Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR)
The ability to prepare for future interruptions is a crucial (but sometimes disregarded) component of creating a successful business. Backup and disaster recovery (DR) are essential to company continuity because they help manage incidents that impair operations. Events like data breaches and power outages can result in irreversible data loss, damage to one’s reputation, and loss of money if backups and DR are not in place.
This article serves as an introduction to backup and disaster recovery (BDR), two related procedures that assist companies in preparing for and dealing with unfavorable circumstances. We lay out the benefits that BDR may provide to your firm and give you all the tools you need to begin creating a successful business continuity plan.
What are disaster recovery and backup?
When something bad happens to the original file, you can recover it from a backup copy of the data. The majority of events that endanger the integrity and safety of data can be avoided by creating a data backup, including:
- Deletion by mistake or failure to save progress
- Losing a gadget that had a crucial file.
- A flaw in software
- A problem with the infrastructure or the services
- Theft of data (either by an external or insider actor)
- Damage to a database
- Shoddy patching
- A hard drive that failed
Disaster recovery, on the other hand, is a methodical approach for quickly restoring access to apps and IT resources following an incident. Businesses develop a DR plan for two different kinds of incidents:
- Natural disasters that harm property and interfere with power grids (earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, tsunamis, etc.).
- Unintentional or intentional man-made catastrophes (such as those caused by malware, theft, sabotage, terrorist attacks, power grid intrusions, etc) (accidental explosion, system failure, app bug, etc.)
A backup set of servers and storage systems that you can utilize in case the primary IT setup is destroyed is normally required for a DR strategy, whether they are owned or rented.
Backup and disaster recovery have a lot in common even though they are two distinct techniques. The majority of DR plans rely on backup in some way. Backups do not, however, guarantee business continuity on their own. Only a solid DR strategy can ensure that your business can continue to run in the event of a calamity.
Why Are Backup and Disaster Recovery Necessary?
Let’s examine the primary factors that influence the decision of companies of all sizes to invest in backup and disaster recovery.
- Avert expensive downtime
- Controlling damage during emergencies
- Get ready for online threats
- Prevent irreversible data loss
- Reduce the likelihood of human mistake
- Remote first teams are safeguarded
- Safeguard brand reputation, ensure compliance
The Cost of Downtime is Too High
When programs and data are unavailable to end users, downtime occurs (e.g., because of a natural disaster or DDoS attack). The impacts of downtime ripple throughout the entire business:
- No one can perform their duties.
- Transactions fail to complete.
- Customers seek out rivals.
- Revenue for the company stops.
Here are some statistics and data that make the necessity of preventing downtime crystal clear:
- Unexpected downtime reportedly inhibits the digital transformation of about 66% of businesses.
- The average cost of downtime for a small organization is between $82,000 and $256,000 per incident.
- At the moment, the average cost of IT network downtime is $300,000 per hour ($5,600 per minute).
- Downtime is getting 36 percent more expensive on average every year.
High levels of unplanned downtime can be avoided through disaster recovery planning. Even if the primary data center is down, you can keep services up during a disaster and prevent downtime by having the capacity to transition operations to a secondary set of IT resources.
Preventing Permanent Data Loss
Without a backup, if someone or something deletes a file, the data is lost forever. Unfortunately, there are numerous methods to lose data, including:
- Deliberate or unintentional deletion
- Hardware malfunction
- Cyber-attack
- Data tampering
- Damage to a storage unit physically
You can restore the file to the last known good point in time prior to the issue if you have a reliable data backup. The tactic ensures that you never lose a valuable file permanently but does not protect data from theft.
Damage Control in Emergency Situations
Even while unfortunate events inevitably result in harm, backup and disaster recovery allow a business to limit the damage. Here are a few illustrations:
- A backup helps you to recover any data destroyed by the fired employee in the event that they delete files out of spite after being fired.
- If the primary data center is experiencing a widespread power outage, a backup failover site in another location can keep you running.
- You can restore all data on lost devices from a cloud backup if a fire damages some of your infrastructure.
- In a hurricane situation, a DR strategy to transfer all equipment off the floor and into a room with no windows can save the entire IT setup.
- A disaster recovery strategy enables a prompt response that restricts lateral movement and manages the blast radius when an attacker gains access to your network.
- A good disaster recovery plan can prevent a ransomware attack from spreading to further devices, and backups guarantee that you can recover encrypted data.
Keeping Your Brand’s Image Clean
Your organization will not benefit from a reputation as a provider of lost client data. Current clients begin to discourage others from utilizing or working for your business as soon as you lose their trust.
Unhappy customers may also post bad reviews of your company online, giving it a poor ranking that may prevent you from attracting new clients for years. Because you didn’t have a backup and disaster recovery plan, you ultimately lose money.
Cyber threats are something that will happen, not if
It is dangerous to presume that your company is secure, even if you should implement strong firewalls and intrusion detection systems. Setting up preventative measures and developing a plan of action for a successful cyber-attack are both essential.
A good DR plan makes sure the team is prepared to:
- Quickly distinguish between various hazards.
- To each category of threat, react quickly and appropriately.
- Removing the attacker from the network should be completed.
However, backups prevent data loss and guarantee that you can recover from an attack without experiencing any long-term issues.
How to Safeguard Your Remote Workforce
While BYOD and remote work have many advantages, there are some concerns as well:
- The company has a limited understanding of how an employee utilizes and safeguards the equipment.
- Personal devices generally have lax security and passwords that are simple to guess.
- Working outside of the office increases the likelihood that a device containing sensitive data will be stolen or lost.
- Usually, a home network is much less secure than its commercial counterpart.
- A BYOD device is also used by an employee for personal uses, expanding the attack surface.
Without a sufficient backup, remote work and BYOD devices can quickly result in permanent data loss. A DR strategy also guarantees that the security team will act quickly to lock down a lost device or wipe the data to prevent an outsider from accessing corporate data.
Reducing the potential for human error
Everyone makes mistakes, including the people working for you. Employees frequently press the wrong buttons, forget to save changes, type dates incorrectly, delete files unintentionally, and neglect to save changes.
Your staff won’t unintentionally lose data thanks to a continuous backup mechanism. A DR plan also reduces the possibility of making costly errors during the vital stages of identifying and responding to a danger.
You Must Maintain Compliance
Government requirements require some businesses to have an always-on infrastructure, while municipal laws require other businesses to do regular data backups. The absence of backup and disaster recovery preparations in those situations may result in harsh penalties and high legal costs.
Keep in mind that when a calamity happens, a corporation does not receive an exemption from laws like HIPAA and PCI. Even when things are chaotic, conformity must be maintained. The good news is that you can reduce the compliance load by using backup and disaster recovery. As follows:
- Most data regulations provide for data backups in order to prevent losing sensitive data due to data leakage or a breach. Consider employing at-rest encryption for all sensitive data sets because you still need to worry about someone stealing your files.
- You can modify your DR strategy such that the security of databases that are connected to regulations is given priority during an emergency.
- To stay current with threats, DR planning necessitates routine IT system reviews. Regular reviews give the team a better opportunity of identifying compliance issues.
Hope for the best while making preparations for the worst
Every business, regardless of size, should have a plan in place to lessen the effects of natural disasters, server outages, data breaches, and unintentional file deletion. Backup and disaster recovery ensure that these occurrences don’t have long-term business repercussions, hence any cautious corporation should prioritize implementing these techniques.
