Data is the most valuable asset in any business, it’s more valuable than gold. That’s why companies need to prioritise their data backup solution to ensure their business continuity.
There are countless ways you can lose data, like malware attacks, accidental deletion, damaged or stolen or lost devices, hard drive crashes, or system failures, to name a few. All of these can lead to irreversible data loss which will bring your business to its knees.
There are also many backup options available and it can be difficult to know which one best suits your business needs. In this blog, we’ll discuss the best backup solution for businesses to help you make the right decision.
A strict data backup strategy is a must
Key features that all backup strategies need is:
1. Regular backups
2. Backups on reliable media or cloud service
3. An offsite and onsite backup
What you will need to do is firstly decide the critical and sensitive data that needs to be backed up, the one that will cause your business to suffer if lost. And then implement a regular backup schedule for them.
Also, think about what data you will need to have constant and easy access to.
And lastly, remember to test your backups to avoid any complications in the future.
Which data backup solution is right for you?
Cloud storage
Cloud services have grown in popularity and for a good reason. They offer an ideal solution for small businesses that require an easy backup method. For a monthly subscription, you can quickly store all your files. However, they are vulnerable to data loss, so we advise that you also store data locally.
For best security:
- Use a strong password.
- Change it regularly.
- If possible, apply a multi-factor authentication
- Ensure that the stored data is encrypted.
USB Drives
They are constantly evolving, and their capacity is so great that it’s now perfect for quick data backups. USB drives provide a fast data transfer and are great for on-the-go. They are a great solution if your local disk does not have enough capacity. However, they are susceptible to damage and can easily be lost or stolen. Moreover, they are designed for recovering individual files or systems but not the best method for an entire business.
External hard drives
This may be a perfect solution for your SMB as they are affordable and easy to use. You simply plug in the hard drive to your computer’s USB port. It also comes with backup software. It’s close at hand meaning that you have access to your data at any time. To make the most out of this method it’s a good idea to storing selective data and saving storage space in the process. Since this is a separate storage unit, it’s vulnerable to damage.
Network Attached Storage (NAS)
This is a computer that is connected to a network and provides file-based data storage to other devices in the network. Once connected to your network and configured appropriately any device can access it as long as they have the proper login credentials. It’s basically like having your own private cloud storage, but with a much better performance. A great way to store all your business backups in one place. What’s amazing about this is that you can easily restore a file system or the entire data centre in the event of a malware attack or data corruption. These systems are flexible meaning that you can always get additional storage.
Storage Area Networks (SAN)
Similar to NAS as it’s designed to make stored data available to many users at once. However, this is a more expensive and complex option. Typically used by large corporations, it provides high-speed data access to hundreds of users at the same time. But it does require a separate private Ethernet network and administration by an IT staff, all of which can be expensive to maintain.
Which type of backup method?
Full backups
As the name suggests it’s the most comprehensive. All data and system backup is copied to another location.
It allows you to restore data quickly and it’s all available in one location. However, these backups can be painfully long to do since you are copying a lot of data.
Incremental backups
Only information that has changed since the last backup. Because only a small amount of data is being copied, you can carry out these backups as often as you like. They are fast and easy to carry out but they do have the slowest recovery time
Differential backups
Similar to incremental backup, this one also copies all the changed data. It provides a great way of backing up to the same convenient location all as new data. However, it does require a lot of time and space.
