Business Backups: The Rule Of 3

For quite a while, we’ve been talking about backing up your data. A viable backup is the only way to recover after a ransomware attack without paying the ransom. Technology can help by discovering known malicious malware on your system, but it cannot detect zero-day exploits.

The bad guys create over 323,000 pieces of malware per day! What I cannot understand is why many companies we speak to backup once per day and maintain only one copy of their data.

In today’s dangerous world, having only one backup of your data is a recipe for disaster.

The Rule of 3

As a rule, you should keep three (3) copies of your backups:

1. One copy onsite for fast restores.
2. Another copy, offsite in the Cloud.
3. A third copy, also in the Cloud, but at a different, geographically dispersed data center.

The third copy must be located in a cloud data center in a separate region of the country in case a sizeable portion of the country experiences a disaster.

Another important consideration is the type of backup. Businesses should utilize an image-based backup. Data only backups are inadequate because they cannot guarantee quick recoveries after a catastrophic event.

Business Continuity Should Be The Goal

Most businesses today cannot survive long without access to their data. Data backup systems and stand-alone image-based backup solutions just don’t cut it because too many things have to happen BEFORE you can use your backups to recover. The time to recovery needs to be shortened to be effective.

The only way to do this is to have a solution that allows you to virtualize a backup―in effect, creating a software copy of your server―so your business can work business-as-usual until your hardware is repaired or replaced. This is the function of the Hybrid Cloud Business Continuity solution, giving you:

• An image-based solution that saves snapshots to an onsite device plus two geographically dispersed Cloud data centers (located on opposite coasts).
• Snapshots that can be instantly virtualized, acting as software replicas of your servers.
• A solution that provides instant Failover to an onsite device or the Cloud.
• Daily Screenshots of boot-up screens, verifying that backups are viable.
• Bare Metal Restore (BMR) capability so server images can be applied to different hardware.

Your Choice Of Backup Solutions Is Critical

The decision you make about the type of backup system you use can be the difference between surviving and thriving after a disaster or closing your doors. Think business continuity, not just merely backing up data.

XSolutions is an Elite Partner of Datto, the world leader in Hybrid-Cloud Business Continuity solutions. We provide Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), Backup as a Service (BaaS), Cloud Data Protection (CDP), and Managed I.T. Services (MSP). Call (845) 362-9675 for a free consultation. Backup & Disaster Recovery| Cloud Data Protection |Managed I.T. Services