When was the last time you reviewed your backup solution? Maybe it was the last time you had to use it. But when was that? Did it work? Did you get your data back quickly? These are not the questions we are talking about today, but they do prompt the conversation. A backup of your data is crucial, but it is only valuable if it works, and works quickly. To guarantee your backup is fitting your company’s needs, consider the following questions:
What should be backed up?
In order to answer this question, you need to identify what data is critical and irreplaceable. If you lost all your data today, what would keep you from continuing to work? Anything that fits this description must be backed up. From there you can prioritize everything else that may be difficult, but not impossible to replace.
What is your backup schedule?
Similar to “what should be backed up,” how often data is backed up is extremely important. This is what is known as your Recovery Point Objective or RPO. In some cases, one day of lost data could be detrimental. At the very least you are losing productivity and money. Minimizing loss can save big in the long run. Consider backing up critical data daily or even hourly if necessary.
How quickly can you restore your data?
The most important consideration of a backup solution is downtime. A restoration process that takes weeks could be as harmful as not having a backup at all. How long can your business keep the doors open if all your data is lost? Not all backup solutions are created equal. The best solutions provide quick and easy restoration of your data. Eliminating downtime and all the expenses that follow.
Is your backup redundant?
Having an onsite backup of critical data will ensure control of your files as well as a quick restoration. But what if your office flooded and the server housing your backups was destroyed? Having an additional offsite backups provides security against backup corruption, failure, or physical catastrophe.
Is it a true BCDR solution?
If your backup solution does not combine Business Continuity with a Disaster Recovery plan, your solution is not true BCDR. A dependable backup solution is crucial to any almost every business. Consider it as an insurance policy that provides not only resiliency but peace of mind. We encourage you to review your backup solution annually. And remember, not all backup and data recovery solutions are the same. If you are looking for a scale to compare your solution against, consider Datto. A once enterprise level solution now available for businesses of any size. To learn more about Datto and what a true BCDR solution is, click here!