Backup Technology: What is Best for Your Business?

Every business, regardless of their size, needs to back up their data. Unfortunately, backing up your data on tapes is not always reliable. Most businesses are beginning to understand the importance of moving away from tape storage as they recognize the disaster that would happen if those backup tapes were damaged.

Typically, a business will turn to one of three options when moving from backup tapes. These options include a backup disk that is stored offsite in the cloud, a backup appliance, or a disaster recovery service. RedWave Technology Group can help your business choose which option is best for data backup. Below are four ways to help your business decide:

  1. The speed of the storage: whether you backup your system weekly or monthly, it matters how fast your information is backed up. Before deciding on a service, talk with the vendor about the amount of data you need to be stored so they can give you an estimate on backup times.
  2. The difficulty of growing or scaling down storage: though you may be starting off with a certain amount of data today, you need to know what will happen if your data storage needs to grow or need to be scaled back.
  3. Determine if the data can be archived: it is important to keep past backups for your company’s integrity, so it is best to find a storage option that allows you to backup and archive.
  4. Determine if the cloud fits into your storage plan: the cloud is used by around 60 percent of organizations. Since cloud data must also be backed up and archived, make sure you have enough cloud storage to manage your data backups.

Data Retention

Once you have your data backup strategy in place, it is imperative to look at data retention, the idea of how long your archived data should be maintained. Some servers keep backups for a few months before they overwrite them. Many other companies will retain data for less time. Having a good data retention policy can help your business maintain normal operations when disaster strikes. Knowing how long your backup data will be retained is important when deciding on the server you use. If your business is audited or challenged legally, you may need to produce data for evidence. By having a data retention policy in place, it will be easier for your IT staff to determine what documents to delete at what time.