Data Backup: Protecting your organisation against the unthinkable.

Introduction

As a business owner, Chief Executive, or Trustee, you’ve worked hard to grow your organisation. But what would happen if all of your data disappeared in an instant? What would you do if a hardware failure, a natural disaster, or a cyber attack wiped out your entire database? Would your business be able to recover?

Data loss is a real threat to businesses of all sizes, but it can be particularly devastating for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that may lack the resources to recover quickly. That’s why it’s critical to have a data backup plan in place. This article will discuss the importance of data backup, the 3-2-1 principle, and best practices for protecting your organisation against data loss.

The importance of Data Backup

Data is the lifeblood of modern organisations. Every day, your organisation generates data: customer information, financial records, employee files, and more. This data is essential to your organisation’s day-to-day operations, as well as its long-term success. Without it, your organisation would come to a standstill.

However, data loss can occur in many different ways. A hardware failure, a power outage, a natural disaster, or a cyber attack could all result in the loss of critical business data. Without a data backup plan, your organisation could be at risk of losing everything.

That’s why it’s essential to have a robust data backup plan in place. A data backup plan ensures your critical business data is copied and stored securely. With a backup, you can recover your data quickly and get your organisation up and running again after a data loss event.

Know where your data is stored.

The foundation of a backup policy is knowing precisely where all business data is stored. Engaging with staff during this process is essential as data can often be found in unexpected places, like user hard drives, memory sticks, or cloud storage services. Data must be strictly controlled and stored in known locations so you can ensure your backup policy incorporates all data the organisation owns.

The 3-2-1 Principle

When it comes to data backup, it’s essential to follow the 3-2-1 principle. The 3-2-1 principle is a best practice that ensures your data is backed up securely and can be restored quickly in the event of a data loss.

Here’s what the 3-2-1 principle entails:

Three copies of your data: You should always have at least three copies of your data. This includes the original data and two backups.

Two different storage media: Your backups should be stored on two different storage media. For example, you could have one backup stored on a hard drive and another on a cloud-based service.

One offsite backup: You should always have at least one backup stored offsite. This ensures your backups are protected in a natural disaster or other catastrophic events.

Following the 3-2-1 principle ensures that your data is backed up securely and can be restored quickly in the event of a data loss. By having multiple backups in multiple locations, you can ensure that your organisation can recover quickly after a data loss event.

Best Practices for Data Backup

In addition to following the 3-2-1 principle, there are other best practices you should follow to ensure your data backup plan is effective. Here are some of the best practices you should follow:

• Choose the right backup solution: There are many different backup solutions available, including cloud-based services, external hard drives, and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Choose the backup solution that best meets your organisation’s needs.
• Automate your backups: Manual backups are time-consuming and prone to error. Instead, automate your backups using backup software. This ensures that your backups are always up-to-date and accurate.
• Test your backups: It’s not enough to simply have backups. You need to test them regularly to ensure they can be restored after a data loss. Regular testing ensures that your backups are up-to-date and can be restored quickly.
• Use encryption: Encrypting your backups protects your data in transit and at rest. This is especially important if you’re storing backups offsite.

Examples of Data Backup in Action

Let’s take a look at some examples of data backup in action to see how it can protect your organisation against data loss.

Example 1: A Cyber Attack

Imagine that your organisation is the victim of a cyber attack. The attackers have encrypted all of your data, and you can no longer access any of your critical business files. If you don’t have a data backup plan in place, you could lose everything. However, if you’ve followed the 3-2-1 principle and have backups stored offsite, you can quickly restore your data and get your organisation up and running again. With a robust data backup plan, you can protect your organisation against the unthinkable.

Example 2: A Natural Disaster

Imagine that a flood or fire destroys your office and all of your hardware. If you don’t have backups stored offsite, you could lose all of your critical business data. However, if you’ve followed the 3-2-1 principle and have backups stored offsite, you can quickly restore your data and get your organisation up and running again. This is because your data is not stored in a single location and is safe from natural disasters that may occur at your primary location.

Example 3: Accidental Data Deletion

Imagine that an employee accidentally deletes an important file that your organisation needs. If you don’t have a backup of that file, you could lose critical information and potentially harm your organisation’s operations.

However, if you have automated backups in place and follow best practices for data backup, you can quickly restore the deleted file and minimise the impact on your organisation. This highlights the importance of not only having backups in place but also regularly testing them to ensure they can be restored when needed.

Conclusion

Data backup is critical to protecting your organisation against data loss. The most important role we undertake for clients. By following the 3-2-1 principle and best practices for data backup, you can ensure that your organisation’s critical data is protected during a disaster or cyber attack.

HB Tech will assess the most appropriate backup for your data, will automate and test your backups regularly. We will also assist in the creation of a disaster recovery plan to ensure that your organisation can quickly recover in the event of a data loss.

If you would like to discuss further, please get in touch.