Data Backup and Recovery for Small Business: The Basics
Posted on Tue, Oct 25, 2011
Believe it or not, many businesses rely on manual, inefficient backup processes, and that’s if they even have one in the first place. Not only do these processes consume unnecessary and costly resources, but also introduce multiple points of failure and risk.
And in the day-to-day life of business, any point of failure in file recovery that could compromise your infrastructure or business health is not one worth taking.
Here are 5 basic tips to keep in mind when setting up your data backup and recovery plan:
- When You Launch Your Business, You Need A Business Continuity Plan
Establishing a business continuity plan should be on your business launch checklist. What will you do if the unforeseen happens? As soon as you start storing proprietary client or company information, you must ensure that you are responsibly protecting that information, and can recover it if something fails.
- Choose A Data Backup System That Grows With You
Whether you back up locally, on a cloud computing system, or through an offsite facility, you’ll need to find a backup solution that works best for you and your business. There are multiple benefits (and drawbacks) to each solution, so when researching file recovery and data backup systems, be sure to keep your long-term business strategy in mind. If the system you’re considering can scale easily based on your short and long-term needs, then that’s the one to select.
Another piece of advice when selecting a file recovery and data backup system – don’t rely on one method as your only failsafe. For example, if you choose to back up your data to a cloud-based system, use some other sort of local method (such as a USB hard drive) to save your most critical files, and store them in a safe place away from your office.
- Choosing What Data To Backup
The general rule of file recovery and data backup is to backup all of the information that you are legally required to keep or that is essential to running your business. Or better explained, ask yourself “What are the most critical applications and files that I need to run my business and keep my customers safe?” If you have multiple departments within your business, we also suggest asking them the same question – what files, applications, and data do they absolutely need, and what steps can they take to ensure the files are protected and recoverable?
Two more pieces of advice – if you run proprietary or ‘homegrown’ software applications for your business, or if you are legally required to keep the data for a certain period of time, without a doubt, back it up.
- Backup Daily
No, really, we mean daily. Whether it’s at night, during lunchtime, or whenever your network activity is low, take the time to back everything up. A network monitoring tool is a great way to help determine what your ideal time is to conduct safe and stress-free data backup processes.
- Check To Make Sure That Your Backup Is Working Properly
It seems silly, but it’s amazing how many small businesses conduct faulty data backup processes. If it’s unrealistic to check it daily, we recommend checking your backup logs at least every other month to ensure everything is working properly.
The bottom line is that you can never backup too much or too often. And although it might seem expensive to a small business that’s just starting out, just think of how much it’s going to cost you in the long run to restart your business from scratch.
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