Just about every business in the world today relies on hardware, software, and data to run its operations. If any of these components fail, your business is in downtime until you recover or repair the technology. The cost of recovering from disasters from downtime or failure rose by 25% in 2020,(What is the source) with many of those costs resulting from non-existent, inadequate, or failed disaster and recovery plans. These days it is an absolute certainty that at some point or another, your servers will experience downtime, whether by natural error or human interference. So, the only question is: what are the best practices in preparing for the inevitable, and how to build the best data backup and recovery plan?
But first, here are some of the reasons why the best-laid plans can fail
1. Recovery Dependencies
Data dependency is where the data in question rely on previous data in the chain of code. If previous dependencies are not taken into account, data or code further up the line will be without instruction and cease to function. Unfortunately, some data disaster recovery plans rely on backups that did not include a full mapping of dependencies, resulting in either partially recoverable or unusable data.
2. Compatibility Issues
Many rely on the “lift and shift” method of backing up data. However, between the unavoidable updates and the ever-changing environment, that data can be rendered inaccessible or lost if the compatibility is not accounted for regularly. (inaccessible or lost seem like a repetition)
3. Testing
Any plan that goes untested runs the risk of failure when called upon to perform in a real-world disaster. Testing is also a part of ensuring dependencies and compatibility. Hence, one should not overlook this step in a backup and disaster recovery plan.
4. Data Corruption & Malware
Several corruptions results from nefarious outside malware infiltration. Some are simply the result of human error and mistakes in coding, compatibility, and transferring, while others are the product of hardware issues or other unpredictable or unchecked circumstances.
Malware infiltration has been rising dramatically over the past decade(source), a trend that is expected to continue. Breaches can be the costliest disaster of all, as they can erase or remove sensitive client data.
Best Practices
To give your data disaster and recovery plan its best chance is to source outside managed backup services. Leveraging outside backup services is the best practice because they will:
- Minimize downtime and thereby minimize financial and data loss
- Have proven and tested methods
- Be focused on a singular product to provide customized service
- Ensure compliance and certification
- Free up your IT department for regular operations
Pathway’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan provides best practice compliance and lowers data management and storage risks.
