Common Data Backup Mistakes To Avoid
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Technology Published on: 23 May 2018 Last Updated on: 27 September 2024
A data disaster can strike anyone and at any time. Incidents like data loss can lead to dreadful consequences, especially when you run a successful business. The issue can become extremely alarming in the case of companies or business organizations dealing with different kinds of data, including confidential customer and employee information. When it comes to preventing data loss, data backup is an unavoidable step. Backing up of data is vital for any data recovery procedure as well. Yet, many individuals and companies fail to adopt the correct approach for the task. As a result, when faced with data emergency of any kind, they are not able to retrieve their data safely. Outlined below are some of the common data backup mistakes to avoid:
1. Not Having A Data Backup Plan In Place :
Regardless of the size or nature of your company, you are sure to experience data growth over a period of time. It is essential that you plan ahead and take effective steps for data backup before you reach the limits of your existing infrastructure for backup. As they say, prevention is better than cure! If proper planning for information backup on your part today can save you from the hassles of data disaster tomorrow, why not walk on that path and protect your company’s valuable information?
2. Not Ensuring Regular Data Backups :
Most people do realize the importance of data backup. However, when it’s a question of adopting a proactive stand on the issue, many tend to prioritize other things over this matter. As a result, regular data backups do not feature among the top priorities of many business organizations. If you are really serious about keeping your data safe, you have to make sure that the backing up happens on a regular basis. There can be no two ways about that. The best approach is to have a recovery backup appliance to take care of your regular backup needs in an automated manner.
3. Backing Up Only Part Of Your Data :
Another common mistake made by many people is that they back up only a part of their complete data set. The logic behind this action is that all sets data on their systems are not equally important. As such, they opt for only those sets of data that they feel are important. There is another reason why people do so. They do not have enough space to store all the data existing in their systems. While both the reasons may make sense, you can never be sure what type of data you will need unless you face a crisis. To be on the safe side, it is better to backup all data, irrespective of their importance and relevance.
4. Not Storing Your Backups In A Secure Location :
Coming to the issue of backup storage, it is not only important to have enough space for the backup but a secure location as well. After all, your backup data is as important as your original data, if not more. It won’t make sense to backup data if the security of the backup storage location is compromised. That is why you need to make sure that your backup data is stored in a safe location. An effective solution to the problem is to opt for cloud storage. This can provide you the security of offsite storage and enable you to overcome the challenges of limited storage space.
5. Not Selecting The Right Data Backup And Recovery System :
Companies make use of different types of data and store them in different ways. Before you opt for a data backup and recovery system, make sure that it is suitable for the requirements of your company. There are many factors to consider when selecting a data backup software system. For instance, will the data backup and recovery software system be compatible with your existing computer systems? Is the data backup system suitable to handle all types of data? Additionally, you have to look for a system that is highly reliable. If you overlook these essential aspects, your backup plans may not bear the expected results.
6. Ignoring The Real Goal Of Backup :
In their quest to backup data, many people tend to forget that this is not the ultimate goal of the whole exercise. The main aim of backing up is to be able to retrieve data successfully in the event of data loss or any kind of data emergency. Without keeping this objective in mind, they neglect backup data testing. So, when the actual need arises for data retrieval, their important data is found to be either missing or corrupted. To avoid such mishaps, you need to carry out backup testing periodically.
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