Having a backup in place is like having insurance. Nobody really enjoys spending money on it, but when your car gets wrecked and you have insurance, life goes on. On the flip side, without insurance (or a backup in place), a speedy recovery gets very rough and expensive rather quickly.
A Reliable backup in place is one of the most important pieces of strategic IT planning. So, at Cyber Solutions, we have been very selective in our choice of providers. The most important thing to remember when selecting your backup plan is that cheaper isn’t always better. You want to know your data is there when you need it and that it’s easily accessible, should an emergency occur. You want to be back up and running as soon as possible, because lost data means lost time, and lost time means lost money for your business.
We spent some time with Sharon Vanhoose, IT Systems Engineer at Cyber Solutions, and asked her to share some information about backups that would be helpful to our customers and clients. Sharon shared the following information:
“While we primarily think about backups being necessary in the case of a major disaster such as fire, flood, or ransomware, most of the time a backup comes in very handy when a business is trying to recover from a simple human error. We all eventually have a spacey day and accidently delete a file, or a file was “there” and then it’s gone because someone accidently removed it from the server, thinking it will be in the recycle bin, but it’s not. Or an Excel file, like an important financial document with a years’ worth of payroll, gets corrupted when someone goes in and accidently deletes a formula somewhere. Depending on the retention policies put in place, a client can contact us at Cyber Solutions and we might be able to recover what was lost by using your backups.”
What Backup products does Cyber Solutions recommend?
At Cyber Solutions, we have three different products that we normally work with and recommend, depending on the type of business you have and the kind of backup service you’re looking for.
The first one is Barracuda MSP Intronis Backup. This is one of the lower priced options and doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that the pricier options have. This option works well for smaller companies on limited budgets who don’t want to back up the whole computer. Instead, they’re looking to back up just certain documents, or certain programs, like QuickBooks. Barracuda MSP is cloud based, so there’s no hardware.
The second option we use is a Barracuda device. This service backs up your data to a physical device and replicates to the cloud. There are lots of different sizes available, so it can accommodate as many devices and servers as space allows. For most businesses, this is a very cost-effective option.
The top of the line option we use is Datto. For businesses that need a disaster recovery plan that is reliable, simple, and quick, where the entire infrastructure must be protected and recoverable within seconds, Datto is the option we use and recommend. Datto is a local device that backs up to the cloud. This option is perfect for a business that would suffer greatly if there was any down time. The backup device can become a virtual machine if something gravely unfortunate happened, such as your entire server going down. It also has ransomware detection. The device can keep your business up and running until you can get your server back up. For businesses that can’t go down, this is the best option. When it comes to choosing your backup plan, Sharon had this to say:
“If costs are a big thing, then you’re better off at least getting your important data backed up. You can buy new hardware, but you can’t replace your data. But, going with the lowest option will also make your recovery time longer. If you have a full backup plan, then you’ll be up and running faster. So, if you have a business that has critical information and can’t have any downtime, then you need to consider that when selecting your backup plan. Unfortunately, a lot of businesses have a Network-attached storage (NAS) device, but if the business floods or burns, then the NAS won’t help get them back up and running. With a cloud-based backup, if you have a catastrophic event on-site, such as flood or fire, your data is off-site, so it’s safe. Most importantly, make sure you have a reliable backup with people you trust. We have a good relationship and great support with the three we recommend.”
How do I make sure my backup runs smoothly?
Great question! We asked Sharon what she would recommend to customers and clients so that their backups run smoothly and are easily recovered if necessary. Here are a few key points she emphasized.
- Workstations – Leave them on so that the backup can run. Don’t change the power settings.
- Antivirus – Don’t install another antivirus without letting us know first, because a new antivirus could block the automatic backup from happening.
- Talk to us – Data can be backed up several times a day, or each evening, depending on the needs of your business and space availability.
- Importance – Remember backups are important, and as your business grows, you might have to upgrade your device, or buy a new one, to accommodate your growing amount of data.
- Remember – There are two kinds of people – ones who have a good backup and ones who wish they had a good backup
How can I know my backup will be there when I need it?
Just like a smoke alarm in your home, you can unbox it and install it and hope it will start hollering if the unfortunate happens. Or, you can push the button and see if it hollers. But just because it can holler when you push the button, doesn’t mean it will do its job when it senses smoke, does it? Certainly not. You buy a smoke alarm to protect your home. In a similar sense, you purchase a backup system, and it can be backing up perfectly, but if you can’t restore your data, then your backup system is nothing more than a smoke alarm that hollers only when you push the button… it’s worthless.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know your data is there when you need it, and how you need it? Wouldn’t it be nice if someone could come in and test your backup process systems for you? We can! Please contact us at Cyber Solutions. We’d much rather you know that your data is there and recoverable when you need it than for you to assume that just because you unboxed it and installed it, it’ll save your precious data that will keep your business alive in the event the unfortunate happens. You have a working smoke alarm, but are you sure you have a reliable backup? Give us a call and we’ll test it out – for free! Why? Because it’s that important!
I need a better backup solution. What do I do?
We’re so glad you asked! We would much rather be proactive, than reactive, when it comes to helping you keep your data safe and recoverable. A simple call to Cyber Solutions will get you on your way to securing your data in a manner you can be comfortable with.
Contact us at: 864-224-0008
