Local and Offsite Backup Automation
If you are still backing up to a local device like an external hard drive and then carrying it offsite as your “disaster recovery plan,” you will seriously consider reviewing your backup process. This process has several potential problems.
Some things to consider:
- Are you confirming that the backup ran adequately?
- Are you backing up to multiple devices and rotating them?
- Are you getting all the files that you need to recover? You may significantly slow down returning to full operations if you do not capture application settings that are often embedded into the operating system.
- Are you regularly getting this appliance off-site routinely? Have you considered how much information will be lost over a week if you carry off-site weekly?
- Ransomware has changed the rules on backups. If your external backup hard drive stays plugged in and you become infected with ransomware, it will find that device and encrypt all those files along with everything else. Now you will need to go back to one of the other drives that you rotate through for recovery.
If you do not have a backup, you are putting your business at risk, especially if disaster strikes. If you get ransomware and do not have a backup, you will have no other option than to pay.
The ideal backup solution has three components:
- Backups are taken throughout the day so that a server crash or infection at 2:00 PM only loses part of a day’s worth of data, not everything since last night.
- Current data is available on-premise so that restoring can be quick and painless.
- It is essential that this local copy is not visible to ransomware or encrypted along with everything else. If you only have backups off-site, you must pull a file from an off-site location that can take a long time if it is large. By having a local copy of your data, you can restore it quickly.
- Offsite backups for disaster recovery. Your building is likely to be unusable for several days or longer in a disaster, but your data can be shipped to you on an appliance that will allow you to recover to new equipment and bring your data back.
Total Computer Solutions has multiple backup solutions, and we are confident that one is right for you and your business.
Today, please call us for a no-obligation analysis of your backup needs at 336-804-8449 or fill out the form here to be contacted by one of our representatives.