The Principles of Testing Your Backups

Backup and Recovery, data recovery, Local Backups, testing backup, ,
26
Dec 2017

A backup can be the difference between your business trading and not trading, but it’s crucial that you test your backup to make sure it works.It’s nice to have the safety net of a backup to keep your data close at hand in the case of a data emergency, but this alone can’t be a guarantee that it’s safe and recoverable. And that’s why I would always recommend that you test your backup to help make your restoration as seamless as possible.

Understanding what to test and what to look for is vital when it comes to safeguarding the data in your backup, so I’m going to take you through some of the most basic checks.

Putting Your Backup Under the Microscope

What are the most important factors to take into account when testing your backup? Well, you can’t go wrong with the following:

  • Restore to multiple locations – A common mistake made with restoring backups is to only test them on the intended server or PC that they will be restored to. However, in the case of a data emergency can you honestly know for sure that specific servers or PCs will still be working? It’s possible for hackers to destroy servers, so it’s important that backup solutions are available e.g. laptops and temporary servers. Make sure that backups to these locations are tested as there could be compatibility issues behind them that need eliminating.
  • Scan the restored directories – It’s highly important that you monitor exactly what gets restored during your test backups. Remember, unless you investigate the contents of a folder then you can’t know for sure exactly what is in there. This may sound labor intensive, but once you’ve tested your backup and confirmed that entire directories are being restored, there’s less need to worry.
  • Don’t Just Test Once – Your network’s properties can change on a daily basis, so – although it’s not essential to test on a daily basis – you want to make sure that regular tests are carried out over the course of each month to ensure that factors such as software updates and configuration changes are taken into account. By regularly testing your restore, you’re minimizing the room for errors when your data is restored.
  • Test ALL your applications – Your organization’s IT continuity relies heavily on the ability to have access to all your applications, so it’s essential that you make sure all of these work following a restore. After all, whilst having access to your databases will be highly beneficial, if you’re unable to access your email server then you’re going to face all manner of communication issues.
  • Safeguarding your restore process – Your backup may be capable of fully restoring all your data and ensuring that your organization can continue to operate, but what if your restore software doesn’t work or the procedures aren’t understood? This can present a severe problem, so make sure that you keep install disks of your restore software and, whilst testing, make sure you document the entire process as this knowledge can easily be lost.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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What Is Flat Backup and How Can It Benefit Your Data?

Backup and Recovery, data recovery, flat backup, ,
21
Dec 2017

There’s a new kid in town when it comes to data storage and it’s called flat backup, but it’s so new that not many people are aware of its benefits.

We’re all used to local backups and the popularity of cloud backups has skyrocketed over the last couple of years, but the data storage industry is now so huge that it’s constantly looking to improve and raise the bar. No form of backup, of course, will ever be perfect but the developers behind flat backup believe that they can eradicate some of the common problems associated with the current backup methods.

To help you understand exactly what flat backup is and what it can do for your organization, I’m going to shine the spotlight on this exciting development.

The Concept Behind Flat Backup

The backbone of flat backups is provided by snapshots of your data which copy the entire status of your data at any given moment. This sounds fine in principle, but how does this differ from any other form of backup? Well, with local and cloud backups, if you want to create a new backup you have to go through the process of creating a whole new backup, but a flat backup simply updates the existing backup. Changes to the data and any deletions are quickly flagged in the snapshot, so there’s no need to create a series of duplicate backups to highlight any changes.

These snapshots can then be stored and, if required, simply mounted to the application which requires data to be restored. There are no format changes required, simply a seamless transition of data. Flat backups, however, come with many more benefits which could encourage significant changes to your organization’s backup practices.

