E-guide

Create Your Data Backup Strategy: A

Comprehensive Guide

Page 1 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

In this e-guide:

Backup plans are critical in today's environment. This data backup guide

will help you if you're starting the planning process, looking for a refresh

or seeking new options.

Page 2 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A comprehensive guide

Paul Crocetti, Senior Site Editor, SearchDataBackup

With the increased frequency of breaches and outages, it's more important than ever

to have a solid data backup strategy. And with the coronavirus pandemic leading to a

massive increase in employees working from home, it's critical to be able to protect

remote data in many different locations.

This data backup guide includes links to a variety of other in-depth articles. It covers

everything from the ways in which your data is at risk; to data storage methods,

locations and costs; to recommended backup frequency and employee training, roles

and responsibilities. The package also details top vendors, products and market trends.

With this guide, you'll be able to develop and execute a successful data backup

strategy that meets your specific business needs. And if you need a template for your

backup planning, you'll find it here as well.

Why is data backup important for business?

Backup protects data from several risks, including hardware failures, human error,

cyber attacks, data corruption and natural disasters. It's important to protect data from

Page 3 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

any potential issue so that an organization isn't blindsided when something happens. A

proper data backup platform will enable the user to return to the last known good

point in time before the problem hit. In a best-case scenario, your backup should lead

to a quick recovery of at least mission-critical data.

The 3-2-1 rule of backup is a solid strategy to follow. In this concept, an organization

has three copies of data, stored on at least two different types of media, with one copy

sent off site. In a remote work environment, cloud backup is a valuable off-site

resource. Remote work is especially risky from a data protection point of view, because

cybersecurity likely isn't as strong on the home network and users might be working on

less secure personal devices. The organization can centrally back up remote users' data

to the cloud. Off-site backup, which might go on tape cartridges, is also important to

protect against a natural disaster or cyber attack that takes down a data center.

What should be included in a backup plan?

It's first important to make sure you have a data backup plan, as many organizations

don't have one. The plan provides a starting point for backup and recovery activities.

One of the first places to begin in creating a backup plan is to conduct a risk

assessment and business impact analysis. The risk assessment identifies the issues that

could negatively affect an organization's ability to conduct business. The business

impact analysis determines the potential effects of a disruption to the organization's

Page 4 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

operations. These assessments are key for disaster recovery plans, but they can

provide valuable input for the backup plan in terms of what to back up and how often.

The scope of the backup plan identifies those metrics: the data the organization must

back up and the frequency of backups. Some data might not need backup, while

mission-critical data might require continuous data protection. It's important to

document that information because, without it, the organization risks having large and

unwieldy backup sets. The organization should strive to make backup management as

easy as possible so that recovery is a reliable process.

The plan details the organization's process of performing data backup; for example,

who is involved, which programs and products they use and the location of the

backups. It includes the procedure for testing, reviewing and updating the process. The

plan should also provide the cost of the data backup strategy, but make sure to update

this section frequently, as prices and workload volumes change often.

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs. cloud

The data backup market is large and continuously evolving. As a result, organizations

have a wide variety of choices. To start, your organization must decide if it will use

hardware, software, the cloud or a combination.

Page 5 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Some data protection vendors only manufacture software. For example, Veeam sells

backup and replication software and has partnerships with several hardware vendors,

plus it offers cloud-based products.

Backup hardware typically refers to a disk-based appliance. In a common setup, that

storage device will have integrated software that manages the backup data. The

hardware is a storage target for copies of data. Hardware lives in a data center,

whether it be the organization's main office, a remote site or both.

Software and the cloud don't require the use of a data center. As a result, it's easier to

troubleshoot from home, which is especially helpful when employees must work

remotely. Cloud backup is simpler to start running and maintain than on-premises

backup. In fact, organizations that want to remain hands off can choose cloud backup

that leaves management to the provider.

Page 6 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Storage options

Backup storage options include disk, tape and the cloud. Each have their advantages

and disadvantages. As the 3-2-1 rule of backup shows, using a combination of media

types is smart.

