Backup strategies in the company: implementing a backup concept

If you want to implement a new backup strategy in your company, there are a few questions that need to be answered first.

You need to determine what data should be stored, for how long, and what amount of data loss would still be acceptable.

So, you start by taking stock of your data and prioritizing it by relevance.

It must also be clear what financial and legal consequences could arise in the worst-case scenario and which storage media are best suited for data backup. The decision depends primarily on the security classification of the data being used and to be backed up.

When selecting the appropriate storage technology, you should consider how long the information needs to be retained, the importance of visual readability, whether the data will need to be reproduced in other formats, how portable the storage medium is, and how much space it requires.

It is also necessary to determine how sensitive the medium is to external influences and what storage logic it follows. In other words, is it file system- or database-based, and how frequently can data sets be recorded at what storage capacity?

Of course, the price of the storage medium is also a decisive factor. The potential costs in the event of loss must be weighed against those that would be incurred for the backup strategy itself and for the storage of the media. A suitably secure location must be selected and designated for this purpose.

A cost-benefit analysis is always recommended in advance.

Here, you should keep the following rule of thumb in mind: High-value data and information should be backed up on particularly secure—and thus usually more expensive—storage media, while less important data can be stored on media with average security and therefore lower cost. In addition, it should be determined when and how often the relevant data must be available and how long access to the information may be denied at most, depending on the frequency of use of the data.

The data backup strategy regarding the type of backup must also be clearly defined:

• Should the backup be a full backup, an incremental backup, or a differential backup?
• How often should checks be performed in this context to verify the functionality of the backup media as well as the integrity and consistency of the data?
• One person in charge or several designated employees must be carefully selected and appointed to implement the agreed-upon processes. Their responsibility also includes staying informed about applicable legal regulations, as the backup strategy must comply with them.

Risks Associated with a Lack of a Backup Strategy

Many risks can threaten company data. In the event of a system crash, sabotage, hacker attacks, or virus or worm attacks, all data stored on the computer may be lost. Destructive environmental factors, such as lightning strikes, fire, or flooding, can also cause extensive data loss.

To protect against being rendered unable to operate as a result of such a loss, it is absolutely essential to create backups of the data worth protecting at regular intervals, which must be stored separately from the original information and protected as effectively as possible against the aforementioned threats. A threat analysis can determine in advance which data is particularly at risk and which types of damage are most likely to occur.

This allows data security to be enhanced in advance, for example, through the use of encryption software or firewall installations.

Storage management and the establishment of a suitable backup strategy for one’s own company have become a decisive factor in a company’s success.

A company that is forced to suspend or limit its operations—even if only temporarily—due to extensive data loss may lose not only the trust of its customers, suppliers, and employees but also its competitive position, not to mention the financial losses that such a loss entails.

Documenting the Backup Strategy in a Backup Plan

Once you have answered all these questions in light of your company’s specific circumstances, weighed the alternatives against one another, and evaluated the costs versus the benefits, it is time to document the formulated strategy in a backup plan.

Depending on the maximum downtime agreed upon, the financial resources available, and the frequency and volume of data changes, you will choose either a full backup, a differential backup, or an incremental backup.

While a full backup always backs up the entire system—that is, all data, current software versions, and the operating system in its current state—the differential and incremental methods only capture changes that have occurred in the meantime.

When performing a differential backup, the changes are saved relative to the last full backup, and all data states since the last full backup are included. When using an incremental backup, each data state is backed up separately until the next full backup.

Langmeier Backup: Is This the Right Solution for Your Business?

Are you looking for suitable backup solutions for your business? Langmeier Software offers a variety of backup solutions tailored to your needs. Back up your data quickly and easily to a secure external hard drive and use Langmeier’s software for RAID data backup, creating an IT backup copy, or performing a Microsoft backup.

To ensure long-term success, Langmeier always finds a suitable backup solution for small businesses, medium-sized companies, and even large corporations.