Contrary to popular belief, there is no “set it and forget it” when it comes to small business backup solutions. In fact, taking this approach could prove disastrous for your business.There have been countless stories of business owners who thought they were doing the right thing. After all, they bought X backup software and they ran it every night — like clockwork.But they didn’t foresee that storm that took out their server, that software update that failed, that glitch that made their files irretrievable — or maybe they simply didn’t have a plan for recovering the files they were backing up in the first place. And they all paid the price — losing years of records, just because they didn’t have a plan or they didn’t conduct regular tests to ensure that all was well in backup land.Don’t let this happen to you.
Remember: Backup and Disaster Recovery Are Not the Same Thing
When it comes to backup and disaster recovery, the first thing small businesses need to understand is that these are two different things. The routine backup you do every night might be a lifesaver if your laptop goes missing, but probably won’t do you any good after a thief robs your business and makes off with your entire server.
How to Turn Your Back Up Plan Into a Disaster Recover Plan:
1. Make sure you’re protecting more than just your data files.
Making an image of the disk drives in your computer and servers will enable you to restore them much faster.
2. Store your backup offsite.
There are hundreds of web-based backup vendors that have storage available for a minimal fee.
3. Test and test again.
We really can’t say this enough….test and retest. You need to make sure you’re able to recover your files and you need to make sure your staff knows what to do in case of emergency.
Making Sure Your Backup Plan is Foolproof
When it comes to routine backups, you can use a network backup service or perform your own backups to CD, DVD or external hard drive. Whatever method you choose, you’ll want to make sure it actually works and that it’s secure.Here are a few suggestions to help you along the way:
-Make sure any files that contain sensitive data are encrypted
-Keep extra backups in a second, secure off-site location
-Test your backups to make sure your files are retrievable
-Completely destroy any backups before discarding them
You don’t know what you don’t know
Often, when small business owners try to plan a backup or disaster recovery plan, they may not know the different technologies, methodologies or best practices that are available. The task of keeping up with technologies trends can be daunting.
That’s why many companies, especially small businesses, have decided to outsource these services to IT companies like UDT. Through Managed Services products like remote monitoring and management (RMM), your business would achieve “piece of mind” knowing that a backup and comprehensive disaster recovery plan is in place and monitored 24x7x365.
Looking for some small business backup solutions of your own? UDT is here to help. Contact us to get personalized support for all of your technology needs.
