10 Data Backup Best Practices Every Business Should Follow

Whenever we discuss cybersecurity, modern digital threats, or business continuity, one key issue comes up over and over again: data backup.

Data backup is a cornerstone of business continuity planning. It ensures that essential data and systems can be quickly restored in the event of disasters, enabling organisations to continue their operations with minimal disruption.

In an era of increasing cyber threats, such as ransomware and data breaches, data backup is also a crucial defence mechanism. Having up-to-date backups allows organisations to recover from cyberattacks without paying a ransom and with minimal data loss.

Many industries even have regulatory requirements that mandate data retention and protection. Data backup is, therefore, essential for compliance.

The importance of data backup is significant, but it is also a step companies might overlook. For this reason, we list here 10 data backup best practices that organisations of all sizes can follow to ensure business continuity.

1. Establish a consistent backup schedule

Ensure that data is backed up at regular intervals. This prevents data loss in case of hardware failures, human errors, or cyberattacks.

In the event of data loss or system failure, having up-to-date backups allows for a quicker recovery. Without regular backups, you might have to recreate or re-enter data, which can result in prolonged downtime and productivity loss.

Regular backups also help you meet your Recovery Point Objectives, which define the maximum allowable data loss in the event of a disaster. By scheduling backups at appropriate intervals, you can ensure that data loss is minimised and you meet your RPO targets.

Consistency in the backup process means that it becomes a reliable part of your data management and business continuity strategy. Regular backups can be automated, reducing the likelihood of human error and ensuring that data is consistently protected.

By having a well-defined backup schedule, you can manage storage costs more effectively. You don't need to keep excessive copies of data if you have a predictable and regular backup plan in place.

2. Perform data classification

Prioritise data based on its importance and sensitivity. Not all data is equally critical, so focus your resources and efforts on backing up the most valuable data first.

Data classification is a fundamental component of data security. By categorising data based on its sensitivity, you can apply appropriate security measures to protect it. For example, highly confidential or sensitive data may require stronger encryption, stricter access controls, and enhanced monitoring to prevent unauthorised access or data breaches.

Different types of data carry varying levels of risk. By classifying data, you can identify which data assets are most valuable and at the greatest risk. This allows you to allocate resources effectively to protect the most critical data, reducing the overall risk of data breaches or losses.

Classifying data allows you to set retention and deletion policies based on the data's importance and legal requirements. This ensures that you are not unnecessarily retaining data beyond its useful life, reducing storage costs and potential risks.

Data classification also fosters awareness within your organisation about the importance of data and the need to protect it. Employees become more mindful of how they handle data and are better equipped to follow security and compliance protocols.

3. Have offsite backups

Keep a copy of your data offsite or in a different geographic location. This protects against disasters that could affect your primary location, such as fires, floods, or earthquakes.

Storing data offsite adds an extra layer of redundancy to your backup strategy. Redundancy is crucial for ensuring data availability. In case one set of backups becomes inaccessible or corrupted, you have an alternative location from which to recover your crucial information.

Offsite backups protect against theft and tampering. If all your backups are onsite and a theft or security breach occurs, your data could be compromised. Offsite backups are typically stored in secure, controlled environments, reducing the risk of unauthorised access.

Many cloud-based offsite backup services allow you to adjust your storage capacity based on demand, eliminating the need for large upfront investments in infrastructure.

4. Ensure data redundancy

Maintain multiple copies of backups to safeguard against backup storage failures. This can include having onsite and offsite backups, as well as different backup media types (e.g., physical and cloud-based).

Redundancy is an important concept in data backup for various reasons, primarily centred around ensuring the availability, integrity, and resilience of your data. If a primary backup becomes corrupted or inaccessible due to hardware or software issues, you can rely on redundant backups to retrieve your data.

In the event of a cyberattack like ransomware, redundant backups can be essential. Attackers may attempt to encrypt or compromise all available backups, including offsite backups. Redundant, isolated backups provide an extra layer of defence, ensuring that at least some clean copies of data are preserved.

Redundant backups also expedite the recovery process. With multiple copies of data available, you can choose the most recent, uncorrupted backup for restoration, minimising downtime and productivity losses.

Another benefit of having redundant backups is that they can be used for testing and validation without affecting the primary systems. You can perform recovery drills, test software updates, or conduct security audits on redundant data copies, keeping the production environment unaffected.

5. Encrypt your data

Encrypt your backup data to protect it from unauthorised access. Use strong encryption methods to ensure that even if someone gains access to the backup, they cannot read the data.

When data is encrypted, it is transformed into an unreadable format, and it can only be decrypted using the appropriate encryption keys. This safeguards sensitive information from unauthorised access and maintains data privacy.

Data is often transferred to and from backup locations, such as cloud storage or remote data centres. Encrypting data during transfer (in-transit encryption) ensures that it remains secure and cannot be intercepted or tampered with by malicious actors.

