Automated
backup programs, whether used to create local backups or copy data
offsite via high-speed Internet connections, greatly simplify
administrative tasks. Properly configured, automated backups --
including Remote Data Backups, Spare Backup, Dr. Backup, Yosemite Backup, Windows NT Backup, and Symantec/Veritas Backup Exec -- not only ease an administrator's workload but provide some peace of mind.
Eliminating
the daily pressure of having to manually back up an organization's
critical data opens valuable time that can be dedicated to other
responsibilities. However, it's possible to become overconfident in an
automated backup.
Alaska officials, for example, recently revealed
that a computer technician accidentally deleted data on a hard drive.
Seemingly no trouble, the case took a bad turn when, attempting to
recover the data from a backup tape, the state found the media
unreadable. Recovery costs are estimated to exceed $200,000.
Review the following 10 things to know about automated backup programs. They could save you and your organization from a similar nightmare.
#1 Tapes aren't trustworthy
It's
a sad truth. Many expensive tape backup systems fail when needed most.
What's worse, many tape failures are never caught. Whether it's a case
of a tape drive requiring cleaning or media failing over time, often
tape errors aren't caught until too late. Just ask Alaska's Department
of Revenue, whose $38 million oil account (including 800,000 electronic
images) had to be painstakingly rebuilt by more than 75 employees
because backup tapes proved unreadable.
#2 Tape maintenance is dicey
In
addition to tape drives and tapes themselves proving questionable, even
proper-operating media are only as good as the operator. Unless
administrators and others charged with rotating the actual tapes
complete the task on time using the correct media, tape backups can
prove worthless. Even veteran IT professionals occasionally insert the
wrong day's tape or confuse recovery sets. For this reason, it's
important that schedules and media are carefully monitored and tracked.
#3 Data locations change
Data
locations move and change over time. For example, an organization's
public relations files might originally be installed within a server
data folder labeled PR. Following an acquisition, a new storage strategy
might be implemented in which those same PR documents become part of a
Marketing folder. The same thing happens with databases, e-mail
accounts, user directories, departmental archives, and other data.
Unless backup operations are updated every time data storage locations
change, backups run the risk of missing critical data.
#4 Backup operations occasionally fail
Just
because a backup operation is scheduled does not mean that backup
procedure will complete. Electrical outages occur. Thunderstorms
intervene. Backup media fills. Backup drives get dirty. Systems freeze.
The list of elements that could derail a backup is unending. Thus, you
should never consider backups covered just because they've been
scheduled. Instead, make reviewing backup logs a daily routine. Better
yet, make restoring backups to test their efficacy a regular event.
#5 Backups back up bad data, too
When
backup operations complete properly, they tend to complete exactly as
programmed. Backups don't care if whole directories or partitions have
been deleted since the last time they ran; backups usually back up what
they're told to back up. For this reason, administrators should not
depend upon a single backup set. Users occasionally delete whole folders
and directories by mistake but sometimes require several days to
realize the error. If your organization is working with only a single
backup set updated daily, the likelihood of recovering the erroneously
deleted data decreases every day. Maintaining multiple backup sets (or
performing differential backups throughout the week) provides
organizations with additional options for recovering data.
#6 Databases and Exchange require TLC
Many
applications -- including those that depend on Microsoft SQL Server and
the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) to power their data --
store their most critical information within multiple database files.
Unless the complex instructions that link the information between those
databases in meaningful ways is also backed up, just having those
database files saved to a backup drive won't enable successful
restoration. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's backup guidelines when
working with such third-party software.
Exchange servers need
special treatment, too. E-mail servers require applications that can
perform online backups, as it's impractical to assume an organization
could down e-mail servers during specific windows daily just to complete
backup operations. Instead, organizations must ensure their backup
applications support online or active operations. In the case of
Microsoft's popular e-mail server, such programs are described as being
Exchange-aware.
#7 Some apps work better than others
Many
vendor promises amount to sweet nothings; not all products work as
promised. Some applications fail to back up all the files, folders, and
drives you specify. Others perform a differential backup even though you
called for an incremental. Still others fail to properly write data to
specific media or don't complete within reasonable timeframes.
Worse,
competition within the online backup space results in many providers
going out of business. Often firms go under with little notice and take
your data with them. So shop carefully when considering software
manufacturers and online providers. Reputation and reliability typically
outweigh cost savings when selecting a backup partner. Whenever
possible, don't forget it's a best practice to first test an application
before deploying within a production environment, too. Doing so helps
reveal anomalies and incompatibilities before damage can be done.
#8 Documentation is critical
The
best defense against data loss, and a crucial component of any disaster
recovery plan, is documentation. Only by documenting which systems are
backing up what data and when (and where that data is stored) can an
organization have confidence its critical data is properly protected. In
addition to tracking this information, documentation should provide
instructions for testing backups to ensure the backup sets enable proper
recovery.
#9 Proper backup strategies require regular reviews
Data
locations change. Often, documentation doesn't keep pace. As a result,
it's easy for an organization's backups to begin tracking the wrong
data. IT departments can help prevent disaster by scheduling regular
reviews of its backup strategy. Scheduling quarterly meetings to review
backup strategies can help ensure backup operations keep pace with
organizational changes.
#10 Security is easily overlooked
Once
data is committed to a backup, that does not mean the data's safe.There
is security to consider. Headlines are rife with stories of sensitive
data slipping from the hands of couriers or being misplaced or even
stolen. Since backups often contain confidential and protected
information, companies must take pains to protect not only the principal
data but the backups, too.
In fact, depending upon the industry
within which the organization operates, legislation may require special
steps be taken to protect backups from public release. When extending
backup and restoration privileges and handling backup media, be sure
that appropriate steps are taken to guard against unauthorized access.
For online backups, this means ensuring the provider supports 128-bit
encrypted data streams (and a separate encryption key for recovery).
13 comments → Automated Backup Programs: What you should know
Thanks so much for the information! I have been looking into coming up with a disaster recovery plan for my business. I believe it's better to be safe than sorry. Thanks for the post!
Backup software are computer programs used to perform backup; they create supplementary exact copies of files, databases or entire computers. These programs may later use the supplementary copies to restore the original contents in the event of data loss.
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