Keeping backup simple – but it is never boring

Backing up your business data is one of those critical tasks that has always been hidden away, taken for granted and a lot of the time, well … seen as boring. We all know it needs done and we all assume it works, but what if that critical information hasn’t backed up correctly or has suffered data corruption!  Or what if that data isn’t backed up in the way you think it is, many users assume that all Office 365 data will be backed up by Microsoft, but that really isn’t the case. 

Now, that we all have much more data that’s stored in many more places and spaces, it really is time that you had a data backup plan that includes testing and recovery giving you confidence that you can restore back to normal operations during a crisis.  

So here is our basic 3 step guide on what you need to consider:   

Data loss – the easiest and scariest one to get our heads around. Imagine coming in one morning to find that all the files, projects, and folders you and your customers have worked and relied on forever were gone! It could be a simple error, fire or flood in the server room, or someone deleting a drive they shouldn’t have. It could be hardware failure on that trusted server or laptop that you’ve piled all your data on since back in the day.   

Or it could be something more malicious where someone has deliberately gained access to your systems and has now encrypted all your data and locked you out of it. The UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 has found that 39% of UK businesses have identified cyber-attacks in each of the last 2 years.  

Lots of data – the macro information tells us that we are all creating and storing 30 times more business data than we did 10 years ago. That’s across all we do and all the devices we have, as well as all those emailed files, the ones sitting in Teams, those on your file servers and your CRM systems – and the ones you’ve downloaded to your laptop to work on the train – just in case.  

Any way you want to measure it - there is more data, and more sensitive data, in more places than ever before, and you are paying for it to be there.  

Recovery – sometimes the forgotten cousin of backup, but mastering recovery of your data needs to be at the core of your business planning with monthly testing. When you need to rely on your backup data, you should be in control of it, understand the process and time it takes to get back what you need for whatever large, or small, reason so that you can set expectations for yourself, the business, and others.  

The impact of the lockdown and forced home working was equal for everyone – so we were all more forgiving and understanding of delays and interruptions as we were all in the same boat. However, would the same level of tolerance apply now if you had an issue preventing you from delivering or servicing your customers due to data loss? 

Any one of these points should give you a nudge to prove to yourself that you know how you back up your data, where it’s stored and how it’s recovered – of course there’s many other drivers – if you’re unsure, then that should be enough for you to get in touch and find out how we can help you.