A Brief Review of Backup Strategies

For the modern business, not having a backup system in place is inexcusable. If you use digital data to run your business, you need to protect the data you can’t replace by having it backed up regularly. Some businesses have been around long enough to have files that don’t have any practical application in the course of business. You don’t need this data, and you don’t need a copy of it. Today, we will discuss how to select and choose which pieces of data you should seek to protect. 

The Simplest Strategy

If there is a single strategy to selecting files that need to be secured through backup it would have to be that you should backup all files that you will not be able to replace. That seems pretty straightforward, right? Every folder and file that you can’t replace needs to be backed up, but the question becomes why should you stop there? 

Your business’ data is one of its most important assets it has, why not just back everything up. After all, the BDR we offer has no problems mapping and backing up all of your data. We understand that some businesses just don’t have enough vital data to spend a lot on their data backup systems, but today, with all the threats out there, ensuring that your unique and sensitive data is protected has to be a priority.

The Different Backup Strategies

In the data backup and recovery space, there are several different types of backups. Depending on what you need extra copies of, and when you need those copies made, you can choose exactly what type of backup strategy to use. They include:

• Full backups - As the name implies, this is when your backup platform makes copies of all data and it’s associated configurations to one platform. This can be accomplished through network attached storage, cloud backup provider, or even by tape. The main benefit of backing up everything is that all of your data is backed up and available in one place. With a full backup, it will take a small amount of time to restore files or folders, but if you have to perform a full restore, it will take longer. It is also the costliest type of backup as it requires more storage space. Full backups, however are typically a key element in other backup strategies, so even if you suppose that taking full, periodic backups doesn’t go far enough, the first backup you take will almost always be of this type.
• Incremental backup - An incremental backup just backs up changes made to data. Being so lightweight it can be of use protecting continuously updated data. The costs associated with incremental backup aren’t at all prohibitive, and while not comprehensive, it can be a good solution for the company that creates a lot of data. 
• Differential backups - Once an organization has performed a full backup of its data, differential backups are often used to update them between full backups. Differential backups are taken by backing up only what has changed from the last full backup taken, like an incremental backup. It continues to do so until the next full backup is taken. 
• Mirror backup - A mirror backup is a backup system that is so intuitive that it actually mirrors the computing system it is backing up. This type of redundancy is copied over separately, like it is inside the system, making storage space the major consideration. On the other hand, the mirror backup has the fastest restore time. 

Backups can be set up to run weekly, daily, and as frequently as every 15 minutes, depending on the needs of the organization. 

The 3-2-1 Rule

A common, and easy-to-remember acronym, the 3-2-1 rule is a method of backing up data that will ensure that all the data you need to protect is sufficiently backed up. Here’s how it works: 

You need to keep three copies of your data, with two copies being stored on different storage media (hard disk, cloud, tape, etc.), and one copy stored offsite. This strategy is a great baseline to keep all of your data safe and available for restoration. 

If you would like more information about data backup, call our knowledgeable staff today at (770) 448-5400.