Disk-based backup is typically among the most expensive options, but it's also fast.

Because it physically lives in an office, it's susceptible to damage in the event of a

natural disaster.

Cloud backup runs cheaper, but only to a point, as it depends how much data your

organization is protecting. The cloud gets expensive over time and as volumes grow. It

can also take a long time, compared with an on-site option like disk, to pull data out of

the cloud, depending on bandwidth and volume. It's off site, so safe from a disaster at

the data center, but it's also online, so it's still vulnerable to a cyber attack.

Though tape is more commonly used for archival purposes now, it's still a backup

option. Its advantages include security, as it's inherently offline, so it's safe from cyber

attacks. The latest tapes store a high volume of data -- 30 TB of compressed capacity in

LTO-8. They require maintenance and management to ensure they are safe and secure

-- for example, having them transported to an Iron Mountain facility. Tape speed has

improved over the years, but on-site disk is typically faster for recovery purposes.

Page 7 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Page 8 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Choose a vendor/platform

The backup market has a wide range of vendors, from companies that have been in the

field for decades to startups specializing in cloud backup. The market also includes

vendors that provide a variety of other products, not just backup-focused offerings.

Commvault and Veritas are two of the more veteran players in the market, and both

have adapted to provide more data management capabilities in addition to backup and

recovery. Dell and IBM are two of the companies that have been around for a long

time and provide other IT services. These legacy vendors typically provide both

hardware and software.

Page 9 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Backup vendors that made their mark in the last five to 15 years include Veeam, Rubrik

and Cohesity. Veeam was originally a pioneer in backup for virtual workloads but has

since expanded to physical and cloud protection and become an overall market leader.

Rubrik and Cohesity led a movement in converged secondary storage, which combines

several data protection and reuse elements into one platform.

As the cloud has taken off in recent years, cloud-based backup providers have seized

the opportunity. Those vendors include Acronis, Arcserve, Asigra, Druva and Spanning.

In just the last few years, several new backup vendors have launched to provide

general services or target specific areas, such as cloud-based data. Cloud Daddy

focuses on backup of AWS data, Clumio provides backup as a service, HYCU offers

multi-cloud data protection, Kasten specializes in Kubernetes backup and OwnBackup

targets backup of Salesforce.

Other vendors are making a conscious effort to combine backup and cybersecurity. For

example, Acronis started out focused on backup but now offers what it calls "cyber

protection," while cloud backup pioneer Carbonite acquired cybersecurity vendor

Webroot before getting acquired by OpenText.

Implementation

Once you have your plan and products in place, it's time to implement your data

backup strategy.

Page 10 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Follow your data backup policy -- a key piece of the backup plan -- for guidance. The

policy lays out the method for planning, executing and authenticating backups. It

includes specific activities to ensure that your data backs up to safe and secure

storage.

There are several types of backup, and you should choose according to your backup

schedule. Here are some of the most popular options:

• A full backup is just that -- a copy of your entire system. • An incremental backup copies all the files that changed since the previous

backup. • A differential backup copies all the files that changed since the last full backup.

Backup scheduling is key to having the right amount of backed up data for your

organization. One example of a schedule has a full backup every week or every other

week, and incremental backups every day in between. It's likely unnecessary to do a

full backup every day, as not all data is mission-critical, and the space and cost of that

data backup strategy would get hefty.

Image on the next page

Page 11 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Page 12 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Build a recovery plan

A backup is only as good as its ability to restore. As a result, your organization also

needs a recovery plan. A good recovery plan should do several things:

• Outline how an organization plans to restore its backed up data. Data restoration techniques include instant recovery, replication, continuous data protection and restoring from traditional backups.

• Describe how quickly and how much data an organization must recover to function. These metrics are the recovery time objective and recovery point objective. It's important to be honest about these parameters -- organizations must take a close look at what data they need in a recovery situation and how fast they can get it. As such, it's probably not feasible to say your organization needs all its data recovered immediately. A tiered recovery plan is more practical.

