Understanding Data Backup and Recovery

Today, with high dependency on data, it has become crucial for businesses to have a secure strategy to preserve and restore significant digital information. A secure and effective data backup and recovery plan is pivotal to any organization’s business safety, growth and continuity without which businesses risk avoidable data loss, unnecessary expenses and downtime.

Data is information in digital form which can be processed and transferred through various media (Veritas, 2024). A part or an entirety of data can be lost or corrupted during processing or in transit as a result of theft, data corruption, natural disasters, malware, malicious ransomware attack, device failure and even human errors. This usually leads to a major loss for organizations save for effective data backup and recovery systems.

Data backup is the storage of duplicate data in a reliable backup device by using either an offsite server or separate drives for easy and timely accessibility in the case of a loss or damage. This makes it important for organizations to set up secure and reliable data backup and recovery systems to prevent loss of information and profits. Interestingly, data storage has assumed a much easier, more effective and less costly form with the cloud storage system ousting the old-dated system of using hard drives or external storage. A secure backup data is stored in a server or storage location that is separate from that of the primary data. The backup data is often inalterable after it has been created. Organizations back up their data, capturing and synchronizing a point-in-time snapshot which is subsequently used to restore lost data to its previous state (NNT Solutions, 2024).

Data Backup Methods

Data recovery describes the process of retrieving stored data in the original form to replace damaged, corrupt or lost files. Recovery of data becomes easy with the availability of a log-based recovery. The log is a sequential record-detail of all data stored and it enables the seamless recovery of saved data. With just about a meagre 5% of organizations able to recover their data following a disaster, it becomes necessary for business owners to prioritize having an efficient data security and recovery plan for their businesses (Rubrik, 2024).

Backup and recovery is an aspect of onsite and cloud-based technology systems that automates and supports the process making it possible for organizations to secure and access their data for business and compliance purposes. Mudaliar (2023) opines that modern data backup and recovery plans should boost of characteristics such as speed of recovery, scalability, data security and compliance, and simplicity for efficient operations.

Local Backup: This involves the storage of data onsite. This method guarantees easy and faster accessibility of data. It requires less backup time.

Cloud Backup: This data backup system, also known as online backup, involves the transmission of a copy of source/primary data over a public or proprietary network to an off-site server. The server is usually hosted by a third-party cloud service provider (CSP). It is less demanding as it supports an organization’s data security system without burdening the workforce. It also saves time, enhances accessibility and improves performance.

Hybrid Backup: This is the combination of both local and cloud backup methods. It ensures a complete and secure coverage of an entire database.

Types of Data Backup

Data backup and recovery without a doubt is an important part of business setup. The method of implementing backup and recovery is dependent on the data needs of an organization; the type and volume of data, type and frequency of backup and the recovery process. The choice of backup and recovery plan offers flexibility in organization’s data protection process.

The common types of backup include:

Full Backup: This is the most basic type of backup. It works in such a way that a single and complete copy of an organization’s data set is created and stored in another single media such as a hardware. Although it is an easy way to ensure that there is a single copy of data at the time of backup, it requires a longer time to perform, needs more storage space and costs more to perform. So, it is often combined with another type of backup.
Incremental Backup: This involves the duplication of only additional data which have changed since previous backup operation. This implies that a reduced amount of data is stored in less storage media and at a faster speed than it takes for a full backup.
Differential Backup: This operation is similar to the incremental backup in a way that all data that have changed since the previous full backup are copied. Data are continuously copied from the full backup operation every time a differential backup is initiated.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery is a crucial part of the security strategies that help businesses recover their backed up data, hardware and applications to ensure business continuity. Given the impact of data on the competitive nature of businesses as well as the risks and consequences of data loss, disaster recovery plans become an integral part of organizational operations. Implementing the appropriate disaster recovery plan calls for an in-depth business impact and risk assessment.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Terms

These concepts are key to having a good understanding of backup and recovery, and deciding what data security and recovery plan is appropriate:

Recovery Point Objective (RPO): This is the maximum volume of data loss that any organization can tolerate and have to recover to ensure business continuity. Ergo, a secure backup plan must be set up to ensure that data is regularly stored within the limit of time that is tolerable for data loss.

