Developing a Data Backup Plan

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Sometimes, businesses face significant problems because of data loss. Some companies go bankrupt after losing data. Companies should have the idea of essential components and what kind of data they can include in their backup plan.

It is always useful to back up your data in case you encounter any malware so you can quickly recover essential data. When you reserve your data, you capture all the data that is important to you. The recovery plan makes sure that you recover your data effectively.

Types of Backup:

Backups do not have a single type. It depends on what kind of backup you want for backing up data. Some businesses have some small backups and then the final one to keep files more secure. The type of backup also decides the storage. Each backup has a different storage space.

Storage size:

Usually, it is useful to back up every single file, in case you lose them, you could recover every single file. But if you can backup limited files, then it is necessary to back up the important ones.

Significance of data:

The data you want to backup, is it worth backing up? If not, then no need to use up the limited storage space.

Backup frequency:

If the data changes once a week then you should backup data once a week but if continuous changes are made, then it would be better to backup data every single time changes are made.

Recovery time:

Recovery time tells us how long it will take to recover data in case of data loss. If you need immediate data recovery, in that case, try backing up data to a virtual platform.

Security:

is the data secured and is accessible to only authorized people? Is confidential information regarding customers and business partners safe? It is essential to know who can access the backups so that unauthorized individuals won’t try to make changes in your backup.

Backup plan testing:

Backup testing is necessary to figure out if the backup plan is recovering data and how long it is taking to recover data. Backup testing should be done very often, especially when new data is backed up.

  • If businesses want to backup data for a short period, they should make three copies of the data they want to back up. Save two of the backups on different locations and the other backup offsite.
  • If businesses want to backup data for a more extended period, then they should consider a recovery plan to keep their confidential data secure for a long time.

Backup Checklist:

  • Every worker should understand the recovery plan to recover data in the time of need.
  • A copy of the backup plan should be kept offsite.
  • List of devices that require backup.
  • The schedule of backup should be followed.
  • Backup recovery should be tested.
  • Before disposal, backup data should be made unreadable.
  • Backup data should be made accessible to specific individuals.
  • Check the recovery plan from time to time to figure out if the new data is being backed up.