Maintaining company data is a critical task for any organization, and no one likes to imagine the prospect of data loss. Yet, data compromised through unforeseen events like outages or disasters is not so much an “if” as a “when”—especially during high-risk situations like Florida’s hurricane season. No matter what industry you’re in, sooner or later, an event can impact the integrity of your data.
A robust backup strategy can safeguard a business against data loss from natural and manmade events, and even malicious breaches. This strategy should include more than just the use of a reliable backup system, however. Companies should establish regular validation of their backup systems to ensure that data can be restored as quickly as possible.
Data backup validation is the process of testing a company’s backup systems, confirming that the restored files contain the correct data and can be brought back to their previous usable state. This process is as crucial as running the backup solution itself. A solution without regular validation is akin to having a fire emergency plan posted on the wall, but never conducting a fire drill to verify its effectiveness.
Creating a Comprehensive Backup & Validation Strategy
A diligent managed services provider (MSP) will establish a quality backup and validation plan that includes a variety of elements:
Identification of critical data: Not all data is equally valuable. To optimize usage, decide what data must be prioritized for backup. That would include business critical applications, customer data, financial records, and operational files. Strategies can be customized to specific industry needs, for instance, to satisfy healthcare compliance or financial services requirements.
Implementation of a “3-2-1” strategy: Here’s a good industry rule. Have three copies of crucial material: an original and two backups, preferably stored on different media. The types of storage used should vary, including hard drives, cloud solutions, and NAS devices.
Scheduling automated backups: Creating daily, weekly, and monthly automatic backups is advised, depending on data volatility. The frequency of these backups must meet compliance requirements for regulations like HIPAA or FINRA. Small to mid-size companies should consider whether cloud or on-premises backup is preferable for their individual models.
Use of high-end encryption: Unencrypted backup presents a huge security risk. Malicious hackers have become more sophisticated in their ability to breach unprotected network content. Use top-flight encryption standards such as AES-256 and the SSL/TLS cryptographic protocol to ensure secure data transmission and storage, deterring unauthorized access.
Validation of backup integrity: Backups can be ineffective if they can’t be restored to their original functionality. Full restoration testing should be performed regularly to ensure that all files, databases, and applications are intact, including use of checksum verification to detect corruption. Testing often reveals previously undetected errors, incomplete restores, and outdated configurations—scenarios any business would hate to face during an actual emergency.
Validation of restoration capability: An often-overlooked component of the backup strategy is the ability to restore data quickly. It is not uncommon that the validation consists of restoring a few files every quarter. In the case of a disaster, businesses must consider the probability of losing every piece of critical data, including operating system, configuration, and application data, on top of business data. The question businesses need to ask, and to test, is how fast can the company restore all its critical data, and by what means?
Maintaining logs and audits: Logs can help detect gaps in backup coverage before a disaster strikes. Always document backup frequency, success rates, and any errors that arise. Automated backup monitoring tools can provide administrators with proactive alerts to warn of impending issues.
Reviewing and updating policies: Backup processes must be adjusted to accommodate new IT systems, cybersecurity threats, or regulatory changes. An effective MSP will continuously improve an organization’s data protection strategies as technologies and market threats evolve.
For any business, data loss can be catastrophic. If a business owner can’t recall the last time their data backup system was tested, a recurring validation strategy needs to be implemented ASAP. It’s imperative that all backup data remains secure, validated, and accessible whenever an organization may need it.
Edited by
Erik Linask
