For the ultimate protection, you should consider utilizing a backup and disaster recovery (BDR) solution for your business. A BDR solution creates a running copy of all files so that you can move to the live backup copy at the flip of a switch in the event of an emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n Can your business afford to fail due to something as simple as a poorly configured backup?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n4 Levels of Data Backup<\/h2>\n
LEVEL ZERO: NO DATA BACKUP<\/h3>\n
LEVEL 1:\u00a0 LOCAL BACKUP\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n
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LEVEL 2: HYBRID CLOUD BACKUPS<\/h3>\n
LEVEL 3: BACKUP TO THE CLOUD<\/h3>\n
6 Types of Data Backup<\/h2>\n
1. Full Backup<\/h3>\n
2. Mirror Backup\u00a0<\/h3>\n
3. Differential Backup\u00a0<\/h3>\n
4. Incremental Backup\u00a0<\/h3>\n
5. 3-2-1 Backup<\/h3>\n
6. GFS (Grandfather-Father-Son) Backup<\/h3>\n
3 Types of Data Recovery\u00a0<\/h2>\n
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1. Local Device Recovery<\/h3>\n
2. Cloud\/Hybrid Cloud Recovery<\/h3>\n
3. Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR)<\/h3>\n
Partner with SugarShot to Secure Your Data<\/h2>\n