Disaster recovery is not something we like to think about often. Whilst it’s always good to hope for the best you also need to plan for the worst. It’s worth taking a few minutes to think about your business might get back on its feet when disaster strikes.
Here are 5 things to get you thinking:
1. USB back-ups are not enough
Your USB drive is the cheapest back-up option available but it’s doomed to fail. USB drives are OK for storing your movies and photos at home but they are not reliable enough to hold your critical business data. They are only good for storing your files and not your software programs and settings.
2. You need a business-grade backup solution
Your back-ups should be automated and they should not slow down your PC or server. They should back-up everything – including your files, software programs and settings. A business-grade backup program will take a “snapshot” of your system and let you recover it back to exactly the way it was. If disaster strikes then you won’t have to re-install windows or find your software CDs.
3. Consider your virtual machines
If you run virtual servers then it gets a little more complex. You need to be able to recover entire virtual machines as well as files, folders and granular application objects. Make sure you have the right software for the task because basic disaster recovery software may not do the trick.
4. Expect automation and speed
Backup should be automated and not something that requires your manual intervention. To speed things up your backup software should be capable of performing “incremental backups” (which means it backs up only those files that have changed) and “de-duplication” (which means it only backs up the same file once, even if multiple copies exist).
5. Speed of recovery is critical
You don’t want to wait hours to restore your system. You need software that helps you recover almost instantaneously. Backing up to the cloud is OK but unless you have a superfast connection (eg. NBN) then it will take too long to recover. In most cases we recommend maintaining a local backup but it depends on your individual circumstances.
If updating your back-up technology is something you’ve been putting off then drop us a line at [email protected] or give us a ring on 02 9386 2900