Today’s businesses are more dependent on IT than ever, yet 60% of SMEs that suffer major data loss shut down within 6 months. From ransomware to hardware failure, disruptions are inevitable, and being unprepared could be catastrophic so it is more vital than ever that you have a plan for when things go wrong. Whether it’s a cyberattack, hardware failure, human error, or even a natural disaster, the question isn’t if your systems will face disruption, but when. That’s where backup and disaster recovery come in.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes and understanding the distinction could be the difference between a minor hiccup and a major crisis.
Backup is the process of creating copies of your data and storing them in a secure location. This could be on-site, off-site, or in the cloud.
Cost-Effective: Traditional backups are relatively inexpensive to implement and maintain.
Simple to Manage: Backup tools are often user-friendly and easy to automate.
Data Protection: Provides a safeguard against accidental deletion, corruption, or ransomware.
There are multiple types of backup and it is important to consider which works best for you and your organisation.
Image Based Backup
Image-based backups capture everything on a machine and not just files and folders, but the entire operating environment. This allows full system restores and instant virtualisation, making it ideal for rapid recovery from major incidents.
Disk Backup
Disk-based backups are stored on hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs), usually in a local or network-attached storage system. They allow individual file restores without the need to recover an entire data set and are commonly used as the first line of defence. However, they are not usually offsite by default so are vulnerable to local disasters.
Direct-to-Cloud Backup and Cloud-to-Cloud Backup
Direct-to-Cloud: Direct-to-cloud backup allows data from servers, laptops, and other endpoints to be backed up straight to a cloud storage location, completely bypassing the requirement for any local storage hardware.
Cloud-to-Cloud: Cloud-to-cloud backup protects data that already lives in a cloud service by backing it up to a separate, independent cloud platform.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS backup refers to backing up data created in SaaS applications such as Microsoft 365.
Many organisations believe that because SaaS data exists in the cloud like Microsoft 365, there is no longer a need for backup. However, these services follow a shared responsibility model meaning while Microsoft keeps the infrastructure running, you are responsible for data recovery in case of deletion, corruption, or ransomware.
Disaster Recovery (DR) is a broader strategy that includes backups but focuses on restoring full systems, operations, and services after an event. It focusses on business continuity and getting your organisation back on its feet with minimal downtime.
Quick Recovery: DR solutions are designed to be quick, allowing near-instant failover to secondary systems and limiting downtime.
Business Continuity: This includes infrastructure, applications, and configurations as well as data.
Automation & Testing: Many DR solutions offer automated failover and regular testing, which helps to reduce human error.
Much like backup, there are different levels and types of DR as not all events require the same response. It is important to choose a solution that addresses a wide range of recovery needs. Her are some data recovery methods that are available:
File Restore: This is the process of replacing a lost file or files from a backup to its primary location. If you only need to retrieve a file or a small number of files, this is the ideal restore type.
Volume Restore: This restore type retrieves files and folders with permissions intact and is used to restore large numbers of files when a bare metal restore is not necessary.
Local virtualisation: This uses hypervisor technology to boot a virtual server from a snapshot on the backup device. This enables businesses to continue normal business operations while the primary server is restored.
Cloud virtualisation: Cloud virtualisation refers to the process outlined above, but in the cloud rather than on a local backup device.
Both. While backup is a foundational element of your IT strategy, disaster recovery is your insurance policy when the worst-case scenario strikes.
Still not sure? Think of it like this.
A backup is your fire extinguisher.
A disaster recovery plan is your fire escape, evacuation drill, and insurance rolled into one.
Here at Morgan & Morgan, we know that protecting your vital business data from threats like ransomware and natural or human-induced disasters is crucial for your operations. This is why we offer a range of advanced backup solutions to ensure the security and swift recovery of your valuable business data and essential applications.
Let’s talk about how we can protect your business today. Get in touch on 01269 842242 or email sales@mmbt.co.uk.
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