How to back up company data correctly

When backing up data, ensure that risks are distributed.

The backup of data in companies must be well thought out. Dangers to data lurk in various places, and this is not to be taken lightly, especially for companies that have expensive and sensitive data on their computers. In many countries, companies are also required by law to take special security precautions.

One principle that is often given too little consideration is that data backup media that is available unprotected on the network can be attacked by hackers, disloyal employees or malware. In the worst case, such data can be deleted or spied on. The following solutions are available.

Use different RDX data carriers as backup media.

You can give each data carrier used the name "Backup" in Windows Explorer or use the name of the day of the week for which the data carrier is intended. You should change these data carriers every morning and place them in the safe so that the data carriers are securely locked. Only connect the data carriers to the server for the time of the data backup so that viruses and hackers cannot access the hard disk. Encrypt the backup data with a secure password that contains at least 8 characters, including different upper and lower case letters, and at least one number and one special character so that your data cannot be spied on. Be aware: Someone could steal your hard disk with the backup on it - whether in the office or on the road. An encrypted backup is therefore essential - especially if you are transporting these data carriers by public transport.

Create a NAS backup

Use a NAS (network-attached storage) as the destination for your backup or, alternatively, your own computer on the network that serves as a backup file server. Only access this data carrier via a protected Samba/UNC network path and only give access authorization to the user specifically designated for the data backup. It is best to add a $ sign to the share name for the network disk so that this share name remains hidden in the network and cannot be detected by anyone. Do not set up network drives for the backup disk, as this makes it easier for malware and hackers to use the disk for their own purposes. Therefore, only access the shared backup folder via UNC path. This means additional protection for your data with the NAS backup method.

To additionally store the data off-site,

mirror your data from the backup file server to a NAS at a second location. You can set up this NAS data backup on the remote NAS using VPN and a network share or using FTP access. If the data is not already encrypted, you should encrypt the data with a password that cannot be easily cracked, otherwise the data can be intercepted and intercepted during data transfer.

Check your backup regularly.

Do you still know the decryption password? Do the backup media work and can the data be restored from the backup media used? With a complete bit-by-bit backup check, you can test whether all data can be restored from the backup without any problems or where there may still be weak points.

Create a manual,

that provides information about who is responsible for data backup in the company. Describe the data backup and its verification processes. Another part of this data backup manual should describe the procedure in the event of data loss.