When you need to recover data from backups, encrypted data remains secure throughout the recovery process.

6. Perform regular tests

Periodically test your backup and recovery processes to ensure they work as expected. This practice helps identify any issues and provides confidence that data can be restored when needed.

Over time, changes in the IT environment can impact the consistency of backups. Regular testing helps ensure that data remains consistent across backup copies, preventing issues related to data corruption or partial backups.

Regular testing can also help organisations build resilience against cyberattacks, such as ransomware. By testing your ability to recover from such attacks, you can be better prepared to respond and limit potential damage.

As businesses evolve and grow, their data management needs change. Performing tests help assess whether your backup strategy aligns with the evolving requirements and can accommodate new technologies, data types, or storage needs.

Regular testing is essential for ensuring the reliability, security, and effectiveness of your data backup and recovery processes.

7. Enable versioning

Enable versioning in your backup strategy to retain multiple historical versions of files. This is crucial for recovering from data corruption or accidental data changes.

Versioning helps maintain data integrity by allowing you to keep multiple copies of the same file or dataset over time. This safeguards against data corruption or accidental changes, as you can revert to a previous, uncorrupted version.

It's not uncommon for users to inadvertently delete or modify data. Versioning allows you to recover the previous, unaltered version, preventing data loss due to human error.

In the event of a ransomware attack, where files may be encrypted and held hostage, versioning allows you to revert to clean, uninfected versions of the data. This is an essential component of recovery and ransomware mitigation.

Versioning also enables you to compare different versions of data or documents. This is useful for identifying changes, resolving conflicts, and ensuring consistency.

8. Implement monitoring and alert systems

Make sure you get notifications of backup failures or anomalies. Proactive monitoring ensures that issues are addressed promptly.

Monitoring systems continuously check the health of your backup processes and infrastructure. They can detect issues as they arise, such as backup failures, storage errors, or network problems, allowing you to address them promptly before they escalate into significant data loss incidents.

Timely alerts enable you to take corrective actions, preventing potential data loss and ensuring the continuity of your backup processes. By addressing problems as they occur, you minimise downtime and ensure that data backup and recovery processes remain available when needed.

Monitoring also allows you to optimise resource allocation for backup activities. For instance, it can help you identify underutilised storage capacity or overburdened backup systems, enabling more efficient resource allocation.

Monitoring systems can be configured to send alerts based on specific thresholds and criteria. This customisation allows you to prioritise and address issues based on their importance and impact on data backup operations.

9. Document procedures

Maintain detailed documentation of your backup procedures, configurations, and recovery processes. This documentation aids in the rapid restoration of systems and data.

Documentation provides a standardised and well-defined set of procedures for performing backups. This consistency ensures that all backups are executed in a systematic and reliable manner, reducing the risk of errors and data loss due to inconsistent practices.

Documented backup procedures serve as valuable training materials for new employees and can be used for onboarding. This helps ensure that all team members, including new hires, are familiar with the backup processes and best practices.

In the event of data loss or system failure, well-documented procedures are indispensable for data recovery and system restoration. They guide the recovery process, ensuring that data is restored efficiently and accurately.

10. Train employees

Ensure that employees understand the importance of data backup and their roles in the process. Proper training reduces the likelihood of human errors and enhances data security.

Training ensures that employees understand the significance of data integrity and the critical nature of data backup. They are more likely to handle data with care and follow best practices for data protection.

It is important that employees follow standardised backup procedures consistently. This is something reinforced by regular training sessions, reducing variations in the backup process and minimising the risk of errors due to inconsistent practices.

Educated employees can make informed decisions regarding the allocation of resources for data backup. They can choose appropriate backup schedules, storage solutions, and retention policies based on business needs.

Training also helps employees understand the legal and regulatory requirements related to data protection and backup. They are more likely to adhere to these requirements, reducing the risk of compliance violations.

Employees who are familiar with processes and procedures can provide valuable feedback and insights for improving data backup. They can identify areas where the backup strategy can be enhanced or where additional security measures are needed.

Conclusion

Data backup is essential. But it is also something that can be forgotten if organisations don't take an active role in ensuring data integrity and redundancy.

The best practices outlined in this article provide a roadmap for safeguarding valuable information and ensuring business continuity in the face of potential data loss, security breaches, and unforeseen disasters.

By implementing regular backup schedules, offsite backups, encryption, redundancy, versioning, monitoring, and alert systems, as well as providing employee training and maintaining thorough documentation, organisations can fortify their data defence mechanisms. These practices are not only vital for protecting sensitive information but also for ensuring compliance with industry regulations and for promoting operational efficiency.

Ensure your systems are protected and your data is secure by hiring a data backup and recovery solution. Contact us to learn more.