Data backup is a simple concept– you have data on a computer that you save somewhere else in case of a system failure. This guarantees that you will never lose your data, even in the event of a disaster. If it’s that easy–and important– why does approximately 98% of the general population dismiss the idea of doing regular backups?
For businesses around the world, backup can get a little more complicated. Companies usually have a lot more data to back up than an average person. They also have very different requirements from individual users. They have to be able to store a lot of data, which is generated from a lot of different sources (which may not even be human!). They back up data from applications, file servers, databases, and people.
This data isn’t all electronic fliers for the next company picnic- it’s critical information that the company needs to survive. Without these materials, the company’s revenue and even existence are jeopardized! According to a Ponemon Institute survey, the average cost of data center downtime is $7,900 a minute. And that’s just an average! For larger companies, the dollar amount sky-rockets. For an outage that Amazon.com suffered last year, they lost $66,240 per minute. In other words, one minute’s loss was greater than the average U.S. worker’s salary.
So with that in mind, why wouldn’t you backup your data? Perhaps it’s because you don’t know what your options are available to your business. Here are just a few:
1. On-site Data Backup – This is the standard method used by most businesses, although it’s becoming less popular. In this method, data is backed up to a central repository, using tape or disk, residing at the same location as the bulk of the users and servers that generate the data.
- Pros
- Simple – The platform is located with everything else- no need to locate a backup platform at another site.
- Convenient – No one needs to drive to another data center to swap tapes.
- Quick restore – Data restores are swift, because they’re on the same local network.
- Cons
- Expensive – The tape backup software (tape libraries and SAN/disk arrays) can add up, and get expensive quickly.
- Limited protection – The entire idea of data backup is to keep your company’s data safe. That’s hard to do when the backup is in the same physical location as the data.
- Difficult to manage – Businesses don’t realize how difficult it can be to keep track of all their company’s data!
2. Offsite Storage – In this approach, data is saved to either tape or disk, then sent to an offsite storage facility. The data can then be recalled if needed.
- Pros
- Very stable – Once the data is written and stored, it’s not going anywhere.
- Cheap – Tape is a pretty cheap medium and the storage costs aren’t high.
- Cons
- Not data backup – Offsite storage isn’t really data backup. It’s more commonly referred to as data archival, because that’s what it is – a long-term archive of data, not really meant to be restored except in extreme cases.
- Very, very slow – Retrieving the tapes takes no time at all. Getting them loaded into a tape drive, then completing the agonizing process of getting the data reloaded into new systems… that’s another story. This process truly takes a long time!
- Not very good backup quality – Think about it: if you’re restoring your systems, do you really want to restore them with data you saved three years ago?
3. Cloud Storage – A great option that’s experiencing rapid growth! Cloud storage allows you to save your company’s data to a platform managed by someone who handles all of the infrastructure, software, and network issues.
- Pros
- Inexpensive – When you consider the costs involved in building and managing a data backup solution in-house, cloud storage looks pretty good.
- Off-site, but easily retrievable – Cloud storage combines the advantage of off-site storage with the ability to pull data back (in-whole or in-part) from the provider.
- Low Maintenance – Typically, everything is managed by the provider, with the exception of some rules you set and the installation of agents.
- Cons
- Network Sensitive – Network constraints might make it difficult to restore some files in a timely manner.
4. Hybrid Backup – Hybrid backup works much like cloud storage, but with the added advantage of having local restore options available as well. In this method, a device is kept onsite and data backs up to it locally. Then, it sends data to an offsite cloud storage location, providing offsite storage. Copies of the data can be kept locally for quick access, while the cloud storage platform provides true backup.
- Pros
- Very secure – Your data is stored locally and in the cloud, meaning you always have your information.
- Quick restore – With the local device, you’re able to quickly restore data when it’s needed.
- Low Maintenance – As with the cloud storage option, the provider typically takes care of everything.
- Cons
- More expensive that cloud storage alone – Because there’s an additional element (and more data to manage), the hybrid option is typically more expensive than cloud storage alone.
No matter which option you choose, it is imperative that your company save its data! Don’t lose $7,900 per minute along with a recovery fee.