Implementing a Backup Backup and Business Recovery Plan

Sometimes things can go wrong, and when they do you need to have a backup and recovery plan.

If something should happen to the equipment in your facility, for example, it would be nice to know that you have that information stored elsewhere so you can pick up the work later without skipping a beat. A good backup and recovery strategy is important to ensure company-wide resilience and allow for steady productivity in the case of an unfortunate event, and it could be crucial in your time of desperation.

Creating a strategy right for you
Every company is different and has different needs for its information storage and recovery. The first step to developing or adapting a strategy is to take a look at what you specifically need and continue to monitor the situation to make optimizations.

Review your current strategy
First things first: you need to take a good hard look at what you’ve been doing already. Do you have a plan in place that needs a little tweaking, or are you starting with nothing, and not a trace of how to begin?

Let’s start here. What are your current backup procedures? How often do you perform data backups and what hardware and software do you use to do them? Have you tested or checked the information after a backup was completed? How much time do you need to be able to recover information after it’s been backed up? All of these questions will help you to see your needs when it comes to a new strategy. Of course, budget is an important thing to consider as well.

Use the 3-2-1 Rule
The 3-2-1 Rule is a popular strategy when it comes to data backup and recovery. It goes like this:

You should have three copies of your data at all times. One original file, and two backup files.

You should also have two different types of storage. Physical drives and cloud storage are examples of these storage types. When you have more variety in your storage format, you’re mitigating the chance of potential data loss.

Finally, you should have one copy of your data somewhere offsite. This reduces the chance of data loss, specifically in the instance of physical damage to your facility.

Perform regular checks
After your strategy has been put into place, you can’t just ride it and hope that everything will work out in the case of an emergency. Just like football practice or fire safety, it’s important to run drills to ensure the functionality of your new system. Run a backup, review the information that was stored, and check to see how long it takes to recover the information and begin to work with it again. If one day should arrive when you truly need to perform a recovery, you’ll be well-rehearsed and prepared for the worst.

Pick a data center to help manage your strategy
Also, be sure to consider a third-party vendor to manage your backup strategy. While it’s possible to have a safe-ish recovery system completely within the means of your own company, it’s safer to outsource the data management to another institution offsite. You’ll be glad you did it, should anything happen to your own space.

Opus Interactive’s tailored backup solutions
At Opus Interactive, we specialize in tailored backup and recovery solutions to keep your business up and running. Whether you’re a small business with instrumental digital records or a large business with many active users and information transfers, we can find the solution you need.

Are you in need of a backup plan or a revisit of your old strategy? Let us help you. Contact our team today so we can begin to learn the ins and outs of your business.