Why data backup is important

The high cost of being unprepared

All businesses are at risk for data loss, and small businesses are especially susceptible to data loss turning into a major issue. Smaller organizations are less likely to have a designated backup administrator or infrastructure in place. These businesses are typically not positioned to survive the short-term consequences of a significant data loss or breach.

With more limited IT budgets, smaller organizations might also be at risk for ransomware attacks, user and admin errors leading to misconfiguration, and device failure.

With several cloud backup service options and a variety of storage types available, the price of backing up data can be far less than the expense of losing it.

It doesn't need to be complicated

Comprehensive, complex backup infrastructures can protect data, but one of the prevailing backup designs demonstrates that simplicity is also effective. The 3-2-1 backup rule is a straightforward and widely used backup guideline that large and small organizations alike can customize to suit their needs.

The 3-2-1 rule looks like this:

• 3: Keep at least three copies of data.
• 2: Store backups on at least two different media types.
• 1: Keep at least one of these copies off-site.

The media types might vary depending on the organization's budget, but can include cloud, tape or disk options. Businesses of all sizes should be able to better protect their data by following these simple guidelines.

For something a bit more complex, consider the 3-2-1-1-0 rule. This method offers two additional layers. The initial 3-2-1 portion of the rule remains the same. The second 1 references an air-gapped and immutable off-site copy that specifically seeks to mitigate ransomware threats. The 0 specifies that recovery actions have zero errors. Satisfy this portion of the rule by implementing backup verification and validation through testing and monitoring.

Modern threats continue to grow

Today's businesses face more threats than ever, making backups critical to protect data. Many organizations store data on-premises, in the cloud, on mobile devices, within IoT resources and at remote worker locations. Protecting large amounts of information across multiple platforms is a challenge for any business, especially as threats evolve and grow.

Today, major threats to data include the following:

• Cyberattacks.
• System or cloud misconfiguration.
• Device failure or loss.
• Natural or human-caused disaster.
• User error.
• Malicious user activity.

While backups aren't immune to the above risks, a proper strategy using multiple methods of protection can help mitigate these dangers. Businesses should perform a business impact analysis and risk assessment to discover which threats could cause the most damage and are more likely to occur.

With that information, IT teams can build a backup strategy tailored to these risks. Backup strategies include storage options and configuration choices. Careful design and planning at this stage pay dividends during recovery incidents.

For example, if the organization is in a hurricane- or tornado-prone area, off-site and cloud backups stored in a distant location can help keep copies of critical data safe. If the business stores private or personal data at risk for cyberattacks, the strategy should include tape or other air-gapped backups to keep data safely offline.

Backup types

A crucial part of structuring backups is selecting backup types. Three types exist, with the primary difference being the time it takes to back up data versus the time it takes to restore data.

The three types of backup include the following:

• Full. Makes a complete copy of the data, though backups and restores might take additional time due to the scale.
• Incremental. Copies only changed data, resulting in a quicker and smaller backup job. However, restore functions might require multiple tapes or drives and take extra time.
• Differential. Copies only changed data since the last full backup, but backup sizes gradually increase. Offers a quicker restore process than with incremental backups.

Other variations exist, including snapshots -- point-in-time duplicates of some or all data.

Select the appropriate backup type by evaluating the type of data the business is protecting and whether it needs to be restored quickly. Administrators can better understand backup needs by developing accurate recovery objectives.

Why use multiple methods?

Multiple backup and recovery methods enhance any organization's ability to respond to data loss incidents. Using more than one method provides additional layers of security. It also offers scalability and industry or regulatory compliance.

Another benefit of relying on multiple backup methods is flexibility. Some data types might warrant backups to faster media, while other content is relatively static and can tolerate less robust access. Multiple methods also enable administrators to tailor backup plans to the data type.

For example, end-user documents might justify daily backups, while inventory databases might need hourly snapshots. This flexibility is essential to organizations with a wide variety of data types and disaster recovery requirements.

Mistakes to avoid

Organizations can help ensure a reliable and strong backup infrastructure by avoiding common mistakes and assumptions around data management.

Potential pitfalls include the following:

• Having no backup plan at all.
• Having no regular backup review or scaling with the business.
• Relying on a single backup medium.
• Relying on a single backup storage location.
• Failing to test backups and backup integrity.
• Relying on unscheduled, periodic manual backups.
• Failing to integrate the backup plan with the larger disaster recovery plan.
• Failing to provide adequate training.

Watch out for these common errors when updating or building a backup strategy. As we've discussed, simply having a plan in place is a good start.

Damon Garn owns Cogspinner Coaction and provides freelance IT writing and editing services. He has written multiple CompTIA study guides, including the Linux+, Cloud Essentials+ and Server+ guides, and contributes extensively to TechTarget Editorial and CompTIA Blogs.