subject: Considerations in Common Backup Processes [print this page] Considerations in Common Backup Processes
There are many ways one can backup data and they all have positives and negatives. If you are using any of them then I applaud you as you are doing more than the majority of people and businesses out there are doing. So that's the first step. Do something. The next thing you should become aware of is the risks associated with using your chosen process. If you understand the risks at least you know what you're up against and where that process could fail. I never rely on one form of backup so I tend to recommend a combination of processes when consulting with clients. Do yourself a favor and consider that. I'm sure you have heard that you should always have a "Plan B" with anything. Backup is no different.
Few of us question the need for backing up our data. It is well known that 43% of all businesses who experience significant data loss never re-open and of those that do, only 51% survive an additional 2 years. Surprisingly, less than 1% of all SMBs have backup processes effective enough to recover or limit their liability and risk from business halting events. Conflictingly, 91% of them feel that they do have processes effective enough to protect them. How come there is such a discrepancy between those two percentages? This article will introduce some reasons why there may be a false sense of security within our business community.
For sake of simplicity, specific hardware and software will not be referenced. Let's start by separating backup strategies in terms of internal and external. Internal refers to what you do within the confines of your establishment whereas external refers to the opposite.
Internal Strategies
There are many ways of internally protecting your data. They all revolve around duplicating it from a source to some form of storage medium or device. The most common forms include the use of Optical Discs (CD/DVD), Magnetic Tapes and Hard Disks.
Optical Discs
Optical discs are relatively cheap and have the advantage of offering direct restoration to any computer equipped with a compatible reader. On the flip side, this media offers limited capacities, which make them impractical for use with large amounts of data. This could influence backup consistency due to increased labor as it cannot be done unattended which, supports the "putting it off until tomorrow" behavior. Additionally, this media is prone to environmental influences such as heat and physical damage, which present a storage issue. Some discs have been known to degrade and lose data within a moderately short period of time.
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape is the most widely used backup media but, the least dependable. They offer poor access times and are extremely prone to breakage, dust, heat, humidity, electromagnetic fields, and wear due to use. How they are stored and how often they are used must be considered so they remain effective. A similarity with old 3.5" floppy discs comes to mind. If you recall their continuing to work until one day they were inaccessible. Magnetic tape behaves very much the same way. Furthermore, tape backups are not inter-compatible with all tape readers, even from the same manufacturer. Ensure you have a spare, tested, identical reader should the original be involved in the event causing the loss.
Hard Disks
Reasonable prices and extended capacities have increased the popularity of hard disk storage. However, recent studies report an annualized failure rate of up to 8.6% and up to 15 times more than what vendor's claim. Consider that hard disks today store thousands of times more data than in the past and on smaller surfaces. It makes sense that their failure rate would follow suit.
Flash Memory
Known as USB, flash or jump drives, these devices have relatively low capacities but offer excellent portability and ease of use. However, their small size makes them prone to loss or theft which can expose the business to increased liability.
External Strategies
It doesn't matter how good your internal strategy is if backups are only kept onsite. I must stress this. You are accepting incredible risk by doing so. What use are backups that are destroyed in the same event that consumed the originals? Just look in any media source for evidence of these disasters, they happen more than you think. Protect yourself and insure your backups are always offsite!
The most important aspect of all external strategies is encryption. The loss or theft of any corporate data can bring your business to its knees. Proper encryption can make a loss a non-event! Non-compliance with privacy legislation such as HIPAA and PIPEDA can also lead to severe penalties. Consider the consequences of a public loss of data. Damages could include negative publicity and the loss of confidence with shareholder/clients to name a few. Identity theft and privacy are huge public concerns so encrypt to eliminate exposure!
Always store your data in an environment specifically designed to protect and support the longevity of electronic data, media and devices. As previously described, all storage media have their own inherent weaknesses that need consideration when used in any backup strategy. If you don't, your data may be unrecoverable when you need it.
Remote Backup Services
Automation, extreme flexibility and a set it and forget it ease of use. However, one should be concerned with if and how the data is encrypted in addition to how and where it is stored. The provider must not have access to the encryption key. Additionally, most remote backup services are impractical for large backups due to speed limitations by bandwidth for backup and even more critical, for restoration. Relying on a physical delivery component can make this problem worse. Use a service that can guarantee data delivery when you need it.
Conclusion
Always keep in mind that no strategy is complete without test restoring your data. This should be done routinely as it is one of the biggest mistakes a business can make. You may think you have a bulletproof plan only to find it's ineffective with meeting your needs at a critical time. Test, test and re-test, your business could depend on it!
Remember, no backup process is 100% effective. Ensure that you consider the risks you currently face and improve processes to limit your liability. Mixtures of internal and external strategies are required to do so. Employing this philosophy will put your business in the top less than 1% that have backup processes effective enough to recover or limit their liability and risk from business halting events.
