Business data is sometimes referred to as digital assets, a term that speaks to the value of that data. And it makes sense when you think about it. Your financial, intellectual, and creative files are essential to your business, and if something happens to them, you’d be in trouble. Every business, from small mom-and-pop operations to large enterprises, should have a comprehensive plan to prevent data loss, minimize downtime, and restore operations as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, protecting digital assets is an investment many small businesses neglect to make for many reasons. Often, it comes down to not knowing how to back up business data. Fortunately, creating a backup and recovery plan isn’t difficult. It simply requires some time to figure out what plan is best for your business needs and then implementing it. At its most basic, a data backup and recovery plan should outline how a business will back up its data and restore it in the event of a loss, whether it’s due to natural disaster, human error, or a cybersecurity breach.
Important elements of backing up internet for business
The following steps can help you get started on creating your business’ backup and recovery plan:
- Identify critical data. Not all data is important and storing it can be expensive. Figure out what’s essential for your business to operate, such as customer records, financial data, and creative files.
- Select a backup method. Local, cloud, and offsite backups are the most common options. Many businesses use a combination of these methods to create redundancy, providing a higher level of protection.
- Establish a backup schedule. Decide how frequently you need to conduct a backup. Schedules can be quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, or continuously.
- Test and validate backups. It’s important to test your backup files to make sure they are complete and can be restored successfully.
- Documentation. Create a procedural manual so you know how to recover and restore your data in the event of a loss.
Tips on selecting a backup method
Businesses have several options for creating a backup plan, and many companies opt for a 3-2-1 rule backup plan to ensure their data is fully protected. This system creates redundancy, storing at least three copies of your data in two versions locally and one version offsite. Let’s look at the components needed for an effective 3-2-1 backup strategy.
Local backup
A local backup is when data is duplicated and stored onsite. It’s a simple and cost-effective approach, using a network-attached storage (NAS) device, such as external hard drives or tapes, to quickly back up all files.
Once you’ve done a full backup, you can configure your system to do incremental or differential backups, logging changes since the previous backup. Having your data onsite can make recovery quicker, but it also leaves you vulnerable to things like theft, fire, or other types of disasters. Local backup is best when combined with an offsite option to ensure your data is fully protected.
Offsite and cloud backup
Offsite and cloud backup systems are similar in that you are remotely storing your data in another location. Offsite typically refers to using a remote network server or other storage devices to mirror your data. Cloud backups are similar, but they use the internet to send and backup your data. Cloud backups require a fast and reliable internet connection like Quantum Fiber business fiber internet, which provides upload speeds up to 8 Gigs in some areas. An ultra-fast fiber connection allows you to back up your data without slowing down the bandwidth you need for other tasks.
The advantages of a cloud backup are numerous. You can sign up for a service that automates the process, ensuring your data is continually backing up. You can also scale up quickly as your data needs increase. Cloud-based backups also provide easy access to your data for recovery without the need for extra IT help.
Once you have a small business backup strategy in place, you can be confident you won’t be sidelined by data loss, no matter the cause. Learn more about why creating a backup and recovery plan is essential to keeping your business running smoothly.
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