Operational backup for businesses is very important because one system failure or cyberattack can wipe out all your important data. Many companies forget backups and face big losses later.
In this blog, you will learn why operational backup is critical for businesses, how it protects your data, and simple steps to make sure your business stays safe, runs smoothly, and avoids costly downtime.
What is Operational Backup?
First things first. You know your data, and you know what data you require. One thing your average employee will not think about while doing their job is what would happen to that job if their workstation – or your company’s server they save the data on – suddenly fails. They assume that you have that under control, no?
But, can you?
What certainty do you have that your workstations and servers are protected from unexpected power surges? How can you ensure that a component on your server does not simply go kaput and leave you scrambling for a contingency?
You cannot, which is why you need an operational backup strategy in place. Operational backup is about implementing incremental and differential backups to ensure that at the moment when something occurs – ranging from system failure to user error and everything in between – you have at least a copy of the data, the copy that is, at least, close to current.
Not only does this strategy speak to production data, but it can also save business communication, marketing data, you name it. A different business continuity strategy is decentralizing operations, making it a key part of any effective business continuity plan.
Why are Operational Backups So Important?
To understand why SMBs Must Converge on Digital Strategies, one needs to talk about the context where data restoration is most needed. We don’t have any statistics to fling at you, but you’d have to admit that human error is behind the majority of data restores.
Once we can agree on that point, it succinctly explains why operational backups are so critical. The time(s) when you are restoring data is not because a flood has washed away your entire server room, but when a member of your staff deletes a file, folder, or VM that they didn’t want to delete, and you need to restore it from backup.
Email, another vital aspect of your business, should be included in an operational backup plan. Many people use their email to keep important files, and it’s pretty normal to delete a message that you later find yourself needing. If you have an up-to-date email server backup, deleted messages can be restored promptly.
System settings (Active Directory or similar) are among the backup strategies of a healthy operating environment. Administrators feel some pressure regarding the 100 percent accuracy of this data, as it has an important effect on access control and security.
This is also why data may be removed and employees may be prevented from accessing particular things. Since Active Directory is such a mission-critical system, operational backups are required so the entire platform doesn’t have to be restored and reconfigured.
Key Benefits of Operational Backup for Businesses
Has it ever happened to you that you buy a new smartphone and can’t get your information onto it? It seems like the end of the world, doesn’t it? Now imagine losing your company’s data.
Backups are your best business friend when it comes to protecting yourself against system failures or cyber-attacks. What do you gain from this type of backup? Well, the first thing is that it considerably reduces downtime, since in the event of any eventuality, your data can be restored more quickly and, of course, we cannot ignore the level of protection it offers to your information in case of ransomware, being able to recover your information without having to pay any ransom.
Moreover, backups help comply with industry regulations that mandate secure data handling and retention. They also safeguard key business insights, customer information, and proprietary data. In the end, a good operational backup boosts resilience and business continuity while also helping you avoid the costly repercussions of data loss, such as business interruption or loss of reputation.
Best Practices for Implementing an Effective Backup Strategy
For the magic of backups to work, it is best for organizations to adhere to proven best practices for data protection and recovery readiness, such as the following:
Follow the 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Easy. Keep 3 backups of your data: The original and 2 duplicate copies. These backups should be on two different types of media, one in the cloud and one off-site. This way, you can greatly expand your safety net.
Schedule Regular Backup Testing
That said, backups are just useless pieces of data if they fail to restore. Conduct regular tests to confirm your backups is intact in case of a need for recovery.
Automate Backup Processes
Automate the backups to eliminate any human errors and ensure data safety at all times. Set daily/weekly or real-time backups according to your organizational needs and risk appetite.
One Serious Problem with Operational Recovery
Businesses’ biggest challenge with their operational recovery plans is the speed with which it can be restored. Some backup platforms do not allow backing up a single file or folder if something is deployed in a virtualized environment.
As most businesses now have long-term requirements for hosting anything on partitioned hardware, there are specific needs regarding how Virtual Machines running on that hardware can be backed up and restored like they can with a physically network-attached machine.
Disaster recovery and contingency systems should be for any business with dynamic backups. However, sometimes operational backups are left to conventional restoration systems rather than the more dynamic methods used to keep data contingency systems agile. So, set your backup system to recover operational files/folders as quickly as possible.
Get a Device Security Checkup
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably already aware that your company’s data security is essential to guaranteeing the functioning of its systems. Backups offer unparalleled protection that will keep your legacy safe.
Now, ensuring the recovery of your data is not enough. To shield your company against cyber threats, it is necessary to apply periodic security reviews and thus be able to detect vulnerabilities such as outdated software, weak passwords or unpatched systems.
Conducting regular reviews of your devices’ security will enable you to detect threats early on and avoid data loss or breaches. Your checkup routine should also include antivirus scans, software updates, and firewall reviews. By teaming up with IT experts for regular evaluations, you can bolster your overall cybersecurity stance and ensure your backup systems are primed to restore business processes whenever necessary.
Contact TVG Consulting at (818) 462-8118 to learn from one of our experts how to ensure that your backup and recovery strategies work for your business (and not against it).
