How to backup your business information
Posted: 15th December 2017 in xClub
Is your business performing regular backups?
Picture this, you come into work one day to discover all of your computers have been stolen. You’re left without emails, files, point of sale, and payroll data. Amid the chaos of your day you find yourself thinking, ‘i wish i had a backup’. Not only have you lost all of your important information but you’re faced with the hassle of trying to recreate it. In most cases your ability to function as a business is disabled.
According to a survey conducted by Blackblaze 30% of people have never backed up their business data.
Backup basics
A backup is simply keeping a second copy of your important information. There are a few ways to go about doing this, the simplest would involve copying your information onto an external hard drive. You will want to backup regularly and consistently to ensure your latest information stays secure. If you are not currently backing up your information, get someone who knows how!
For more information on backup basics head over to World Backup Day.
In the tech world Schofield’s second law of computing is a widely shared belief. The law states that information doesn’t actually exist unless there are at least two copies of it. Keeping only one copy of your important information is a bit like carrying around an iPhone without a protective case. You might think there is a small chance dropping your phone, but if it happens..(cue tears). Your information is fragile, make sure you protect it!
Backup Strategy
We have discussed what a backup is and why it’s important, now let’s look at some ways to actually do it. Here are some simple and effective ways you can safeguard your important information.
Cloud based backup
This method regularly backs up your data to the internet. This means you can restore all of your important information through a simple download. Let’s look at some cloud based storage services.
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Dropbox is a common cloud file sharing service that comes with 2GB of unpaid storage space. This service offers affordable upgrade options and is a great solution for small backups. To start backing up your files to Dropbox, visit their website to sign up for an account, then start uploading! |
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A solution available to anyone with a Google account. Google Drive provides a massive 15GB of free cloud storage space for your backups through simple drag and drop interface. If you are a big user of google apps or own a gmail account then this is the option for you. |
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A big player in the backup game, Acronis is a paid service with capabilities that the free options lack. The core difference is the flexibility to automate your backups. Schedule backups that run automatically in the background so you don’t have to worry about manually uploading important files. |
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Another popular paid cloud service that allows you to automate your backups. Blackblaze is a highly regarded industry solution with flexible options for all of your information storage needs. A great feature from Blackblaze is mail restore; Blackblaze will send you hard drive with your stored data. |
External drive backup
Backing up to an external drive is like copying and pasting files to a USB flash drive, just on a bigger scale. You plug the device into a USB port on the computer and you’re in business. The key to a successful external drive backup is to store the data offsite in another location. This means that if there is some kind of disaster on your premises like a fire, all of your data will be secure.
What you need to know
Different businesses have different backup needs. In many cases companies will have an Administrator or IT professional to oversee their backups. Despite this, backing up remains the responsibility of the data owner. Your professionals can set up and maintain the system but you will need to make sure you are backing up the correct information. As a manager there are some key things you need to think about.
- What information you are backing up.
- How often your backups run.
Make sure you are backing up everything that is important as it is created. Consider your own backup needs, there could be some images or documents that have been overlooked. Are you backing up manually, daily, weekly? Consider the pace in which your business creates information. Like any good contingency plan you want to try and foresee blind spots in your backup strategy.