Tip of the Week: 2 Crucial Qualities Every Data Backup Solution Must Have

Business owners have many important decisions they must make pertaining to the continuation of their organization. Securing their company’s data may come off as yet another item on a to-do list, but, due to the critical role data plays in the day-to-day operations, this task should be a high priority for every modern business. Raising awareness of this critical issue is precisely why March 31st is World Backup Day!

How does one go about securing their company’s data? Here are some data backup features that any business owner who’s serious about safeguarding their data will want to implement, and soon.

Redundancy
When most business owners think of redundancy, inefficient operations and poor coordination come to mind. However, redundancy in regards to backing up your data is to be desired. In a worst-case scenario, a disaster comes along and eliminates both your data and your backed up data. In a realistic scenario such as this, you’re going to breathe a big sigh of relief if you have another copy of your backed up data to fall back on. This is a classic case of how redundancy can save the day.

Essentially, the more redundant your data backup solution is, the better. Think for a moment of your current data backup solution. What would happen if a disaster like a fire or earthquake leveled your office building? If copies of your backed up data were in the same location as the charred remains of your server unit, then you’d be up the creek without a paddle. However, if your files were redundantly backed up to the cloud, then your business would have a fighting chance of seeing another day.

Reliability
It’s one thing to backup your data, and if you’re doing this then you’ve taken one big step in the right direction. However, recovering your data is a completely different-yet-equally-important aspect of business continuity. For example, if it takes you longer than you anticipated to recover your backed up files, then you just experienced a significant amount of downtown. When it comes to business continuity, there are two variables that affect data recovery. They are:

• Recovery point objective (RPO): the point where data is restored and operations return to normal.
• Recovery time objective (RTO): the amount of time that you have to restore your data before downtime begins to ruin the business’s ability to meet its financial requirements.

What are Your Options?
For enterprises looking to backup their data, they often have two options. The first data backup option is tape. Tape backup has served the business world well for decades, but its usefulness is now surpassed by newer solutions that utilize cloud computing. In regards to the two aforementioned features (redundancy and reliability), tape backup requires you to store physical copies of the backed up data, which most businesses keep on premise. And in regards to reliability, restoring a tape backup can take several hours, compared to mere minutes of restoring data via the second option, a Backup and Disaster Recovery solution.

Network Solutions Unlimited can equip your business with a BDR solution. In addition to being reliable and redundant, BDR can serve as a temporary server if something were to happen to your current unit. Plus, the whole data backup process is a totally automated process, which means that you don’t have to manually swap out tapes on a daily basis (or pay someone to).

Going with BDR for your data backup needs is one of the easiest choices you can make to ensure the longevity of your company. Call us today at (217) 428-6449 to learn more.