Sean Wallbridge
A lot of small businesses, regardless of whether they’re working with an outside IT provider or not, fall into the trap of thinking that their simple data backup plan is sufficient, even when it’s not. This makes everyone feel better for a while, but once the information is actually needed, they’re in for a rude awakening.
To be effective, your data backup and recovery plan needs:
To store files and data off site in case of damage to your facility. Let’s assume for a moment that you have a top-notch backup and recovery system, set up with the latest equipment and even double or triple redundancy. That’s a great start, but if it’s located somewhere in your office or facility, right next to your other technology, then it’s at risk of being lost.
The reason is simple: All it takes is one fire, flood, theft, or other unplanned event to wipe out your computer systems… and your backups right along with them. To be protected against this kind of surprisingly-common situation, you have to have a backup system that also stores your information in a different physical location than the rest of your technology.
To cover all the files and systems you would need to be up and running again. In many, many businesses that have simple backup and recovery systems in place, we find that what is being saved on a daily or weekly basis is information that the company considers "irreplaceable." Typically, that involves things like CRM databases, SharePoint!, billing records, and other files that need to be up to date.
This makes sense, but it isn’t comprehensive enough. That’s because, in most situations, what’s needed to get up and running again isn’t just the backed-up files, but also the applications – and in some cases hardware – that go along with them. In other words, what good is having your customer data if you don’t have the right programs to access it? itgroove can help you walk through the process of recovery to ensure that you have all the technology pieces you would need to restore your company’s systems in the least amount time.
To be tested from time to time to make sure recovery is possible. In the same way, lots of business owners and managers assume that they could restore their data and applications at any moment… right up until the time they actually try to do it. It is only then that they discover that the right files weren’t being saved, that the backup hardware wasn’t sufficient, or that there was another problem that prevents the system from being workable.
As an outsourced IT partner, we strive to never let this happen, because we know the importance of verifying and testing backup and recovery systems on a regular basis. However, only the customer will know what data matters most and how quickly they will need it. Don’t wait until you need your backups to see if they’re working – put them through rigorous testing on a regular basis.