DISASTER RECOVERY VS DATA BACKUP
Here’s a big misconception you might have about your data backups: back-ing up your data guarantees a fast recovery. It does NOT! In short, data backup is nothing more than copying files. There are a number of ways data can be backed up, both manually and automatically—and you don’t need to know all the technical ins and outs of them. But what you DO need to know is whether your current backup is set up in a way that would allow for the fastest possible recovery time in the event of a disaster or data-erasing event. You might be shocked to find out it’s not as fast and easy as you’d like to think.
Let’s start by defining what “disaster recovery” is. Disaster recovery is the process by which you will RECOVER the functionality of your data, software programs, devices and business operations in the event of a “disaster.”
WILL YOUR BACKUP ALLOW YOU TO RECOVER ON TIME?
A disaster can be as simple as a server crashing or a more catastrophic event such as a tornado. But here’s the real kicker: MOST data loss is not due to a natural disaster such as a flood, hurricane, tornado, etc. Most businesses believe “that could never happen to me,” they are caught completely off guard when there’s a major outage or files get deleted or corrupted beyond recovery. They THINK because they have things “backed up” they can instantly get those files back and start working again. Not so.
MOST DATA IS LOST BECAUSE OF SIMPLE HUMAN ERROR
Such as employees accidentally deleting files, faulty hardware or even a virus or hacker attack that brings down your entire network. Here’s an analogy: Suppose you could back up all the personal items you have in your house—your clothes, furniture, valuables, etc., and somehow maintain a copy of everything in a warehouse miles away from your current residence. If your house burns down, destroying everything with it. You’d be relieved that you had a copy of everything somewhere else, so it’s not a total loss (which, by the way, is why your backups need to be OFF -SITE, not on devices in your office). The problem: If your house burned down, you might have a copy of everything you own, but you no longer have a place to put it. How do you start? You have to rebuild the house. Next, get everything out of that storage unit into your NEW house.