Tag Archives: business continuity

Where Do I Put All of These Backups?

Data Backup, ,
No data is safe unless it exists in at least two different places, but should really be in three or four to be totally secure. But where should you store your data?

No data is safe unless it exists in at least two different places, but should really be in three or four to be totally secure. But where should you store your data?

Data Backup is one of the most important things a company can do with its data.  No data is safe unless it exists in at least two different places, and even then, it should really be in three or four places, especially if it’s more important than the janitor’s daily to-do list.  Data backup can get a little complicated though, because there are a number of different options, and it’s important to make use of at least a couple of them.  Here are a few of the options.

 

Local NAS Device

Most office networks run off of servers.  They’re what keeps everything connected and functioning.  They might run software the office uses, as well as several other tasks.  Often, these servers have large amounts of hard drive space.  This might be a great place to put a copy of all your important files, however, there is a better option.  NAS stands for network-attached storage.  A NAS device is a server, but it’s a server that’s been specifically built to store files.  It’s not meant to do anything else, like run programs or process data, but since it specializes in storing data, it’s a very efficient option.

Business Continuity Device

Business continuity is a concept that can save a company in a disaster, however, it must be planned before hand.  If a disaster were to strike, for example, destroying data or rendering it inaccessible, a business continuity plan, and the software and hardware that goes with it, can immediately begin functioning, which will allow the company to continue running while steps to complete recovery are taken.

Cloud Storage

The cloud is a surprisingly safe place to store important data.  Once you make sure you’re working with a trustworthy company, your data will usually be at least as secure as the data on your own servers.  And since data on the cloud is stored all over the country, this solves the “off-site copy” requirement of data safety.  It can also be a surprisingly inexpensive option.

Need some help backing up your data?  Contact us!  We can help you with data backup and other business technology and networking challenges.  We’re here for you.

Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR): Must have or Nice to have?

Data Backup, ,
For many industries, regulatory mandates make Backup Disaster Recovery a "must-have" rather than a "nice-to-have."

For many industries, regulatory mandates make Backup Disaster Recovery a “must-have” rather than a “nice-to-have.”

In today’s world of natural and manmade disasters and the increased level of cyber-attacks, informed business owners lean toward the “must have” side of the argument for data backup and choose to protect his or her business’s data. For some businesses; however, regulatory mandates make Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) a “must do” as part of its required Business Continuity Planning or Business Resumption Planning (BRP). Regardless of whether or not there is in place a mandate for your business to have – and periodically test – its BRP, the BDR process is a major component of that plan. In many cases, ironically, one of the least expensive components of a BRP is data recovery, yet nearly 30% of businesses surveyed in 2014 by Continuity Central reported they did not use a BDR process. Whether your business is large, medium or small, you have to ask yourself one thing, “Would it be easier and quicker to resume business as usual if I could recover my data or start from scratch?” If you don’t want to find out, perhaps you’re a candidate for implementing a BDR process. BDR processes have existed for decades. Gone – or fading rapidly – are the days when a business would use tapes to back up their data and ship them daily to offsite storage. Today, much of data backup resides on external drives, the Cloud and servers located offsite and easily retrieved without a visit to the offsite storage facility. Should the thought of setting up a BDR process bring images of servers, external drives or tedious tasks to mind, rest assured that data backup and recovery have come a long way in simplicity and convenience. SystemsNet can assist you in meeting your Backup Disaster Recovery needs when you contact us for a free consultation.

A Brief History of Disaster Recovery

Data Backup, , ,
Data storage and disaster recovery methods have evolved incredibly quickly since the floppy disks of the '70s

Data storage and disaster recovery methods have evolved incredibly quickly since the floppy disks of the ’70s

The first attempts at data disaster recovery actually took place during the Victorian era; that’s right, the mid-1800’s, a time when it was still common to have surgery sans anesthesia. A mathematician by the name of Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, a “programmable” machine often considered the first incidence of computing technology (it even had the equivalent of a whopping 16.7 kb storage capacity!). Its programs were punched onto rectangular cards, which happened to already be in use at the time for directing mechanical looms.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before one of the punch cards became damaged during handling. When it did, the need to recover the lost data programmed onto the damaged card became apparent; if the card is damaged, the program’s damaged. Hence, the first recorded attempt at disaster recovery.

Unfortunately, it was not successful.

Not a terribly wonderful start, but it was a beginning, nonetheless. Fast forward about a hundred years to 1942, and we witness the birth of ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer. Personal, however, it was not, weighing in at a monstrous 30-tons and containing over 20,000 vacuum tubes; it certainly earned its nickname, the “Giant Brain”. As for as ease-of-use, it took weeks to program it, using switches and plugboards. Hard drive data recovery was essentially nonexistent.

Progressively, it became clear that the limits of computing technology were intimately connected to storage methods and their abilities. Of course, the next logical step is to see that with changing and expanded storage capabilities, (not to mention the increasing ubiquitousness of computing technology in our lives) the need for effective data recovery methods would increase as well.

In an effort to answer that clarion call, IBM introduced the first magnetic tape drive vacuum column for data storage. Not only did this result in a decrease of lost data overall, but also made disaster recovery easier when it was necessary.

On the downhill slope of the twentieth century, a series of rapid innovations saw the parallel development of computing technology with storage methods. Floppy disks in the mid-70’s, which somehow seems oddly fitting; 1980 saw the advent of the first 5.25” HDD, along with the first Compact Disc (does anyone really call them that anymore?); flash memory was invented back in 1984, and the first Apple Macintosh went on sale; CD-ROM’s in 1985; the DVD in ’95; the Blu Ray in 2003; as we head into the 21st century, SSD, USB drives; and strides in mobile technology and the internet have been fertile ground in recent times for the development of “the cloud”.

It’s been said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This brief romp through the fascinating history of data storage, and its recovery when it meets with disaster, has a lesson to teach us. Today, data storage is more critical than ever. More of our lives and businesses have become reliant upon technology, which in turn, depends upon the integrity of that storage. When it fails, as it has in the past and inevitably will again, when that drive crashes or that online storage gets hacked, the vital question becomes, where do I turn to recover what’s been lost?

Contact us today for more information on how we can help you to reclaim your lost data, and the future of your business!