Article
"Ideal time to review your Backup Process"
In a land of extremes, disaster can strike at an unexpected time: fire, water damage, electrical problems, hardware failure are all possible. Do not leave your disaster recovery plan for when "things are quieter" or "I have more time". Now is a great time to review your backup procedures and recovery plan, before the accumulation of this year's client data.
The main objective of your recovery planning is to ensure you get your data restored and your team can continue on with business as quickly as possible, after experiencing a disaster or a less extreme disruption.
It doesn't have to be complex
Disaster recovery plans provide step-by-step procedures for recovering disrupted systems and networks, and help with the resumption of normal operations.
- Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA). This helps to identify and prioritise critical systems and equipment to keep your business running smoothly.
- Quick Risk assessment. Identify the potential risks that your business could be exposed to: flooding, electrical fire or failure, IT system failure, storage for your off-site backup, schedule too busy...
- Identify preventive controls. These are measures that reduce the effects of system disruptions and can increase system availability. Have a look at the risks you identified earlier and find preventative controls that work for you. Data can be backed up on an external disk, server or online and the ideal strategy includes all three. Automate it to save you time and always keep a copy of your backup offsite even if it is done on a server or external drive.
- Develop a recovery plan. Document a step-by-step process for restoring your system, taking into account the different possible scenarios for your firm. Decide on what activities need to be undertaken, who will be responsible for their implementation and what equipment will be necessary. Include key contacts and supplier details.
- Test your plan & update it from time to time.
HandiSoft: What to Backup
We recommend that your entire "Hsoft" folder is backed up for the most expedient way to become operational. This ensures that the software programs do not need to be reinstalled, just restored onto a new server and shortcuts linked to it.
Data Map
Today's Backup Options
CDs, tapes and DVDs aren't the only way to back up your data, nor are they the most convenient. The best method is the one that's quick and easy enough that you'll actually do it, so keep that in mind as you decide which way to go. You'll also need a backup for your backup - one copy at your physical location and another offsite. Ideally, both should be continual and automatic. Minimising your dependency on a team member's memory to run a backup and to take the output offsite is preferable.
- Hard drives - There are several ways to back up using a hard drive. You can install a second internal hard drive in your PC or get an external hard drive you can take with you when you leave the office. Most external drives come with their own version of backup software. Your IT specialist can set up automated data mirroring on either.
- Online backup services - Online storage services make a great secondary backup solution that is off-site, encrypted and mirrored automatically. Once the files are uploaded to the cloud, future back-ups only upload changed data (incremental backups) so it doesn't burden your bandwidth. The downside is who could you trust with your valuable data?
Sage DataSecure is a Sage HandiSoft product that will be released shortly, offering you a simple, secure and managed data backup that is hosted in Australia and won't burn a hole in your pocket. Watch this space!
- Flash drives - USB flash drives are a viable option for users with modest backup needs. On the up side, they're generally faster than both optical media and online storage services. However, there are a few concerns: they're easy to lose or break, their small size makes labelling difficult and they have a limited lifespan.
- Optical drives (CDs and DVDs) and tapes - CDs and DVDs are an acceptable solution for secondary backups or data that is archived or never changes. The discs are easily transported offsite, but burning can be time-consuming, storage capacity is limited and again, please be aware that the reusable discs and tapes do have a limited lifespan.
Data Care - practical tips
We've put together some basic data care procedures, system setting recommendations
and tips that every firm could benefit from. Read Data Care Article