What is data backup and recovery?
Data backup and recovery is the process of copying (and archiving) your data and putting together secure systems in case of data corruption and deletion so that you can promptly recover your essential business documents. You can restore data only if you’ve taken the trouble to retain backup copies in the past.
Data backup, ultimately, is a type of disaster recovery plan for your business. Today, technological advancements like cloud storage let you backup large amounts of data automatically, making external storage like hard drives redundant.
Offsite servers vs. Independent drives
Offsite servers provide a secure place to store your important information at nominal prices. Plus, it’s better to take a precautionary measure now than pay a lump sum expenditure later in case of an information disaster. Another reason offsite servers are a dependable option is that even if they (offsite server) crash, they take measures further to back up your data into their drives.
On the flip side, you can use independent drives to back up data as well. Though they are comparatively cheaper than offsite servers, they are a short-term solution and cannot store as much. With these drives, all you have to do is plug it into your device and make a copy of your essential business documents.
Which option serves you better truly depends on the type of business you run. Note that offsite storage provides massive storage capabilities but at recurring payments. Whereas an independent drive has a single purchase cost with less storage.
Cloud backup and recovery
Cloud backup lets you strengthen your company’s data protection strategy since your primary data is sent over a public network to an offsite server. Generally, you’ll have to pay a basic fee depending on the number of users and bandwidth. It has been predicted that the cloud computing market will shoot up from USD 445.3 billion in 2021 to USD 947.3 billion by 2026.
You can either back up data directly to the cloud or to a third-party service provider. Additionally, a cloud-to-cloud backup option is available where your data is copied from one cloud (Microsoft Office and Google Workspace) to another.
Difference between backup and recovery
To put it simply, data backup involves copying original data in case of a database failure, whereas recovery is the process of restoring your database to its original form.
On the other hand, you can restore your database to its original state with a log-based recovery system. These logs have transaction records and are stored in the order of execution.
Importance of data backup and recovery
Storing copies of your data on another medium is an essential preventative measure for when your primary data fails. This medium could be as basic as a USB stick or as substantial as cloud storage. In case of weather-related events in your area, you can also store the data at remote locations.
These data failures could take place due to human errors, technological failures, corporate theft, malicious attacks, and so much more. You must make consistent data copies to reduce the total data lost when your system isn’t being backed up. In other words, don’t wait for months to take a backup, and remember to backup multiple copies of your data so that if a malicious attack does take place, you can restore your systems to a time where your data was clean.
Why is a data backup and disaster recovery plan essential for your business?
- Any organization can be a potential target:Be it a pet shop or a Fortune 500 company, all data can be exposed if not protected correctly. In recent years, corporate theft has been on the rise, and hackers will attack any business simply because they have the means. A robust system should be set in place, making data breaches impossible.
- Losing data is easy: Apart from natural disasters, human errors are a major reason why data is lost.
- Downtime results in reduced business: When your company has lost data, getting work done by employees proves to be a challenge. Without a recovery solution, you may have to rebuild your data stores from scratch, which is quite an ordeal.
- Your company’s reputation will take a hit:Both customer relationships and investors’ perceptions of your business will be tarnished. When they can’t trust you, they won’t give you access to their information.
The bottom line
Disaster recovery and backup go hand in hand. Unplanned data loss like technological failure, weather-related events, corporate theft, and human errors are inevitable somewhere down the road in your company’s journey. Taking precautionary measures and preparing for the worst-case scenarios will not only save money but will ensure your business bounces back to normalcy after a quick recovery.
