Category Archives: Data Backup

Change Your Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Habits

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disaster recovery, BDR, data backup, sensitive data, technology

Performing routine backups has gotten easier and affordable for the small business market

You can compare poor IT habits to weeds, they can pop up everywhere and you will have a challenging time getting rid of them. Bad IT habits especially increase in backup and disaster recovery. IT team members can pick up bad habits from their leaders and pass them down to other members of the team.

Since there are so many parts to keep up with and take care of, it is no surprise to us that many IT teams use processes that do not produce the results they are looking for. Let’s take a look at some Backup and Disaster Recovery habits that should be eliminated.

Complexity

Have you found yourself going through too many processes and solutions? If you have, you are definitely aware of how challenging and complex the task can be. You are not spending your time completing tasks that could benefit your business or organization. Instead, you are spending your time trying to ensure your backups are working, running tests on your devices, and trying to get your tools and equipment to work the way they were intended.

Even when you do make changes and eliminate some of your solutions, the chances are high that one of your solutions will require you to complete over five steps. One of the best ways for you to address this problem is to create a comprehensive solution that will allow you to recover data with only one click of the mouse. A one-click recovery system will also allow you to complete automated tests and other features that will no longer require you to spend hours on laborious tasks.

Uncertain Backups

Do you remember the time when your backups did not require you to have them encrypted? Today, there is always the risk of threats and attacks that could result in the retrieval of sensitive data. The threats and attacks are not slowing down, and this is one of the reasons why it is so important for you to encrypt your backups.

When your backups are encrypted, they will play a key role in the recovery of your data if you are involved in a malware or ransomware attack. When you take the necessary steps to ensure your backups are available, you will give your business operations a better chance of staying up without having to pay the attacker anything.

Your Disaster Recovery Plan is Obsolete

Do you have a documented plan that explains how the backup and disaster recovery plan will be carried out? When was the last time your plan was tested? If your backup and disaster recovery plan has not been tested recently and is outdated, that plan may no longer work for your current processes.

Processes and solutions are constantly changing, and it will not take much for your plan to become unusable. It is important to consistently conduct tests and risk assessments to ensure your plan will work. When you test your plan, you will also be able to identify any holes that need to be filled. One small hole that has not been filled can result in a major problem down the road.

Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) does not have to be a complex and laborious task, especially when you have the right processes and solutions. When you have the processes and solutions that fit your system, you will have the tools you need to expedite your recovery and reduce manual labor.

Are you ready to improve the performance of your infrastructure? Contact us today for more information on the importance of Backup Disaster Recovery and how you can implement the right plan for your operations.

What Will Be In Your Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Plan?

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Backup data recovery planning can avoid extra stress if disaster strikes.

As a business operator or business owner, you will have a long list of daily tasks that you are responsible for. The responsibilities you have will include your short-term goals and your long-term goals. One of the key responsibilities you will have to taken on as a business owner or operator will be the implementation of a Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) plan.

A BDR Plan: What Is It?

A backup and disaster recovery plan for your business is the set of procedures and protocols that you have established. These procedures and protocols have been put in place to protect the following:

  • Your employees
  • Clients/customers
  • Critical data
  • Your business’s infrastructure
  • Other key components that you will need to protect if a disaster strikes

Disasters can come in a variety of forms and sizes, such as weather-related disasters, equipment failures, cyber threats, and human errors. Any of these disasters can cause crucial disruptions in your business or organization. When you have a BDR plan in place you will give your business a better chance at surviving if a disaster does strike.

Unfortunately, over 50 percent of businesses and organizations that do suffer data losses will have to close their doors for good because they did not have a Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) in place, and they had no way to recover their data.

What Should I Include In My BDR Plan?

It is important to understand that putting an effective BDR plan together can take some time because it should be designed to focus on multiple areas of your business. Your Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) plan will also need to account for the various types of disasters that could strike and potentially end your business. Every Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) must contain key components in order for it to be a successful plan.

Key Components Of Your BDR Plan

During the creation of your Backup and Disaster Recovery plan, it is important to perform an assessment of your business and identify the key components of your business. They key components of your business should consist of everything your business needs to operate. The key components could include the following:

  • Business or organizational software
  • Systems databases
  • Employees

When you are able to identify and successfully plan for the safety and rebuilding of your business or organization, you will be able to quickly get your business or organization on the right track after a disaster takes place.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

If there is a potential for a disaster to strike, your BDR plan will need to include the roles and responsibilities of all of your employees. Everyone needs to be aware of what is expected of them before, during, and after a disaster.

Your BDR plan should provide all of your employees with a detailed outlook of their responsibilities so there will not be any confusion. Communication will be a critical factor during this time, and it is important to have a system in place that will allow everyone to communicate with one another.

Before your business or organization implements a BDR plan, your plan will need to be tested to ensure it will fulfill all of your needs after the disaster. When you test your plan and identify any problems, you should make the necessary adjustments.

If you need assistance in creating your Backup and Disaster Recovery plan, SystemsNet can help businesses and organizations like yours create, implement, and manage their BDR plan. For more information on Backup and Disaster Recovery strategies, please do not hesitate to contact us. Call us today at 888-676-1228  or complete the form so we can help you further.

6 Types of Backup Recovery Your Business Can Implement

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IT services, computers, computer backup, technology, data recovery

Data loss can be catastrophic to your business. Learn about the data recovery and backup options available today.

