It’s World Backup Day!
Unlike other annual events that allow us to indulge in a pumpkin spice latte or receive chocolates from an admirer, World Backup Day is a reminder for organizations and the technology professionals who work for them to reflect on the efficacy of their backup and recovery strategies. It’s never a bad time for some self-evaluation.
Sure, it may sound less exciting than searching for the hazelnut butter toffee in a box of mixed chocolates, but for nerds like me, the opportunity to reflect on my backup strategy is just as sweet.
5 Backup Must-Haves
Let’s make this easy! Here are the 5 checkboxes that every backup solution should tick:
- Immutable
This is just a fancy tech term for saying your snapshot data is locked down. There’s no chance of accidental or deliberate modifications to your snapshot backups. Your content stays safe and accessible, even if the worst happens and someone gains access to your system with stolen credentials. CTERA Vault is a perfect example. - Immediate
When you need your files back, don’t get caught waiting for a retrieval. Restoration should be instantaneous, full stop. The faster you get back to work, the better. - User Accessible
Users should be able to retrieve their own file versions without leaving Windows Explorer or having to install or learn a new tool. Plus, getting staff back to work faster by eliminating the wait for help-desk ticket response is an empowering win/win! - Continuous Automatic Backups
Forget complex data-backup schedules. Instead, just focus on retention. How long does your business need to keep snapshots and deleted data? Once you make that decision, go ahead and put your feet up because every time a user saves a file, boom, that’s another version secured… Job well done, IT! - Space Saving
You might have 100+ versions of a file, but you shouldn’t need to store it 100 times. Block-level changes ensure only the modified part is saved or updated since the last snapshotted version. Adding deduplication and compression and you’ve got yourself some ridiculously efficient snapshot retention!
What do all the above elements have in common?
Cost Savings
Needing less storage space for backups means fewer storage requirements, which translates into lower costs. Plus, when backup is integrated into the file system itself, there’s no separate systems to maintain and pay for. And don’t forget that the previously mentioned user-accessible snapshots have reduced help desk overhead. So, tuck a few of those bills back into your wallet.
Lastly, continuous backups provide you with more recent versions to restore, which means less lost work, and since the restore is immediate, you’re back to work faster than you can say “oops!”.
The Bottom Line of Backups
Just like the (now half-eaten) box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get when a data threat strikes. Backups are the foundation of your data protection strategy. Why not make them as effortless as they are resilient?
Nothing is more valuable than peace of mind, and from experience, few things are more satisfying that executing a well-built plan.
Thanks for stopping by, and may your backups ever be in your favor!
