Mar 28

How NOT to celebrate World Backup Day: 3 data backup and recovery mistakes

Wednesday 28 Mar 2019

185,000,000 — that's the approx. number of Google results for the keyword ‘data backup and recovery’ and the number is only increasing.

Sadly, even with so much resource in hand, businesses are still vulnerable to data security threats. Ironically, the same businesses actively participate in World Backup Day.

T-Mobile is one of the biggest American telecom companies and has been a staunch advocate of highlighting the importance of World Backup Day. So it came as a shock when the telecom giant was hacked, affecting 2 million users across North America.

Businesses often think they are prepared for security threats because they have a cutting edge data backup and recovery system in place. That’s where the problem lies — a good system needs a good execution plan. If folks at T-Mobile had looked into their data backup and recovery plan, they would have realized their plan was a landmine of ‘mistakes’. They missed all the red flags because they didn’t know it existed in the first place.

You don't want to share the same fate on this World Backup Day, do you? Then avoid these three data backup and recovery mistakes.

1. Assume all BDR created are equal

Do not follow a ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to backup and disaster recovery (BDR). You’ll end up with a poorly fit solution that’s unable to fulfill your backup needs. Essentially, it’s a high investment with zero value offering, leading to a guaranteed system vulnerability.

Go back to the beginning and evaluate your BDR needs. Firstly, estimate the impact data loss can have on your business. Secondly, identify the critical data that will bear the maximum impact. Lastly, figure out the amount of critical data you can afford to lose in the event of a failure.

The findings provide answers to tough questions when choosing a data backup solution. For instance, if you wish to have greater control over critical data: on-premise would be a better fit than the cloud.

2. Choose backup without recovery

If a backup is a car, recovery is the tire. You can’t do one without the other. It can take hours to restore information without a data recovery solution.

Data recovery provides an extra layer of protection by recovering critical information that’s inaccessible due to software or hardware damage. That means you can run your business without interruptions even when systems fail — business continuity for sure.

Business continuity ensures business as usual, leaving out any surprises for customers. This reassures folks that your business can deal with a crisis which has a positive impact on their confidence, your revenue as well as the brand.

3. Stick with an obsolete BDR

Your relationship with data changes as your business evolves and that’s why you can’t use the same outdated backup software.

Revisit and update your data backup and recovery systems so it aligns with your current business goals. This involves reviewing storage, security, testing, and BDR policies. The best bit about an updated BDR system is that it protects your business from cyber attacks like ransomware.

Fight Ransomware with Pulseway

Pulseway has partnered with Unitrends to offer the best in class backup and recovery software. Pulseway Backup ensures complete endpoint protection against the rising tide of advanced threats.

Check out the webinar to see how Pulseway fights ransomware and ensure business continuity.