Today, more than 50% of
UK businesses risk losing critical data, and over 700,000 companies have no
access to data backup plans at all.
We’re living in a world where cybersecurity issues are on
the rise, yet countless organisations still don’t know how to keep one of the
most crucial assets safe.
If you’re in charge of securing your business this year,
then you might be wondering how you can present the best backup strategy to
your CEO or business leaders. After all, the most effective business
transformation efforts always rely on buy-in from the people at the head of
your enterprise.
The good news?
We’re here to help you put the ideal data backup plan into
place.
Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Assess your company’s backup needs
An enterprise
backup strategy and disaster recovery plan are crucial for any business.
However, every organisation is different. While some companies will need a 24/7
helpdesk and mobile device security solutions, others will only need to ensure
that they have a copy of their information available at all times on the cloud.
To start with, ask yourself:
- How many different kinds of backup do you need? (Usually,
it’s recommended to keep three copies of the same data).
- What kind of different storage channels will you
feel comfortable using?
- What sort of data do you need to store?
- Do you need to be able to recover and edit data
quickly for GDPR purposes?
- Do you need to access your data regularly for
customer service purposes?
- What kind of devices do you have that need to be
secured?
Step 2: Understand your data risks
No matter how careful you are with the information that you
collect, there’s always a risk that something could happen to your data. If
you’ve ever been hacked before, then you might have an idea of where your
vulnerable areas are.
If you’re new to cybersecurity and data backup plans, then
look at where your employees manage and interact with information. For
instance, if your staff members log into company files from their mobile
devices, biometric and two-factor authentication can reduce the risk of data
breaches if their devices ever get stolen.
Similarly, if you’re located in an environment that’s prone
to flooding or other natural disasters, you’ll know that you need to keep your
information off-site, and in a location that’s less likely to face physical
issues.
Step 3: Decide what your backup infrastructure should be
Once you know what your data risks are, and what information
you want to protect, you can begin to build a data backup plan that suits your
specific needs. Look for ways that you can connect your potential data risks to
possible solutions when presenting your enterprise backup strategy to your CEO.
For instance, if you’ve been hit by a hurricane in your area before, a cloud-based
backup service would ensure that your information stays secure, no matter what
happens to you on premise.
Some of the available options you can consider for your plan
include:
- Hardware backups: These include hard-drives and
other on-premise
storage solutions that are available to access whenever you need them.
Hardware storage is excellent when you don’t have access to the internet, but
they aren’t protected from physical disasters.
- Software solutions: Buying software and
installing it on a virtual machine is a good option for companies who regularly
change their data infrastructure.
- Cloud services: Cloud services offer backup
either through securely hosted vaulting, or an off-site backup. This ensures
that no matter where you are, or what happens to your devices, you’ll be able
to get your crucial information back.
Usually, the best backup strategy is one that doesn’t rely
on one single option. To ensure that you’re defended no matter what happens,
it’s often a good idea to invest in cloud and hardware backups simultaneously.
Step 4: Create a recovery plan
With your enterprise backup strategy ready to go, it’s essential
to make sure that everyone in your team knows how to access your stored data
when they need it. An easy-to-follow
incident response checklist is an excellent addition to any data backup
plan.
Remember that your CEO might ask you to refine your
procedures. However, showing that you have a response checklist in place will indicate
that you’ve put the right amount of time and thought into your data recovery
strategy. Remember to cover:
- The data sets to be recovered
- Post-restoration steps that need to be taken
- Dependencies that might affect recovery
- People involved in the data backup and disaster
recovery strategy
Step 5: Test your data backup plan
Finally, before you present your enterprise backup strategy
to your CEO, make sure that you test it. You’ll need to ensure that your backup
methods are successful and that you can access the right data from your chosen
services when necessary.
It may also be worth running a test with a beta group to
make sure that the disaster recovery plan you’ve implemented is easy enough to
follow. This will make it easier to prove to your CEO that your plan works.
As you go forward, remember to keep testing your data backup
plan. The last thing you want is to discover that something has gone wrong at
the worst possible time.
Ready to discuss disaster recovery and backup solutions? Contact the team at Nice Network
today.