Data loss can be catastrophic for businesses and awareness is now much higher about the need for a robust backup solution for your company data. If you have one in place you’ve done the right thing – but do you check to make sure it’s doing its job? You need to test your backup system so you have confidence that the right files are being backed and that data integrity is assured.
Regardless of which backup solution you have, it probably didn’t come cheap. If it’s a manual system, that requires tape backup each day, then there are additional costs involved. Are you sure that it’s not all a waste of time? Do you have proper data redundancy measures in place?
There’s obviously no point in having a backup solution that doesn’t backup or only does part of what it’s supposed to do. Don’t take it for granted that it’s doing what it should – which is always protecting you against data loss. Problems can crop up, with data becoming corrupted and tapes failing. If you lose some of your data (or all of it, in a worst case scenario) it can take a lot of time and your hard-earned money to get it back, if that’s even possible.
Checking the integrity of your archived data can be simple, but some systems make it more complicated. Tape backups are slower to restore and the more data a business has, the longer a check will take. Disk-to-disk and cloud solutions are much faster. Another option is a virtualized server. This is a failsafe measure that is responsive and accurate, and will allow you to evaluate whether your data is being backed up properly, so your business can keep running if problems strike.
Here’s a key question
Have you tested your backup solution this month? Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if you discover there’s a problem and you’ve lost a month’s worth of your business data?
Don’t underestimate the problem of data loss! Quikteks has extensive expertise in backup best practices for small businesses. For help, consulting or advice on managing your organization’s backup solution call us today at (973) 882-4644.