Beyond Data Backup: Why You also Need Disaster Recovery

The search for the perfect way to handle a data loss disaster has led many businesses to implement data backup and disaster recovery solutions, but the most challenging part of doing so is finding a solution that can minimize data loss and recovery time. Furthermore, there’s a specific need to understand the difference between data backup and disaster recovery, as the two are certainly not the same thing.

The hard truth is that a quality business continuity plan requires both data backup and disaster recovery, but they’re two very different parts of a very important whole.

Defining Data Backup
When discussing data backup, it’s important to remember that we’re long past the days when businesses had to store their data on magnetic tape reels which had to be set automatically and took hours to restore. This kind of data backup practice had vast potential for user error, as the tapes had to be set before leaving the office. If someone forgot to take a data backup, an entire day’s work could have been lost.

But today’s modern data backup eliminates many of the inconsistencies and inefficiencies of tape backup. Taking digital backups of only the files that have been changed since the last backup taken, places much less stress on your business’s systems. Plus, digital files are easier to store, as they don’t take up valuable physical storage space, and can be stored in the cloud for easy access and restoration.

Defining Disaster Recovery
Data backup is the act of taking the backup, while disaster recovery is the act of restoring the backup to keep data loss to a minimum. In the past, a user would have to deploy a tape backup, which could take several hours to complete. Furthermore, if the tape backup were to be stored on-site, it could easily be destroyed by the same anomaly that took out the rest of the data infrastructure.

There are two major factors to take into account with backup and disaster recovery: RTO (recovery time objective) and RPO (recovery point objective). The recovery point objective is handled by the backup solution, as it will control to which point you can restore data. The recovery time objective, on the other hand, is disaster recovery’s domain, and should be defined as the amount of time you want to take to restore your system infrastructure. Ideally, you want a solution that’s designed to automatically recover your data through the cloud in the event of downtime.

The big conundrum, therefore, isn’t which of the two is the most important; rather, it’s how you can implement both in a way which allows your business to grow without the threat of an impending data disaster looming over your head. You can’t have efficient disaster recovery without data backups, and your data backups are useless without a plan for disaster recovery.

So, what’s the SMB to do?

Network Solutions Unlimited offers what’s called a BDR device, which combines the efficiency of data backups with that of disaster recovery. The BDR is capable of taking multiple backups throughout the duration of the workday, and deliver them to your business’s infrastructure through the cloud. This type of data backup and disaster recovery model allows your business to get back in action as soon as possible with minimal data loss. By fully leveraging the power of modern technology solutions, your business can withstand any disaster, be it an electrical storm, flood, fire, hardware failure, or even user error.

To learn more about disaster recovery, data backup, or BDR solutions, reach out to Network Solutions Unlimited at (217) 428-6449.