Compliant Ways to Backup Data

When it comes to advising our users of best practices for data security and workplace security, one thing we often get questions about is the best and most proper ways to back up data. It’s definitely a good question to ask, considering many don’t even consider data backup and the most secure ways to do so.

In this guide, we’ll walk through a few common questions or points of confusion relating to data backups, as well as some different ways to back up your data.

Why Should I Back Up My Data?

A data backup is simply a copy or unique archive of the valuable information kept on your organization’s devices, such as a computer, phone, or tablet, and it's used to recover the original data in the case of a data loss.

Data loss may take many forms, including hard disk malfunctions, ransomware attacks, human mistakes, and physical theft. Whatever the potential breach, a data backup could be the one thing you need to recover the data that was stolen or deleted on your devices. It is normally kept in a safe, off-site place, like the cloud, away from the originating device. This way, you may rest confident that a data backup has your back if you have the heartbreaking sense that all of your hard work and/or priceless memories are lost.

Are There Different Types of Data Backups?

There is an incremental backup and differential backup. The goal of an incremental backup is to only transfer copies of data blocks that have changed or been added since the previous backup process to the backup storage. This is typically done to update the older version of the data stored in the backup storage as quickly as possible. Additionally, it is typically applied to datasets that contain both regular data and images. On the other side, a Differential Backup isn't really designed to update the most recent backup. Instead, it provides copies of all the data that has changed or been added since the first complete backup instance. As a result, each differential backup instance causes the amount of the backed-up data to increase.

What are Some Different Backup Methods?

File-level backups, system state backups, image-based backups, application-aware backups, and VM backups are three frequently used data backup techniques.

The approach of file-level backup divides the data into distinct files. As a result, uploading various data files from the source computer to the backup store should be simple. System state backup, as opposed to file-level backup, makes an effort to preserve copies of the important system files on the source machine. The operating system and its associated system configurations are backed up in this manner.

A unique backup method called "image-based backup" transfers the hard disk data from the source system together with all the related configurations, and then stores them in the backup storage. You may use the hard disk pictures to make recoveries in this way.

Application-aware backup aims to preserve the whole state of unique apps. At a precise moment in time, it copies and stores application data together with any related settings. That makes it simple to fully restore programs to their original state.

Data copies from virtual machines are transferred during VM backup in order to be saved in the backup storage. Naturally, this architecture differs from that of local computers, and the entire process also supports block tracking.

The type of backup you should choose depends on the type of data you are going to be backing up.

How Often Should I Back Up My Data?

Regular backups are the only method to shield your company from losing important data. At the very least once each week, but ideally once every twenty-four hours, important data should be backed up.

There are two ways to back up data: manually and automatically. There are several automated software solutions that you may use to schedule the backup of your data for a specific period of the day or week.

You can ensure that you don't miss anything crucial by backing up every day, even if anything goes wrong overnight. If you use the data backup solutions offered by an IT business, daily backups are very simple.

Different (Proper) Ways to Backup Data

Back up to an External Hard Drive

Compared to USB sticks and CD drives, external hard drives are much quicker. They are much more durable than any of those alternatives while still being portable. They have a lot more storage capacity, which is the most crucial feature. You can plug external hard drives into and out of any device you choose. Some of the more current ones also support USB 3.0 for quicker data transfer.

External hard drives may be rather pricey, and they do have a chance of failing, just like any other physical storage device. Even more expensive solid-state devices are speedier and more durable than standard external hard disks.

Use a NAS Device

A wonderful approach to save your data on a different device that is accessible from any other device that is linked to the device's own network is via network-attached storage (NAS). Imagine it as an external hard disk with a wireless network built in.

This entails placing files on a mini-server that can be accessed from just about any device that is wired to your home network for a home office. These gadgets are particularly helpful for offices since they enable smooth workplace cooperation between various personnel. No one is intercepting your data or recording your network activities because there are no third parties involved.

Invest in Cloud Storage

One of the greatest methods to back up your data is to buy cloud storage. A solid cloud storage solution, like Google Drive or OneDrive, will provide a built-in file management system for easy access and respectable encryption to protect your data from other parties. Data uploading to the cloud may be automated and is independent of the device being used. The security flaws of a third-party cloud service, however, are not completely your fault.