Recovery Time Objective: This is the maximum amount of time that any business can afford to be down due to data loss without incurring any damage to its operation. Thus, a reliable backup plan would ensure that data is recoverable within the time for which the business can run without access to its data.

It is important that data be backed-up regularly and consistently to prevent loss of data and to reduce the amount of data lost between backups.

Methods of Data Recovery

File Restore: This is the fastest method of data recovery. It entails the retrieval of only damaged or lost single files rather than an entire backed up data. It requires the selection of the stored duplicate of the lost file and its recovery to a specific device.
Image Restore: Appropriate for the recovery of an entire system such as in the case of a system crash. Image restore requires that the whole system image be backed up and is initiated when an entire device needs to be recovered. With image restore, data recovery requires less time.
Bare-metal Restore: This method comes in handy when data has to be restored from a damaged system to an entirely new system. It is a quite popular option for disaster recovery.

Importance of Data Backup and Recovery

According to a 2017 Avast study, 74% of organizations have experienced data loss at the workplace and separately, over 93% of businesses are at risk of loss of data and an eventual impact on productivity with more than 50% filing for immediate bankruptcy and over 40% of these businesses unable to recover lost data resulting in business discontinuity. Ergo, having an effective data backup and recovery plan assures you of a quick recovery of data for business continuity. These are some of the reasons you need a data backup and disaster recovery plan.

To Prevent Data Loss: A business runs essentially on data and it’s unimaginable the extent of avoidable operational, financial, clientele, time, reputation and workforce losses that are recorded due to data loss. This is preventable when a sturdy backup and recovery strategy is put in place.

To Build Business Resilience and Continuity: A business is only as strong as its secure database and since system failures are inevitable, an efficient backup and recovery plan helps a business withstand and recover from any disaster for continued operation.

For Business Relevance and Healthy Customer Relationship: Business profitability and continued relevance expands with a sustained client-customer relationship. This is dependent on an organization’s preservation of and access to customers’ database for regular contacts and return-patronages. A robust data backup and recovery plan makes these possible.

For Regulatory Compliance: There are regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability Act (HIPAA), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that require that all company data are unified and backed up for accessibility at any time. Organizations adhere to these requirements and apparently spare themselves of potential fines and legal actions (Hewlett Packard Enterprise, 2024).

For Reduced Workload and Downtime: Outsourcing your backup and recovery needs to a trusted service provider reduces the workload of your IT team and helps them focus on really building your business without the distraction that comes with data loss or an eventual downtime.

A robust backup and recovery plan backed by the appropriate technology solution strengthens any business despite any form of threats.

Here’s Why You Should Choose Telliswall Inc. for your Backup and Recovery Solution

At TellisWall Inc., our commitment to safeguarding your data goes beyond mere promises. Our solution can integrate easily with your virtual or physical environment without any issues. For example, for our server backups, we conduct local backups multiple times a day, prioritizing client preferences, and ensuring they are seamlessly backed up to the cloud. Our cloud backups are immutable, meaning that files cannot be changed even in the event of an attack, providing an extra layer of security. This means that in an event that there is the need to restore files, or servers, there are options to choose from. Our unified platform not only streamlines data backup but also facilitates swift recovery, maximizing the value derived from your data assets, meeting set RTO and RPO.

In conclusion, we meticulously ensure that your organization complies with stringent security standards and maintain vigilant surveillance over platform configurations, offering you peace of mind in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

References

Avast (2017). Why We (Still) Need World Backup Day

https://blog.avast.com/why-we-still-need-world-backup-day

Buenning, M. (2024). Data Backup and Recovery Explained

https://www.ninjaone.com/blog/data-backup-and-recovery-explained

Cohesity (2024). Backup and Recovery

https://www.cohesity.com/glossary/backup-and-recovery/

ElephantDrive (2021). Data Backup vs. Data Recovery: How to Know the Difference https://www.elephantdrive.com/data-backup-vs-data-recovery/

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (2024). Backup and Recovery

https://www.hpe.com/emea_europe/en/what-is/backup-recovery.html

Rosen, J. (2024). Data Backup and Recovery Strategies: Best Practices for Protecting Your Business Data

https://www.atiba.com/data-backup-and-recovery-strategies