Navigating Backup Solutions: Selecting the Ideal Type and Method
As per research from IDS, the global data accumulation is projected to surpass 173 zettabytes by 2025. To put this into perspective, each zettabyte equates to a 4K resolution movie spanning 63 million years! Amidst this colossal volume, certain data holds critical significance, where any loss or mishandling could result in substantial commercial repercussions. Consequently, even small-scale enterprises have acknowledged the imperative need to safeguard such crucial data and are actively pursuing backup strategies tailored to their business needs and financial capabilities.
Let’s delve into the data backup solutions frequently adopted by businesses across varying scales, examining the merits and drawbacks associated with each approach.
Exploring Manual Data Backup
Opting for manual data backup presents the simplest and most cost-effective solution, albeit becoming increasingly uncommon. Nonetheless, having a system administrator with fundamental competencies enables a baseline level of IT infrastructure security. In manual backup procedures, the system administrator duplicates essential data and stores it separately from the primary copy — either on an external medium, a dedicated server, or in the cloud. Utilizing renowned cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox is a viable option in the latter scenario.
Drawbacks of Manual Backup:
Despite its simplicity, manual backup processes are labor-intensive and repetitive, requiring constant repetition of the same tasks. This monotony increases the risk of human error, such as missing backup creation schedules due to distractions, forgetfulness, or unforeseen circumstances like illness. Inadvertently archiving incorrect data or missing critical backup versions can lead to unplanned downtime and financial losses for the company.
Furthermore, manual backups entail risks during data recovery, particularly if the archived copy contains errors from the outset. Additionally, cloud solutions like Dropbox may not accommodate mass data changes within a single timeframe, impacting the speed and efficiency of backup creation and recovery processes. This limitation may lead to task prioritization issues and potential data placement restrictions if platform requirements are not met.
Who is it suitable for?
This backup method is prevalent among companies lacking a dedicated IT administrator and instead entrusting backup responsibilities to employees with basic IT knowledge. Typically, these companies do not employ a full-time sysadmin for IT administration. While suitable for personal use, such as safeguarding personal documents, photos, and videos, manual backup also serves to synchronize non-critical business data across various devices.
Also, one-time manual creation of backups serves as a good tool before performing certain types of work: for example, before installing updates, so that in case of failure you can roll back. In addition, manual backup is used in addition to automatic backup in certain scenarios.
An expert opinion from Colobridge specialist:
“When clients contact us, they receive basic recommendations, but they make their own decisions depending on their wishes and business requirements. If a company intends to create backups for the first time, we will advise on where to start and which option among the most common ones is best to implement in a particular case. Also, if necessary, we will calculate the size of the backup repository and present calculations as a rationale”.
Customised Automated Backup
This method entails utilizing preconfigured or custom-written scripts to automate the backup process. The system administrator sets up the backup procedure once, configuring it to create archived copies according to the company’s schedule, whether daily, every few days, or as deemed appropriate. The size of the backup repository and the speed of data recovery from the archive hinge upon the chosen backup plan and the size of the backup copy.
Similar to manual backups, the success of automated backups is contingent upon various factors, with the choice of backup storage location being paramount. While different hardware configurations are possible, it’s essential to ensure that backups are stored either within the same building as the primary data, at a third-party physical site, or in the cloud. However, challenges such as incorrect recovery remain, especially when relying on cloud storage, which is subject to the performance of the service provider and potential issues like resource failures, speed fluctuations, and data consistency concerns.
One significant advantage of utilizing a preconfigured backup solution is its ability to efficiently handle data backups by only capturing changes made since the last backup. Unlike manual processes or basic customized scripts, which may duplicate entire datasets regardless of changes, preconfigured backup software intelligently identifies and captures only the modified data. This targeted approach minimizes the time and resources needed to create each backup, enhancing overall efficiency. For instance, consider the disparity between a manual script and Veeam’s preconfigured backup solution: While the manual script may redundantly copy entire datasets, Veeam’s solution selectively captures only the altered data, streamlining the backup process significantly.
Who is it suitable for?
This solution is well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses equipped with IT specialists capable of configuring automated backups using scripts. It’s advisable for these specialists to oversee the setup of backup processes and periodically verify data restoration accuracy. While preconfigured solutions cater adequately to smaller enterprises, larger businesses may find them insufficient. In such cases, opting for customized, advanced solutions becomes imperative to address complex requirements effectively. Customized solutions offer the flexibility needed to ensure proper data uploading, maintain database consistency, and cater to specific business needs. Additionally, large corporations may prefer vendor-neutral solutions or seek alternatives if existing backup systems fail to meet their expectations or requirements.
Backup via a Preconfigured Backup Solution by Colobridge
Many of the challenges encountered by users with extensive cloud storage services and basic scripts managed by sysadmins are effectively mitigated by preconfigured solutions such as “Backup as a Service” (BaaS). This comprehensive approach adheres to the golden backup rule of 3–2–1, ensuring that at least one copy of data is stored offsite. By leveraging BaaS, users can circumvent common issues associated with managing massive cloud storage and rudimentary scripts, ensuring robust data backup and adherence to best practices in data protection.
Utilizing a preconfigured backup solution with Colobridge entails the creation, storage, and restoration of backups for your entire IT infrastructure. With Colobridge as your cloud provider, your data copies are securely housed in a certified, fault-tolerant data center located in Germany, ensuring round-the-clock availability. These backups can be readily restored in the event of hardware failures, fires, natural disasters, or instances of data loss, seizure, or theft.
By leveraging industry-leading solutions like Veeam, clients can swiftly configure backup settings, a process that typically takes less than an hour. Even general IT professionals with basic familiarity with backup software can efficiently manage these configurations, ensuring seamless data protection and recovery procedures.
Who is it suitable for?
BaaS, or Backup as a Service, offers small and medium-sized businesses a convenient solution for creating and managing backups using a preconfigured infrastructure. With BaaS, companies pay for the service based on their specific needs, allowing for scalability as data accumulates over time during business operations. This option is particularly attractive to businesses seeking regular and reliable backup creation and storage without the upfront investment required for a corporate-grade solution. By leveraging BaaS, companies can ensure data protection and continuity without the financial burden of implementing and managing extensive backup systems in-house.
Which Type of Backup to Choose
Selecting an appropriate backup tool is imperative for any company aiming to safeguard critical business data effectively. While local data copies pose risks similar to the primary data version, manual or automated backups to external media or specialized hosting services may not fully meet the reliability needs of most organizations.
For small and medium-sized businesses, Colobridge’s preconfigured Backup as a Service (BaaS) solution emerges as the optimal choice. This comprehensive offering minimizes the risks of irrecoverable data loss by providing reliable backup storage managed by experienced IT infrastructure providers.
To explore BaaS options tailored to your business needs, reach out to our experts for a consultation on pricing and configurations. Additionally, you can request a free demonstration of our Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS),suitable for businesses that need to ensure maximum fault tolerance and continuity of operation of the IT infrastructure. We will tell you more about this service in one of our next articles.