Backup recovery is an essential part of running a modern business. Today, we rely so much on our digitally stored data and the very computer systems that we work on that it’s not practical to fly without a backup recovery plan in place. Backups make it possible to restore from mistakes, from malfunctions, and from hacking attempts simultaneously, or whichever disaster comes first.

Whether your office is hit by a hurricane or a bad batch of ransomware, a good backup is the key to shaking off that setback and getting your team back on the grind with barely any interruption. Of course, not all backups are the same. What you choose to backup shows both your priorities and your versatility in restoring any data that is lost.

Let’s dive into the six primary types of backup you can take to aid in future data recovery efforts.

Key File Backups

The first and leanest way to make backups is to only create copies of your most important files. For some businesses, this is a practical approach. In fact, all businesses should have their key files backed up. Having just these files essentially at-the-ready ensures that anything from a data-entry error to a device disaster cannot lose more than a few days to a week of work, depending on how often you back up your key files.

Database Backups

Database backups tend to be quite large and need to be very effectively compressed to be practical. Database backups are also absolutely necessary if you have an active database that serves your website, your business venture, or both. Backing up the database can make it possible to completely restore all of your stored data, even if something corrupts your entire database or damages the host server. A database backup can keep a company afloat after a disaster and ensure that years of collected data are not lost.

Project Backups

Project backups are more selective and tend to focus around one person or team working on a shared project. Backing up a project has several useful purposes. If one team member accidentally changes or deletes an essential file, it can be restored from the latest active backup. If the project is damaged or even if you need to reset your project from a previous point for development reasons, you can restore your project from any recent backup.

Some active project backups take the form of “version control” which is a unique type of backup made for collaborative projects. It records each change made by each person, time-stamped and labeled so all changes can be reviewed and, if necessary, rolled back.

Personal Computer Backups

A personal computer backup is something you can help employees implement for themselves. This ensures that if anything like malware or a bad software update corrupts the device, that the device owner can restore almost everything about their computer from a recent backup. All personal files and installed programs should be included so that someone who needs their personal computer restored can jump right back into the saddle.

Workstation Reset Backups

Workstation backups are different from personal computer backups. A workstation, especially a hot-desk workstation, should not have any personal or even local files. Instead, a workstation backup is a save of a configuration. The software and the security settings are particularly important. With a complete workstation backup, restoring one of your hot-desks or even establishing a new workstation is a simple matter of loading the backup onto the computer. This is much easier than re-downloading, installing, and configuring each workstation when it needs to be built or reset.

Whole-Network Backups

Last but not least, there are backups for your entire network. A truly thorough backup can make it possible to restore your business network, local or cloud, with all the right settings. This is an ideal restoration plan for natural disasters, system-wide ransomware, and location-changes. If your business network, with all it’s custom configurations, is compromised then it could take months to re-establish. With the right backup, you won’t have to deal with setbacks and can quickly restore your computers from any known disaster type.

Contact us today to learn more about backups and disaster recovery plans. Our team can help and we look forward to meeting you.

Does Your Business or Organization Have A Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Plan?

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A backup disaster recovery plan can make all the difference if disaster strikes.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to remind business owners and IT managers that the greatest time to plan for natural disasters is before it actually happens and not during or after they happen. When you review your current plans and strategies, how prepared are you for another pandemic or natural disaster?

COVID-19 continues to be spread from person to person across various states, and states of emergency were already declared in multiple efforts to take on the terrible outbreak. As more decisions need to be made in regard to reopening’s and internal/external changes, now is a great time to pull out your plans and strategies and make the necessary changes to your Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) plan.

What is a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan?

A Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan is a system of processes and procedures that everyone in your workplace will need to follow if a disaster or pandemic strikes. Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan should be one of the keys to helping your business survive during some of the toughest times that life may throw at it.

Do You Have A Plan?

Unfortunately, the majority of small businesses and many mid-size and large businesses do not have an effective Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan. Unfortunately, over 90 percent of those businesses will not survive if an outbreak, pandemic, or disaster as powerful as COVID-19 strikes. When a business or organization experiences significant downtime, a business or organization can lose thousands of dollars every minute the business is not operating.

Would your business or organization live to operate during the next year if you are forced to close your doors again for a significant period of time? It does not matter what your level of business is and what industry you are a part of, there is always a chance disaster could strike and impact your place of business.

Prevention Is Key

Before you make any decisions related to your Backup and Disaster Recovery plan, it is important to perform a full risk assessment. When you perform a risk assessment, your results will provide you with the tools you need to prepare you for any type of disaster. When you perform a risk assessment, you should take the following steps:

  • Create an inventory list of your equipment, networks, and security features that are a part of your business
  • Create a list of anything that may be a security risk
  • Gain an understanding of how your systems work and if they are working properly
  • Determine if there is anything in your business infrastructure you may be missing

It does not matter what type of problem or disaster may strike your business, it is important to make sure communication is open and accepted. One person should not be in charge of everything because no one person will be able to help a business or organization recover from any type of problem or disaster. As you prepare your Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan, it is important to remember the importance of communication.

Everyone should be aware of whom they can call during the event of an emergency. How many of your employees will take on a lead role? How many communication channels will be available during an emergency? Everyone should be aware of when the Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan should be initiated, and they should be aware of their role.

If you are preparing to create an improved Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan or if you are creating a BDR plan for the first time, please feel free to contact us today for more information.