Blog

Data destruction in 32 seconds – my 6 top tips for data backup

Backing up your data is one of the most important things you can do every single day in your business.

If you know your backups are being carried out properly then this blog post isn’t for you. But if you’re not sure how your backups are managed, or if they work, then imagine for a minute what state your business would be in if you lost not only your own but your clients’ critical information and documentation. How much could you recover from what was lost?

Earthquakes – big ones – we know could strike at anytime and anywhere in this country, and fires and floods can take less than a minute to cause maximum damage. In a more likely scenario you’ll face a cyberattack, ransomware incident, or hardware failure. Cyber threats have become increasingly sophisticated, and any of these situations could see your business suffer if your backups aren’t in order.

Our team has compiled a list of the top 6 things you should be doing to reduce your risk of catastrophic damage caused by neglecting to backup.

1. Put someone in charge of data backup and recovery

Similar to having a fire warden or someone responsible for keeping insurance policies up to date – a business needs to make sure someone is accountable for data backup and recovery. Likely this is the person who takes care of your IT. Also consider if this person is suddenly unavailable – who’s next in line? With hybrid and remote work now common, it’s even more critical to have clear accountability and documented procedures.

2. Prepare for the worst

The Christchurch earthquakes hit unexpectedly. Businesses have been destroyed by fires in just minutes, wiping out servers and all on-site data. Recent global events have shown us that supply chain disruptions, cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, and natural disasters can compound each other. Anything could happen so overdoing your backups is far better than doing the bare minimum.

3. Back up regularly and keep multiple copies

Backups should be performed continuously throughout the day using modern real-time or near-real-time solutions. Keep multiple copies of your backup in different locations and on different platforms such as cloud storage, immutable backup solutions, and geographically separated data centres. The 3-2-1 rule still applies: three copies of your data, on two different media types, with one copy stored off-site.

We perform continuous data protection for our clients with recovery points available every few minutes.

4. Keep backups in a different location

There’s no point in keeping your backups in the same location as your business’ data if the disaster that you’re preparing for happens in your office. Cloud-based solutions offer the best protection, with data stored across multiple geographic regions. For sensitive legal and government data, ensure your provider offers data sovereignty options.

Our data is backed up across multiple data centres in both the North and South Islands, with all data remaining onshore in New Zealand to meet compliance requirements.

5. Check your processes and test recovery regularly

Backups are no good if they don’t work or you don’t know how to recover the information quickly. You should test your backup and recovery process regularly, including full disaster recovery scenarios. With increasing privacy and security requirements, ensure your recovery processes meet compliance standards.

Document this process thoroughly so you’re covered if your person responsible for backup and recovery is not available. Consider automation and self-service recovery options where appropriate.

At Resolve we perform comprehensive backup testing monthly and full disaster recovery testing quarterly.

6. If you don’t think you’ve got it right – just ask

By the time you realise your backups aren’t done properly it’s most likely too late – so while everything is performing as expected, why not get your backup strategy professionally reviewed?

We provide comprehensive backup and disaster recovery services using enterprise-grade cloud solutions that automatically protect all data with military-grade encryption, store multiple copies across New Zealand data centres, and offer rapid recovery options including instant virtual machine recovery.

Backups and a reliable recovery process could be the difference between your business carrying on as usual or completely folding – when modern backup solutions are so advanced and reliable, why wouldn’t you ensure you’re properly protected? Contact our team today to discuss how we can safeguard your critical business data.

Jessica Falconer
Director, Resolve Technology
When she’s not wrangling IT strategies, Jessica can be found wrangling labradoodles, teenagers, and parishioners — not necessarily in that order.