What happens to your data in the unexpected?
What would you do if you turned on your computer and found all your files erased? Would you be able to recreate all of that data from memory? Or do you have copies saved on another hard drive?
Backup systems safely store data from a designated timeframe if data is erased or compromised. It's a safeguard against total data loss, preventing severe financial loss.
WEBIT Services has helped clients in the Chicago area build IT strategies and safeguards for over 25 years.
By reading this article, you will learn about the different kinds of data backups, the risks they safeguard against, and how to create a data backup system.
Understanding Data Backups
Backups are snapshots of important pieces of data from a particular point in time. It's essentially a "photograph" of your data.
It's important to note that backups are not IT continuity. Continuity saves and restores data in real-time, while backups save data within a set timeframe.
For example, you may back up your system every 24 hours. Every day at 6:00 PM, all the data for the day is safely stored. If your system crashes the next day, you can restore the files from the last saved backup.
Types of Data Backups
Full Backups
Full backups save a copy of everything on your device. This kind of backup is incredibly detailed but takes significant time and space to create. As such, most organizations do not create full backups regularly.
Incremental Backups
These backups focus on saving only new files or changes since the last time you made a backup. Quick and efficient, they save space but may take a bit longer to restore.
Differential Backups
These backups keep all the changes since the last full system backup. They are faster to restore than incremental ones but require more space.
Image-Based Backups
Imagine taking a complete snapshot of your device – the apps, the system, everything. It's like having a spare copy of your device that you can bring back to life if something major goes wrong.
File-Based Backups
Unlike image-based backups, file-based backups only store individual files, not operating systems or programs. For instance, it will save a Microsoft Word document but not restore the Microsoft Word application.
Why Data Backups Matter: Risk Protection
Data backups may seem unnecessary until you’re faced with a deleted file. The data may be saved if the file can be manually replicated, but valuable time is lost recreating it. However, some data cannot be reproduced from memory. In that case, the data is lost forever unless you have a working backup.
So, how is data lost or damaged? We’ve collected a list of the most common threats to your data.
1. Hardware Failures
Devices eventually age and fail. They become unreliable. If your computer crashes or is damaged without data backups, all of the files saved on that hard drive are lost.
2. Cyberattacks
Computer viruses, malware, and ransomware can wreak havoc on IT systems and data. Backups act as a safety net, ensuring you have a clean copy to restore even if the digital villains strike.
3. Human Error
Human error should never be overlooked. Common human errors include accidentally deleting an important file, damaging a laptop, or unplugging a mission-critical device like a server. Backups act as an "undo" button for those oops moments, rescuing your data from potential loss.
4. Environmental Damages
Natural disasters like floods or fires can be devastating for our devices. Backups stored in a safe place, like the cloud or a second location, mean your digital memories survive even if your device doesn't.
How to Build a Backup System
1. Identify Mission-Critical Data
Identify your Very Important Files – the photos, documents, or applications you can't bear to lose. What information does your business need to function and accomplish its daily or long-term goals?
In addition, what files might you need to save due to IT compliance standards?
2. Decide Where to Store Your Backups
Choose a reliable place to store your backups.
Would you like to store it on-site (in your office) or off-site? Or maybe you’d like on-site storage and off-site. Storing backups in the cloud is also growing increasingly popular.
Your IT provider or IT team can help you select a data backup system and location that works best for your business and your budget.
3. Backup Schedule
Plan when your backups should happen.
Data backups occur on a recurring timer. For example, a company may create a backup every Tuesday at 6:00 PM. If their system crashes on Wednesday, they only lose one day of data. However, if it crashes on Monday, they’ve lost all the new data from the previous week after their data backup save point on Tuesday evening.
When determining your backup schedule, ask yourself the following questions:
How often do you want to back up your system? Do you want daily backups or weekly? Or do you want hourly backups?
How long do you need to keep the backups once they've been saved? For example, do you need access to three months or a year of backups? Five years? A week?
To determine how frequently you backup and how long to hold files, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much data can I afford to use?
- Will there be legal action if I lose this data?
- What are my industry's compliance standards, if it has any?
- What risk levelam I comfortable with? Am I more comfortable with higher risk (less frequent backups)? Or do I prefer low-risk (frequent backups)?
It's important to note that the more backups you need—the more frequently you need them saved and the longer you need to hold them—the more storage space you need.
4. Test Your Backups
Regularly check that your backup is working smoothly. Practice restoring a small portion of your data to ensure everything is working.
It's essential to have someone verify daily that data backups work correctly.
If you cannot open the files, that backup is corrupted. If your IT system crashes and the backup data is corrupted, you cannot restore your system or the file you need.
The only way to restore your system, data, or lost files is with uncorrupted data backups.
5. Secure Your Backups
Keep your backups under lock and key with robust passwords and secret codes. This ensures that only you have access to your digital vault.
Next Steps for Creating Data Backups
In the digital landscape, uncertainties are not a matter of if but when. Data backups help protect your information against the unexpected.
Data backups can restore information and digital systems in the case of IT disasters created by hardware failure, cyberattacks, human error, and natural disasters.
If you can erase your data and still function as a business, you don't need data backups. However, many companies heavily rely on data and, therefore, need a backup and recovery system.
In creating your backup and recovery system, you will need to ask the following questions:
- What data do I need to back up?
- Where will I keep the data?
- How often do I need to save the data?
- Who will maintain my backup system?
- How can I protect my backups?
If you're unsure how to answer these questions, consult your IT provider or internal IT team. They can help provide guidance and develop this system to help protect your data and prevent lost data and profits.
WEBIT Services has served hundreds of satisfied clients in the Chicago area for over 25 years.
If you are looking for a new IT provider or want to develop a backup and recovery system, schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how WEBIT Services can help.
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