The Problem
The information stored on computer systems is probably the most valuable asset in any business. The true worth of this data is only obvious following a major hardware failure where data has been lost. For every hour that documents, files, databases or emails are unavailable, your business could be losing money.
All businesses have insurance policies that protect against fire, theft, illness and accidents and it is easy to have the same level of cover on the lifeblood of the business - the computer data.
Backups are effectively 'insurance' to protect the work carried out and stored on computers. Compared to the cost of recovering data from a damaged hard disk, the investment in running regular backups is minute and will make restarting your business following a system failure a fast and simple process.
To appreciate the full impact of, say a disk failure on your main server, consider your employees sitting at their desks on a Monday morning unable to read or send emails; create documents; process invoices or take payment for services. It's a frightening prospect and without backups the company is in real trouble. A data recovery specialist may be able to extract the data from the broken disk, but it will take time and the cost will be high.
Furthermore there is no guarantee that all the data will be recovered and time will have to be spent re-creating database records, documents etc.
Our solution
The threat of data loss due to system failure, fire, building damage, theft or any disaster can, be minimised by performing regular backups.
Traditionally backups were done by copying all of the critical files to a magnetic tape but today there are alternative methods including external disks and online backups. The method you chose will reflect the amount of data you need to copy.
Whatever method you decide to use, the main thing is to establish a backup policy that details the files that must be backed up and when the backup happens (e.g. daily, weekly or monthly).
Once the backup method has been chosen and the process regularly followed, it is then important to consider the risk of keeping the backup tapes/media in the building. Should the worst happen and you suffer a fire or storm damage in which the tapes are damaged as well as the computers, all the hard work of planning and implementing the backup plan will count for nothing.
To support the investment in the backup plan it is crucial to include offsite data storage. Offsite storage for media should be in a fireproof safe in a secure building.
The final stage of the plan must include testing of the backup to ensure it will work in the event of a disaster. An all too common mistake in business is failure to test back ups, finding only when trying to restore critical files that the backups have been failing for months and the tapes are years old or worse still blank.
Help is at hand
This may all seem like hard work but Teleostec can help you develop an appropriate backup and recovery plan. We will work with you to specify the data that is critical to the running of the business and formulate a plan that ensures:
- Critical business data is identified
- The backup media is specified
- Data is backed up on a regular schedule
- Backups are replicated at an offsite location
- The recovery procedure is clearly defined and has been tested
- Key staff are aware of the backup plan and are notified of problems
We also offer online backups where data is copied securely to our backup servers so you don't have to worry about doing them at all. The data is also replicated to a second secure site to guard against system failures at our primary site. This service is becoming increasingly popular and effective as more and more companies get broadband internet connections.
What to do Next?
If you would like to talk further about how Teleostec can help you with your backup procedures, please contact us.