| Ten Top Tips
for Data Backup and Recovery |
| Release
date: October 2003 |
| Power
cuts, terrorist attacks, burglaries, malicious staff
and good old fashioned absent-mindedness...all good
reasons why individuals and companies need a robust
business continuity strategy should the worst happen. |
| Here
then are ten tips - provided by business continuity
experts DataFort (www.datafort.com) - for creating a
back-up and recovery strategy that will stand up to
any disaster. |
1:
Believe it can happen
The word ‘unexpected’ exists to define something
that actually happens. Data loss isn’t theoretical.
Laptops and hand-held devices are usually the first
things that disappear in a burglary and viruses that
wipe hard drives really do exist. Don’t play the
‘it’ll never happen to me’ game, it’s
too risky. |
2:
Audit your data
Whatever back-up solution you plum 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 back-up files that you really
can’t afford to lose. |
3:
Take data off-site
Whether you work in a big office or your own living
room, business critical data must never be left on-site.
Backing up data 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
and tape drives the mantra is check, check and check
again that you can access and retrieve data. Companies
that place real value on their 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, taking
back-ups home etc. Make your back-up routine part of
every-day IT housekeeping, stick a sign on the monitor,
tie knots in a hankie, just don’t forget! If you
are the kind of person that just can’t stick to
a regime [and don’t worry you are not alone] look
into outsourcing to an IT company that will manage your
backups or look at one of the automated services. |
6:
Think about the recovery position
If the worst happens, what will you 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/Intranet
access etc. For large companies this isn’t so
much of an issue, but for SMEs and home workers, 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, you need to
be as well. |
8:
Do your sums
Data back-up and recovery used to be like an insurance
policy – 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 photos of the family 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! |
| In
this digital day and age, making sure our data is safe
and secure is no longer a paranoid luxury, it’s
a responsible – and soon to be legal – business
process. |
There
are three types of data.
(1) Critical: Data, that should the worst happen, will
be needed the next day to pick up the pieces. Anything
you would need from your clients contact details so
you can tell them that regardless of what they’ve
heard on the news you are still there for them to accounts
and invoice information needed for bridge financing.
Insurance policy numbers and details, contact numbers
for employees. EMAILS! The more timely this information
is the better chance you have of recovering from the
disaster. You will know what fits in this category for
your business. |
| (2)
Useful information: Information that can be gathered
from other sources as time goes on, but if it is not
available on the next day your business will not be
impacted. What fits into this category varies greatly
depending on the business type but supplier prices,
advertising information. |
| (3)
Transient or non critical information. This information
is not critical to the running of the business. It may
be convenient to have but if you lose it the company
will not be any harder to run. |
| |
 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:  |
