My first stint in information technology was programming in COBOL on a mainframe in the late 80s. There was no internet but there was remote access from branches around the country and it was a very expensive system. Backups were a no brainer. It was obvious they were necessary and lots of resource went into the technology available for that time, that is, tapes. Reels and reels of it.
Boy have times changed! So, also have attitudes to it. Now there’s internet. Really good internet and loads of cloud storage alternatives out there. This means backups are no longer necessary right?
Uh-uh. Think again.
Yes, it is true that the data centres that hold your precious data have fault-tolerant systems against break-in, hacking, natural disaster and even nuclear war in some cases. They also have their own backup systems in place. That does not mean that the cloud provider is doing that because they love you and you really care about protecting your data. Not really. Oh they care of course, but if it came to the crunch and your data got lost, legally you don’t have a leg to stand on if you have not taken your own measures to protect it. That is, you should have a system in place to backup the data you are entrusting to the cloud provider.
OK, so that’s stuff you have on the cloud. Fine. But then there’s documents, photos and databases you store locally on your computer, or your network at your premises. It’s far more obvious you need to backup that data I would hope.
Many of you work from home or have your business office at home. Some of you are private people but have a need to backup important files (especially photos!) that you don’t want to lose.
This brings us back to the title of this post “What Have You Got To Loose?” To unpack this question a little more, for each type of data you have, you need to ask the following questions:
The most secure backup solution is called offline. This means that it only connects when you are backing up, then it disconnects. There’s a good reason for that. You can’t be hacked, and you can’t accidentally delete data. You can have a scheduled back up configured for an external drive that you keep attached to your device. That is not offline because it remains available to a hacker to do with what he wants. Ideally, use a portable device such as a portable external drive or USB flashdrive (stick) which you connect at backup time, then remove from your computer when finished. This is very inconvenient as it requires discipline and time you or your staff don’t have usually.
The next best solution is NAS or network-attached storage. This dedicated storage device is available to your computer in the sense you are connected to the same network as it is. However, a separate backup function can be configured which backs up your data to a separate storage area on the NAS not available through standard network access. This remains offline between scheduled backups.
Ultimately, online backup services are the best way to go. These services operate out of secure data centres, provide a service on your device that remains offline between scheduled backup sessions and requires very little resource from your or your staff to keep running.
Backing up your cloud-based system is done by way of our SaaS protection products which we are happy to advise you about. This provides secure backup of all your cloud stored data and email for Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.
Talk to us about Need A Nerd File Protection or Need A Nerd SaaS Protection to get the advice you need.
Alternatively, have us assist you with any of the solutions discussed above or shades in between.
0800 63 33 26 (NEEDANERD) because everyone needs a nerd.