| Backup Basics |
| Gavin
Smith, Founder & CEO of DataFort, explains why data
backup is imperative for businesses of all shapes and
sizes, and how to begin to get a robust system in place. |
| Release
date: August 2005 |
| When
it comes to IT infrastructure, there can be nothing more
fundamental to the success of a small or medium-sized
insurance broker than backup. As employees constantly
demand more access to information on an “anytime,
anywhere” basis, more data storage is being brought
in to cope. At the same time, FSA guidelines on document
retention (and that now includes emails!) are becoming
a key part of a broker’s IT strategy. However, independent
research shows that 83% of UK companies have an inadequate
back-up strategy. So what would happen to your most valuable
asset should viruses strike, thieves break in, or tapes
get mislaid? |
| Data
risk is everywhere and what managers don’t realise
is that computer users experience disaster daily, in
the shape of power surges, hardware crashes, human error,
theft, fires and other accidents. The results are threefold
– the administrative cost of lost data, its legal
implications and – not insignificantly –
the financial loss from downtime. September 11th brought
disaster recovery plans to the forefront of the technology
agenda, but while businesses are now more prepared to
back up, the way in which the data is stored is still
the weakest link in their disaster recovery plan… |
| A
recent survey conducted by SunGuard Availability Systems
revealed that 90% of companies are backing up using
tape. Although back-up tapes may be advantageous as
they are easily portable and can be transported to a
different location where they are secure from fire or
theft, they are more easily misplaced, lost, or damaged
due to environmental conditions or simply age. |
| With
the financial expense of implementing a disaster recovery
strategy, off-site storage and business continuity services
have been aimed until recently at enterprise level and
corporate users. Small and medium-sized businesses are
less likely to have plans in place, and those that do
still struggle to recover from a catastrophe. Analyst
group Gartner estimates that two out of five companies
that experience a disaster go out of business within
five years and with recent figures from the DTI revealing
that 99% of UK companies are SMEs, this is a very worrying
statistic. So how can a small or medium sized insurance
broker – or any business that has a ‘hands
on’ approach to it’s infrastructure - prepare? |
| The
most reliable and simplest solution for a company of
any size is for data to be sent to secure off-site datacentres,
where their information is mirrored to ensure the safest
possible option. Historically, this has only been an
affordable solution for larger corporates, but in the
last few years, broadband internet access has enabled
a new breed of off-site solution to emerge, providing
back-up and disaster recovery as an affordable, easy-to-use
online solution. |
| With
costs coming down and reliable back-up now affordable
for all SMEs, when it comes to allocate a technology
budget, the cost of a viable backup plan needs to be
balanced against the cost of losing data. Here are some
guidelines that will crystallize that process. |
1:
Believe it can happen
The word ‘unexpected’ exists to define something
that actually happens… The implications of FSA
rulings on document retention have been discussed in
detail in General insurance and, that aside, it’s
worth remembering that laptops and hand-held devices
are usually the first things that disappear in a burglary. |
2:
Audit your data
Whatever back-up solution you are looking for, the size
of the data and the cost of storage will be the two
main considerations. Physical solutions have a finite
capacity, while hosted off-site services usually charge
by the megabyte. Either way, prune your data, delete
what you don’t need and only backup files that
you really can’t afford to lose. |
3:
Take data off-site
Whether you work in a large office or study at home,
business-critical data must never be left on-site. Backing
it up to a server or a CD-rom is all well and good if
a single PC is stolen or fails, but if the building
they’re in burns down, you may as well not have
bothered. |
4:
Check back-ups regularly
Ever since the floppy disc was invented, computer users
have come to expect recordable media to fail - except
when it comes to backups. If you do use CD-Roms, ZIP
or tape drives the mantra is “check, check and
check again” that you can access and retrieve
data. Companies that legally have to rely on and retain
digital information should NEVER rely on local physical
storage. |
5:
Develop a routine
Humans are fallible - we forget things, especially important
things like initiating a back-up, changing tapes, or
taking back-ups home at the end of the working day.
Make your back-up routine part of every-day IT housekeeping
or look into outsourced or automated services if your
business doesn’t have the resource in-house. |
6:
Think about the recovery position
If the worst happens, what will your business need to
get up and running again quickly? PCs and phone lines
can be begged and borrowed but what about your data?
Opening e-mail archives on other machines usually entails
entering passwords and login details, likewise for Internet
and Intranet access. For large companies this isn’t
so much of an issue, but for SMEs or a home-based broker,
this information is as priceless as the data itself. |
7:
Revisit regularly
Re-visit each step of your back-up and recovery procedure
regularly. Make sure it does what you want it to do.
For example, there’s a difference between fire-proof
and heat-proof safes, and did you set up that new hard
drive as part of the automatic back-up schedule? The
business day is fluid and ever-changing, so you need
to be as well. |
8:
Do your sums
Data back-up and recovery used to be like an insurance
policy itself. You got the same service whether you
went expensive or cheap until a disaster happened. Today,
business continuity embraces archiving and storage solutions,
offering companies much more than just ‘safe’
data. All-in-one solutions (generally off-site storage
and retrieval) are often more expensive to set up but,
compared to the ongoing costs of consumables and existing
archiving and storage solutions, they can often deliver
better value for money both in terms of actual cost
and quality of service. |
9:
Go for the best solution you can afford
Following on from above, don’t skimp on back-ups.
Even home users who don’t want to lose priceless
digital family photos should buy the best brand media
if they back up to disc or tape. For SoHos and SMEs,
look at all the solutions available, identify the best
model that works for you and go for the best offering
in that model, be it local D-I-Y back-up or a managed
off-site service. |
10:
Don’t Panic!
If you’ve taken the trouble to back-up data and
routinely check it, then chances are you’ll be
able to retrieve it when the unexpected happens. Obviously,
if you’ve invested in a robust solution then you’ll
have little or no trouble getting your data back, but
even a scratched CD-ROM in a car glove box that can’t
be read by your PC can be accessed – by the right
people at the right price! |
| |
 ABOUT
DATAFORT
DataFort provides
dependable secure off-site computer information storage with
a focus on functionality and convenience for the end user. The
company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Guildford,
UK and New York, USA. It’s software and services are used
by thousands of businesses worldwide - ranging from small SMEs
and schools through to quoted companies and local government.
Every hour of every day someone, somewhere backs up with DataFort. |
CONTACTS
Marcie Terman
T: +44 (0) 1483 872 052
E:  |
