Hopefully, if you are a small business owner, you are not merely reading this article to determine if you actually need a business data backup strategy. Instead, with any luck, you have already determined that you desperately need one because, indeed, you do.
In general, a business data backup strategy is inherently simple. Develop an in-house solution that meets your immediate needs and then, when the time is right, migrate the entire solution to a reliable, third party, offsite data backup vendor. There is only one fault in this plan, it is far easier to conceptualize than to accomplish.
The Problem
Most small businesses have the foresight to back up their most valuable data. Just as many, however, fail to recognize the need to have a backup strategy that will replace their entire operating system, applications and data if the entire network should crash.
In the preceding situation, the small business owner is faced with the arduous task of reloading everything from scratch.
To reiterate, your customers will, in most cases, be unable to conduct business with your company. Of course, you will have manual procedures to handle the most valuable customers but there is a limit to how much your staff can accomplish without their normal business tools. In short, business and potential clients will be lost.
The Immediate Solution
An in-house business data backup solution is perfectly workable as long as your company invests in the proper equipment and software. Solutions exist that will provide real time archiving of your business data and will also provide a mirror image of your entire operating system with applications.
The result is that, in the event of a partial or catastrophic failure, your system can be rebooted, in its entirety, in a matter of minutes. In fact, the process is so quick that any lags noticed by our customers will probably be blamed on faulty Internet service rather than anything to do with your site. The procedure is almost transparent to customers and employees.
The physical security of this system is also important. Fires, floods and theft can derail your business as easily as a hacker attack. The actual hard drive should be water and fire proof and securable in such a a way as to be, essentially, theft proof.
Long Term Strategy
Once an in-house business data backup solution has been developed, your business is secured against almost every type of catastrophic failure. The next step in the strategy should be to optimize your IT resources to gain the most robust system with the greatest security at the most affordable price.
Retaining a reputable and reliable business data backup company to provide these services is the obvious answer. Off-site business data backup from a third party offers several more essential benefits for a growing small business. The vendor will install, monitor, maintain and secure the system.
This is an important distinction from in-house services as these companies are able to provide higher levels of service, monitoring and security because they are able to leverage their costs across multiple clients. It is a win-win situation.
What’s Next?
You’ve already taken the first step towards a business database backup strategy by deciding that you need one. All that remains is to explore what is the right solution for your immediate and long term needs. A reputable company can answer these questions as well as any others that may develop.