When it comes to reviewing or implementing a backup solution, there are plenty of options to choose from. The likelihood is that your current solution is doing a fairly good job in protecting your data, but complacency could be disastrous if your data backup solution isn’t quite what you thought it was.
How can you find out if your current data backup provider is providing a solution you can trust? We’ve come up with 3 key questions you can ask your data backup provider to make sure you’re working with the best people possible.
What to Ask Your Data Backup Provider.
- How quickly can a full restore be done or tested?
It’s scary to think how many organisations set up their backups but never tested them. After all, a data backup provider is only as good as their ability to recover their customer’s data.
As the user, you should be regularly testing the ability to recover your data. For some, restores of single files or folders may be a regular requirement as staff accidentally delete or lose data, leaving them confident that the solution ticks the recovery box. However, being able to rapidly test a DR scenario and recover in a disaster, is vital.
- Is there an air gap between my data and my backup and where is the backup data stored?
What’s an air-gapped backup solution? Simple, a backup solution with an air gap is disconnected from the primary network where data is stored, this is often referred to as an offline backup and in many cases will be a cloud-based backup solution.
The benefit of an air gap is that hackers or unauthorised personnel cannot access a backup if primary networks are compromised, they also ensure that if the primary network was negotiated by a physical event such as a fire or flood backups are still accessible.
Why is where your data is stored important? Data protection regulations and industry-specific legislation are key factors to consider when reviewing or implementing a solution from new data backup providers; dependant on their nature, your customers may even need to understand whether the data that you hold is related to them and whereabouts it is held.
In some instances, it may be permissible that data is stored in a different state or region, but this is complex and may require you to be compliant with other nations data protection policies. Your best bet, utilise a data backup and protection solution where data is stored within the UK.
- Am I paying for hardware?
Maybe you’re reviewing your current solution because the cost keeps going up and up every year. Maybe you’re implementing a solution for the first time, and you’ve baulked at the quotes you’ve been given.
Whilst we hope the cost isn’t the only factor in deciding which solution or data backup provider to use, it is often an important one. Legacy backup solutions often require an additional storage medium or hardware in which to store data. This hardware will require physical storage space, maintenance, and may limit flexibility, data growth or negate any cost reduction as and when data volumes decrease.
A cloud-first approach ensures that there is no requirement for hardware, no additional renewals or maintenance to pay for and your backup provider can pass cost-savings directly to you.
What if you asked ClearYolk?
At ClearYolk we simplify data protection so you can focus on growing your business. Our intuitive backup and recovery solutions allow you to instantly protect your most valuable data, with a simple pricing model that grows and shrinks as your data does.
Restores can be rapidly tested using InstantData ensuring that full systems or single files can be accessed on-demand when you need them most.
With built-in encryption, air-gapped backups and a cloud-first, hardware-free approach you can be confident that your data is safe with us and that you’re getting the best solution for your investment.
Speak to one of our experts today to find out more.