Flat Backup Benefits

The new approach of flat backups can deliver the following benefits:

  • Reduced Storage Space– The need for only one snapshot per application not only simplifies matters, but it will also lead to a dramatic reduction in storage space required for your organization. And, with this reduction in digital real estate needed, you’ll find that you start making savings as storage media can be downgraded.
  • Quicker Restores– One of the major problems with traditional backups is that restoring the data can be a time consuming affair. With flat backups, however, the recovery process can be implemented almost instantly which ensures your organization can get back to its normal operations as quickly as possible following a data disaster.
  • No Impact on Application Performance – Snapshots don’t affect application performance as dramatically as traditional backup methods, so this opens up the possibility of carrying out more flat backups throughout the day (every minute if required). This approach allows your business to archive more and more incremental changes to your data and improve the amount of data that can be recovered.

Final Thoughts

Flat backup is still in its infancy – even more so than the recent phenomenon of cloud backups – but it represents an intriguing evolution of backup methods. As with all backup methods, though, flat backup doesn’t avoid the need for multiple storage locations – if your flat backup snapshots are only stored in one location then they are at risk of being completely lost. Nonetheless, flat backups are something to consider for the future.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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What Can a Cloud Backup Provide Your Organization?

Cloud, data recovery, ,
12
Dec 2017

cloud-computing-1990405_960_720

Cloud backups have rapidly become the market leader in terms of backing up data, but what exactly can a cloud backup system offer your organization?

You only have to take the briefest of looks at the IT press to see just how popular cloud backups are, they’re positioned as the future and they’re allowing us to do new things with our data. And it’s not without good reason, cloud backups are probably the most important evolution that data storage has ever seen.

No organization should be without a cloud backup as one of its storage options, so it’s time to understand exactly what it can provide for your business.

Backup_hero-970-80

Why You Need Your Data in the Cloud

There are a huge range of benefits on offer from cloud backups, so let’s concentrate on some of the most important:

  • Constant access to your data – As long as you have access to the internet, you will be able to connect to your cloud. And this means that even if you’re a remote worker in the middle of Europe, you’ll still have exactly the same access to the same files as your co-workers in New York. This accessibility can seriously improve your business as employees no longer have to face timely waits whilst files are emailed over and, even better, all the relevant files can be accessed at any time of the day.
  • Energy Efficient – We live in an age where being green is highly important for both the planet and an organization’s public perception. And, thanks to cloud backup providers hosting multiple clients on their servers, everyone’s carbon footprint is seriously reduced by adopting cloud storage.
  • Offsite storage offers enhanced protection – Storing every copy of your organization’s files on site certainly provides quick access and can facilitate a quick restore in the case of a data emergency, but what if a different type of emergency hits your organization? Natural disasters can absolutely obliterate physical data sources, so keeping a backup off site – such as in a cloud system – provides you with an additional option for retaining and then restoring your data.
  • Cost and Space Savings – A cloud backup service reduces the need for your business to purchase and make room for physical storage systems. Almost all cloud backups go through a specialist provider who provides their own hardware offsite. Not only does this allow them to minimize their costs as they’re able to build a huge database of users who are renting their space, but they’re able to pass these cost savings onto your tariffs. And that’s one of the most attractive benefits of cloud storage.
  • Reduces Your IT Worries – Running a business is a highly difficult and time consuming cost, so having to worry about your storage capabilities is something you could really do without. With the explosion in cloud service providers ready and willing to provide offsite storage, this is a task that you can ship out to a third party and allow yourself to concentrate on making your business as successful as possible.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Essential Local Backup Checklist

Backup and Recovery, data recovery, Local Backups, ,
05
Dec 2017

localbackup

Local backups are fantastic for ensuring backed up data is kept close to hand, but to make sure the most crucial data is there you need a good checklist.

You see, as with all backups, preparation is essential to ensure your local backup can help keep your organization functioning in the case of a data emergency. A good checklist avoids any disasters by making sure the right data is available and ready, but with so much data where do you start?

Well, let’s get started by showing you the essential points you need on your checklist.

