4 Keys to an Effective Data Backup Strategy

It would be hard to find someone in business who doesn’t understand the need to back up important data. What many don’t realize however, is that effective data backup requires a plan in order to be useful if the time comes to rely on those backups.
Here are some fundamentals to consider when devising an effective data backup strategy for your business:
Back Up Data to Multiple (Geographically separated) Sites
It used to be common practice to hand carry backed up data on a CD or DVD offsite nightly or weekly. The thinking was, if a disaster (flood, fire, etc.) renders the primary office environment unusable, then the backed up data would not be affected, and available for disaster recovery. These days, you can eliminate the human error factor in offsite data by automatically sending backups to a remote data center – virtually anywhere in the world.
Don’t Just Back Your Data – Back Up Images Too!
The bits and bytes of your data alone will not necessarily have your business up and running quickly after a disaster. Just as important are the applications that use that data, and image backups (for servers AND desktops) can enable a new machine to be configured quickly, and then to use that crucial backed-up data to get your business back up and running in the event of an emergency.
Perform Regular Test Restores from Backed Up Data
There’s a warm fuzzy feeling when you know your data is backed up regularly, to multiple locations. That feeling will dissipate quickly if you discover (at the worst possible time!) that a backup is corrupt, or that no one actually knows how to perform a restore from a backup. Testing backups needs to be a regular part of the routine, and more than one person at your company needs to be trained in the procedure. Which leads us to the most important point:
Backing Up Data (and Images) is Just a Part of a Disaster Recovery Plan
Any disaster that could cause an interruption in your business, whether it’s a fire, burglary or even just a crashed server) cause problems that go beyond just data. Proper planning and training will prepare everyone to know what their role would be in the event of a disaster, and what tools are available to help the business recover quickly.
Thanks to technology, disasters that would have spelled the end for a business a decade ago are recoverable, and the solutions are affordable. Clare Computer Solutions has helped many companies design, implement and maintain plans for data backup, disaster recovery and business continuity. Isn’t your business worth protecting?
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