Think of all the work that is produced in just one day at the office. Could you do business if all that history were wiped away?
Payroll, timesheets, documents, employee records, customer data, artwork files, email transcripts, images, video, scans of documents – the list is endless.
These things are also the heartbeat of any business. A good backup system is what every business needs to ensure continuity when things go wrong – from a disaster to virus to user error and everything in between.
Our job as your IT administrator is to make sure that backups are performed and that backup tapes are stored in a secure location.
Data backup is an insurance plan. Important files are accidentally deleted all the time. Mission-critical data can become corrupt. Natural disasters can leave your office in ruin. With a solid backup and recovery plan, you can recover from any of these. Without one, you’re left with nothing to fall back on.
We Create Custom Backup Plans
To create a custom plan for your business, we first need to discover and prioritize the following information:
What data is important, what data is not?
And for critical data, such as a database, you’ll want to have redundant backup sets that extend back for several backup periods. For less important data, such as daily user files, you won’t need such an elaborate backup plan, but you’ll need to back up the data regularly and ensure that the data can be recovered easily.
How often does data change and when?
If the data changes daily, it should be backed up daily.
Scheduling backups when system use is as low as possible will speed the backup process.
What data is important, what data is not?
And for critical data, such as a database, you’ll want to have redundant backup sets that extend back for several backup periods. For less important data, such as daily user files, you won’t need such an elaborate backup plan, but you’ll need to back up the data regularly and ensure that the data can be recovered easily.
How often does data change and when?
If the data changes daily, it should be backed up daily.
Scheduling backups when system use is as low as possible will speed the backup process.
How quickly do you need to recover data?
Some backups can be instant, others may take some time to download – especially if you have no internet connection.
Prioritizing the recovery plan helps determine where to store what data.
What backup equipment do you need?
You must have backup hardware to perform backups.
To perform timely backups, you may need several backup devices and several sets of backup media – either on-site, off-site, or in the Cloud.
How quickly do you need to recover data?
Some backups can be instant, others may take some time to download – especially if you have no internet connection.
Prioritizing the recovery plan helps determine where to store what data.
What backup equipment do you need?
You must have backup hardware to perform backups.
To perform timely backups, you may need several backup devices and several sets of backup media – either on-site, off-site, or in the Cloud.
Where should back up data be stored?
Storing copies of your back up off-site or in a remote location is essential to recovering your systems in the case of a natural disaster.
In your off-site storage location, you should also include copies of the software you may need to install to reestablish operational systems if not already in the Cloud.
Storing copies on-site or locally is helpful for a more rapid recovery.
Where should back up data be stored?
Storing copies of your back up off-site or in a remote location is essential to recovering your systems in the case of a natural disaster.
In your off-site storage location, you should also include copies of the software you may need to install to reestablish operational systems if not already in the Cloud.
Storing copies on-site or locally is helpful for a more rapid recovery.
Data Backup and Recovery
Think of all the work that is produced in just one day at the office. Could you do business if all that history were wiped away?
Payroll, timesheets, documents, employee records, customer data, artwork files, email transcripts, images, video, scans of documents – the list is endless. These things are also the heartbeat of any business. A good backup system is what every business needs to ensure continuity when things get go wrong – from a disaster to virus to user error and everything in between.
Our job as your IT administrator is to make sure that backups are performed and that backup tapes are stored in a secure location.
Data backup is an insurance plan. Important files are accidentally deleted all the time. Mission-critical data can become corrupt. Natural disasters can leave your office in ruin. With a solid backup and recovery plan, you can recover from any of these. Without one, you’re left with nothing to fall back on.
We Create Custom Backup Plans
To create a custom plan for your business, we first need to discover and prioritize the following information:
What data is important, what data is not?
And for critical data, such as a database, you’ll want to have redundant backup sets that extend back for several backup periods. For less important data, such as daily user files, you won’t need such an elaborate backup plan, but you’ll need to back up the data regularly and ensure that the data can be recovered easily.
How often does data change — and when?
If the data changes daily, it should be backed up daily.
Scheduling backups when system use is as low as possible will speed the backup process.
How quickly do you need to recover data?
Some backups can be instant, others may take some time to download – especially if you have no internet connection.
Prioritizing the recovery plan helps determine where to store what data.
What backup equipment do you need?
You must have backup hardware to perform backups.
To perform timely backups, you may need several backup devices and several sets of backup media – either on-site, off-site, or in the Cloud.
Where should back up data be stored?
Storing copies of your back up off-site or in a remote location is essential to recovering your systems in the case of a natural disaster. In your off-site storage location, you should also include copies of the software you may need to install to reestablish operational systems if not already in the Cloud. Storing copies on-site or locally is helpful for a more rapid recovery.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Most people think of hurricanes, floods, fire, and power failures. Still, disasters can occur in your own office in the form of viruses, end-user error, malicious intent, and server failure due to old/faulty equipment. Disasters come in all forms and are more common than you think. They can have a major impact on your business, so your critical data needs to be safeguarded. Business continuity enables you to recover entire systems and continue business as usual.
PCs and servers are the technological workhorses that your business relies on to operate. But there are also networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers, and wireless devices. The ability to run both office productivity and enterprise software are also critical. A plan should be in place so technology can be restored in time to meet the business’s needs.