Checklist

  • Up to Date? Whilst it’s important to have data available which goes back months (or even years in some cases), it’s just as vital that current documents are also backed up. Therefore, pick a document at random from your ‘Recent Documents’ history and verify that this document is available in your local backup – the last thing you want in the case of a data disaster is to have all of your most pressing work missing. 
  • How Many Versions? One version of a backed up document is great, but what’s even better is to have multiple versions of the same document backed up. Changes can be made to documents used over a long period of time and it’s always useful to keep the changes recorded in case of future queries. Keeping an archive of your local backups is important as it allows you to verify any changes that have been made when, in the case of data loss, this may be incredibly difficult to trace. 
  • Is Your Data Easily Accessible? A local backup provides quick access to your data when you need it most, but this is only of use if you know you have the facility to access it. For example, if your entire network goes down, do you know that you can access it with technology not connected to your network? It’s easy for data to be protected and not work on every backup laptop/PC so make sure you regularly check your backup technology to check it can read your optical drives and run any flash drives you use for storing data. 
  • Does the Recovery Process Work? As well as regularly checking that your backup hardware works, you also want to make sure that the recovery process works. Factor in a weekly check of your recovery process to confirm that folders can be rebuilt and files accessed with no problems. Eliminating any issues that could possibly occur when restoring your data will reduce the downtime your organization faces. 
  • Have You Automated What You Can? The nature of a local backup means that you can’t necessarily automate all aspects of your backup e.g. backing up data to a DVD requires plenty of human interaction. However, not only can you set yourself plenty of automatic reminders on your computer, you can also automate backups to external hard drives which are connected to your network. 

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Never Forget These Business IT Continuity Basics

Backup and Recovery, IT Continuity, IT Plan, ,
28
Nov 2017

businesscontinuity

Any organization worth their weight in gold will have a business IT continuity in place, but will it have taken care of all the basics that are required?

It’s crucial that your business IT continuity plan addresses these basics or you’ll discover – when it’s far too late – that it’s not possible to get your business back on track as effectively or quickly as you could have. And, often, these basics are so simple that you’ll be kicking yourself that they weren’t covered in the first place.

Now, the last thing we want is for your business to go offline for longer than necessary, so we’re going to share some simple, but effective tips to make sure your IT continuity has a strong foundation and can get you up and running as quickly as possible.

network

  • Research and Prepare: If you want your IT continuity to be implemented as smoothly as possible then it’s essential that you plan, plan and plan some more. You need to understand exactly what your IT operations are and how they rank in importance to get a better picture of how your organization uses its technology. To achieve this, you must regularly liaise with department heads to discuss their needs and then link these all together to produce a plan which ensures the business as a whole can get back online as soon as possible.

 

  • Regularly Test Your Plan: You would be surprised by just how many organizations fail to test their IT continuity plan. And the potential for disaster is greatly increased when you neglect testing your plan. You see, no IT continuity plan is perfect, so it needs regularly testing to iron out any creases and maximize its speed and efficiency. Once you know that it’s as perfect as it can be, you’ll find that you can sleep a whole lot easier.

 

  • Responsibility Needs Identifying: In the case of an IT disaster, it’s common for panic to spread throughout a business. As a result, it’s vital that those in charge of implementing an IT continuity plan can be identified quickly. Creating a responsibility chart should allow your organization to see who is in charge of what when it comes to an IT disaster, so make sure this has been circulated to all staff. And you must ensure that paper copies are also available as an IT disaster means no access to PowerPoint!

 

  • Align Technology Accordingly: Downtime is inevitable in all IT disasters, but the ability to minimize this can depend on the technology at your disposal. Larger organizations are likely to have more complex IT capabilities and, as such, the time required to rebuild this will be greater than a smaller organization. And the power of your backup technology can make a real difference in the speed that an IT continuity plan can be executed and completed. Therefore, it’s crucial that you understand the time taken to restore your IT capabilities and the technology which can achieve this most quickly.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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