Having a backup is always a smart idea, but it is essential to remember that there are different levels of backup that a business can implement. It’s one thing to be protected against a server crash; it’s quite another to be protected against a disaster that destroys your servers, as well as those of every business within a five-block radius. While local backups serve a purpose, they cannot be the only thing you rely on. Real resilience means looking elsewhere to achieve redundancy.
Geographic Redundancy: The Practical Application of Not Putting All Your Eggs in One Basket
We’ll frequently reference the three elements of a truly reliable data backup:
- At least three copies of your data.
- At least two types of storage media are used to store this data.
- At least one copy stored offsite, ideally in a cloud environment.
One of the primary benefits of this approach is the fact that—if you follow this strategy—you should always have a spare copy of your data available for you to use.
The key is the off-site copy. Instead of all your data being saved in your office location, saving copies in cloud resources far away from your working data helps isolate it from any dangers that threaten your business’ location. Let’s say that something—a fire, a flood, or a major power surge, for instance—takes out a chunk of your data. The geographic redundancy of an off-site backup ensures that you have a copy stored away, safe and sound, for you to use and restore your lost data from.
There are Plenty of Reasons a Backup Could Be Necessary
It is often too easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security through the assumption that you won’t really need a backup… especially one that’s saved offsite. Let’s review some of the reasons that an offsite backup truly is necessary for any business that takes its success seriously.
- Natural disasters, like storms, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage your business’ infrastructure or the infrastructure your business relies on.
- Accidents and emergencies, such as hardware failure, equipment loss, accidental damage, and, in rare cases, sabotage, can wipe out some or all of your data stores.
- Location inaccessibility, such as that caused by a gas leak, local fire, pandemic, or other circumstances, that prevents your team from going to your place of business to do their work for extended periods of time.
An off-site backup not only enables you to protect your business from many localized events, but it also allows you to remotely continue some degree of your operations by using your backup as a substitute server.
Both Local Backup and Remote Backups are Necessary
To ensure your business is truly protected, you will want to combine the localized convenience of a local backup with the isolation of a geographically redundant, remote backup, thereby putting yourself in the best position to succeed. We can help you do so!
Reach out to NDYNAMICS for assistance in creating a business continuity plan that incorporates all the best practices you’ll need for success. Give us a call at 408-927-8700 to learn more.