• Backup and recovery planning should align with your organization's overall disaster recovery (DR) plan. The aim of DR is to get a business back up and running following a disaster. The DR plan incorporates results of a risk assessment and business impact analysis.

Employee training

Employee training is essential to helping staff understand the data backup strategy and

what to expect in a recovery situation.

Page 13 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in many layoffs and furloughs. As a result, some

general IT administrators might be tasked with backup work they haven't done before.

One way to get up to speed on an organization's backup process is to read the

appropriate documentation, if that's available. This further shows the importance of

having a documented and continuously updated data backup plan, as it helps an

employee new to the job start with more than just a blank slate. To get out in front of

potential issues, your organization should designate other staff that can take on

backup management if the primary backup administrator is unavailable.

IT staff managing backups have to fulfill a tall order these days. Data sets are growing

exponentially; therefore, so are backup data sets. It can appear overwhelming to keep

a handle on it all, but there are ways to mitigate this issue. Administrators should verify

the organization's backup retention requirements, review the backup architecture and

how well it's working, and create data lifecycle management policies for backups.

Testing and review

You've probably heard it before: Test, test, test. How do you know if your backups are

good without testing them?

Testing doesn't need to be overwhelming, but it must be consistent. With this guide to

backup testing, explore why it's important plus key steps, such as documenting a test

plan, using automation and ensuring accuracy. Backups can fail, but it's better to have

them fail in a test than in a live recovery situation.

Page 14 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Your backup test frequency should align with how frequently you back up data.

Mission-critical data, for example, will get backed up the most, thus those backups

should receive the most frequent testing. You might have done it in another piece of

your data backup process, but make sure you assign a criticality value, which will help

determine testing frequency, to each backup set.

A test is an important step, but it's not the only one in the review process. It's critical to

analyze the results of testing and see where your organization must make changes.

You might also find that bringing in an outside agency for backup auditing will further

detail the effectiveness of your backups.

After all of the review, update your plan. The data backup plan should not just sit on a

shelf or idle on a computer -- it is a living document that requires continuous updating.

Make sure your backups are secure; you should feel confident that they can handle any

recovery situation.

Page 15 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

Template

If you find that you need a documented outline for your data backup plan, check out

this free template and guide. You can download it and plug in the necessary

information, from your scope to the backup policy to contact information.

Creating the data backup plan should be a team effort. Although one person might

document it, it's important to share it with other key stakeholders -- such as executives

-- for their review and input. Data backup planning is an essential business activity.

With so many threats and risks, your organization must have a ready copy of its critical

data in the event of an unplanned incident so that it can continue operations. In

addition to loss of revenue, downtime is costly to company reputation and employee

morale.

If you're starting the data backup strategy process or looking to update a current plan,

don't put it off. Data volumes will continue to grow and potentially get more complex

as workloads spread around several different architectures. The backup future will

likely be more cloud-based, so plan for that evolution.

It's a great time to work on your backup planning.

Further reading

Page 16 of 16

In this e-guide

Create your data backup strategy: A

comprehensive guide p. 2

Why is data backup important for business?

. p. 2

What should be included in a backup plan?

. p. 3

Evaluate options: Hardware vs. software vs.

cloud p. 4

Storage options p. 6

Choose a vendor/platform p. 8

Implementation p. 9

Build a recovery plan p. 12

Employee training p. 12

Testing and review p. 13

Template p. 15

Further reading p. 16

E-guide

About SearchDataBackup

SearchDataBackup.com offers IT professionals – charged with building and managing

efficient backup and restore policies and processes – relevant, independent advice,

expert tips, and industry news. And because of ever-expanding data, the rise of server

virtualization, and the development of emerging technologies, it is more important

than ever for storage pros to implement an effective backup and data protection

strategy.

Whether you’re building your data protection plan or you’re looking for guidance on

the deployment and use of today’s backup and restore technologies – such as data

deduplication, continuous data protection (CDP), archiving, tape and disk options,

snapshots, and more – SearchDataBackup.com has you covered.

For further reading, visit us at http://SearchDataBackup.com/

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