We work with our clients to ensure your business will have a back up and a business continuity plan in place so technology can be restored and get back to business – staying in contact with clients and employees.
How can we help?
We make getting a back up easy and fast.
No matter what happens to your office, we have experience getting clients back up and running within minutes or hours. With the help of virtualization techniques, your data is easy to access and back up, even if your office is destroyed.
A back up is often saved in the cloud, maintaining and protecting key business data at an affordable cost.
But if you don’t have Internet access, that can be a problem.
We will find a solution for every scenario.
We offer proactive strategies to monitor and test backups.
Daily recovery tests and back up monitoring to ensure that every backup is performed correctly is always part of our planning.
Data encryption can also be implemented so your data is not accessible to anyone.
Off Site or Remote Back Up
Losing your files is easy to do.
Prepare for the inevitable ahead of time.
Whether it’s an accidental deletion, hard drive failure, or a disaster, the result is you want your data back. Even if you’re among the very few who diligently perform local backups, you could still lose data if you don’t store backups offsite.
Simply having local backups will not be enough to keep your business-critical data safe in a real disaster scenario when the internet is down, power it out, or local servers are destroyed. Offsite backup is a must-have for any complete business continuity plan.
Simply having local backups will not be enough to keep your business-critical data safe in a real disaster scenario when the internet is down, power it out, or local servers are destroyed. Offsite backup is a must-have for any complete business continuity plan.
Here’s why.
Online Cloud backup services scan your hard drive for files worthy of backing up, encrypt them for security, and send them up to the cloud, but you need internet access and power – two things that might be missing in a disaster. If you are only backing up to an external hard drive or an onsite local server, you’re missing an important part of your backup strategy. That system is vulnerable to human error, dysfunction, and disaster. An offsite backup is a copy of key files and folders kept in a separate physical location from your primary storage device. You need your files stored in at least two separate physical locations.
Advantages of Offsite Storage
You can access data from anywhere via the Internet or FTP.
Data will be preserved even if the physical business is destroyed.
Backup data can be shared with other remote locations.
We offer simplified offsite storage solutions for a remote back up.
- We provide access to private or shared direct-to-cloud servers based in Texas that require no hardware to purchase or upgrade.
- We check your offsite files regularly to make sure that the backups are completed consistently.
- If the offsite backup uses any type of physical media–data tape cartridges, hard drives or other devices–we closely inspect the media every 3-4 months to protect against oxide loss and other potential dangers that could lead to tape data corruption.
- Your data is stored in a consistent environment with a controlled temperature and relative humidity.
A good offsite back up is automatic, consistent and reliable. We provide it all.
- We offer a Texas-based location that is physically and technologically secure. Access is guarded under lock and key, with a security guard verifying and controlling access to trusted technicians.
- Our servers are just outside the Houston area which puts enough distance between our clients and their data, but close enough to access within a few hours.
- We offer verifiable and accessible systems with periodic testing of backup restores to ensure that the system works and your backup data can be reached quickly to recover when something happens to your main backup location.
On Site or Local Backup
Cloud storage may be the latest trend data back up, but what if the Internet down?
Just like any other technology, onsite, offsite, and cloud storage comes with advantages and disadvantages. Plus, every business is different. That is why we will create a series of backup systems designed to recover lost data specific to your priorities. There are both onsite and offsite backup options, and both have certain advantages and disadvantages.
The Advantages of an Onsite Storage Solution
Onsite storage stores data periodically on local or in-house storage devices, such as hard drives, DVDs, magnetic tapes, or CDs. Here are how it works and some advantages:
- Backup critical server data automatically to your designated local hardware.
- Copies backup to a secondary location for added protection.
- Allows you to restore data from any prior recovery point.
- Provides Immediate access to data.
- It is typically less expensive.
- Internet access is not needed to access the data stored locally.
However, in the event of a catastrophic event, onsite data storage can be destroyed, and in that case, the off-site backup systems are accessed.
Wright Business Technologies prioritize securing, protecting, and providing a secure backup of your data.
We will routinely perform preventive maintenance to ensure your backup systems are up and running and your information is accessible at all times.
The Impact of Lost Data
More Not So Fun Facts
- Only 6% of companies survive after suffering a catastrophic loss of data
- Of companies that suffer catastrophic data loss: 43% never reopen, and51% close within two years
- 30% value the data on their laptop or desktop at over $25, 000
- 30% of all businesses that have a major fire go out of business within a year
and 70% fail within five years - 96% of all business workstations are not being backed up
- 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more during a disaster,
filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster - The average cost of downtime per hour is $25,000 to $50,000+
- The toxic combination of lost productivity, unrecoverable digital assets, and lost consumer confidence can lead to thousands of dollars in losses.
Data Loss is a Big Deal
When an episode of data loss occurs, there are two outcomes: the data is recoverable or lost forever. With our robust backup solutions, permanent data loss is avoidable. Unfortunately, as the chart above shows, many businesses suffer permanently lost data loss – and this does not include data loss due to lost or stolen devices. The major costs of recovering data include lost productivity and the cost of retrieval.
Sources:
- The University of Texas, Survey of 250 companies on Data, 2011
- Ponemon, 2013
- Infrascale
- Boston Computing Network, Data Loss Statistics
- Why Disaster Recovery in the Cloud Should Be in Your Plans, International Data Group, 2015
- Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation
- National Archives & Records Administration in Washington