Routine Backups Are Critical to Your Business
There is likely nothing more basic yet more important in information technology networks than a proper backup program being in place. Important data that is lost, stolen, or held for ransom can cripple an organization in an instant. That is why it is vital that managers ensure backups are in place and continually tested. You should be aware of your backup regimen.
Are you aware of the status of the “backup” of your data on your personal computer or on your organization’s network? In the IT world, folks talk of “backup and recovery.” In short, backup is the system (usually automated software programs) that create and store copies of data. This provides protection from data being lost, stolen, or encrypted by bad actors. Recovery from a backup is the process of restoring original, unencrypted data to its original or alternate location.
Data Can Be Lost or Ruined in Many Ways
This is important because data can be lost or ruined due to a variety of factors such as hardware or software failure, internal or external data corruption, malicious attacks via malware, viruses or social engineering and even accidental deletion of key data/information. In short, a backup allows data to be recovered and restored from an earlier point in time.
What Do IT Professionals Recommend for Backups?
IT professionals, such as the folks at IT Radix, typically recommend backups to be stored both locally (for ease/speed of recovery) as well as off site (either in the cloud or in another location). This ensures that whatever the cause for the data loss, a recovery can take place. They also advocate a retention plan that covers a wide range of data—more copies of more recent data, fewer of older data. That means the backup could include each daily backup from the last two weeks, but only a weekly backup of the previous four months. This reduces the need for huge storage of repetitive data that might be the same.
So, take this BEEP as a warning: Be sure your personal data on your own computer is backed up as well as ask those in your organization—both what is being backed up and how frequently.
IT Radix Has You Covered
You might decide that you need to take some action to get covered with a backup. A couple of our Managed Services Clients (who have IT Radix actively monitoring and backing up their networks) recently won IT Radix fleece blankets in our recent Backup Blanket Giveaway in celebration of World Backup Day (March 31). They literally got themselves “covered” with a backup! As we like to say, when it relates to backup… “We’ve Got You Covered.”
Learn more about how you too can be covered when it comes to IT backups and schedule a free consultation here.