#Small business data backup solutions how to

Application-aware backups (those that are already aware of what needs to be backed up for a given application) can simplify file-level backups by intelligently capturing all the relevant data sets needed to recover an application. It also can serve as the means to backup a database for a given application. File level is perfect for backing up files and folders on your file server. Which backup method will you use?īackups can be created using two basic methods: file level and image level. Given, you may be reading this because you don’t have your backups in proper order, but you should at the very least be considering the backup of critical servers and services that you know your business can’t be without for very long. One of the simplest ways to accomplish this is to perform image-level backups, where the entire system (whether physical or virtual) is backed up as a single data set (more on this later). The whole point of disaster recovery for a small business is to provide an ability to recover regardless of the loss incurred. By having hybrid-cloud backups, you retain sync’d backups in both locations, increasing your ability to recover from just about any disaster. There are pros and cons for each, but the basic thinking is if you use only one (either on-prem or in the cloud) to store your backups, you’re missing out on the ability to recover from a loss of location or loss of Internet connectivity. You can keep them on-premises, in the cloud, or use a hybrid mix of both. Then there’s the issue of where you should store your backups.

Since I have no idea what your specific needs are, you’ll need to do some soul-searching to determine just how “up and running” your business needs to be. First off, you need to decide whether your business requires an ability to restore, an ability to recover or an ability to maintain availability of services. You’ve got a wide range of options here, as every vendor shouts at the top of their lungs that their way of doing backups is the best. Sync and share solutions no substitute for Backup What kind of backup should I be using? Sync tools are great for simple backups of file sets, but they are not a replacement for a true backup that allows your business to recover (and not just some files).Ĭheck out the following article for more on this: Sure, you can sync up the important files and folders on your one file server to Google Drive/OneDrive/DropBox/etc., but that sync won’t address the problem of you potentially losing the entire server. I have a backup of critical files going to a cloud sync provider.

#Small business data backup solutions how to

“Where did my server go?”: How to defend against ransomware Why can’t I just use a sync tool? You need one for a number of reasons.ġ.) You’re not making money if a critical part of your environment is down.Ģ.) The expectation by customers today of companies large and small is that you’re always available.ģ.) Without a backup, it will take you materially longer to not just rebuild whatever data set/application/system was impacted, but to also put your operations back into a “close to current” state as they were just prior to the “disaster” experienced.Īre your clients ready for a major weather event? But there are some businesses today that are materially larger than a SoHo that still don’t have a backup plan in place. Why do you even need a backup?įor those of you thinking the question is ludicrous, you can skip down a few lines. That way, if you are well past a given step in your thinking and/or execution, you can jump ahead to the next one. I’m going to walk through the steps by posing them as questions that you may (or may not) have considered. But, rather than make you search for each of them, I wanted to consolidate them (alongside some articles on this blog written by other contributors) into a single, practical plan for small business disaster recovery and backup. I’ve written (and will reference here) a bunch of articles over the past two years about the various hows and whys of backups. So, what’s the right way to plan out your backup strategy for small business? You have so many hats (including backup) to wear, that you often need a little push in the right direction so that you don’t need to try and reinvent the wheel as it were. But, as those of you in SMBs know, it’s never that easy.