Clark Computer Services

A Solid Backup is Important To Data Recovery

A sOLID BACKUP
IS ESSENTIAL

Chuck's Cyber Wall

Having a good backup is essential whether you store files, pictures, or documents on your computer or out in the cloud. All too often, we trust that the information will always be available where we store it—until it isn’t. We’ve all lost files, and being forced to start over on something you’ve been working on is a terrible feeling.

Imagine that a lightning strike or a flood takes out your server, someone deletes a folder, or the data gets infected with Ransomware. All the information on which you’ve built your business is gone.

What now?

As Darren Clark is fond of saying, “I don’t care what happens; if I have a solid backup, I can recover from anything.”

Data backups are critical for businesses and individuals, not only from a disaster recovery point of view but also for your peace of mind. In business, next to an emergency response plan, which contains the steps that need to be taken to ensure everyone is safe, having a business continuity plan is essential. Backups are a key component in resuming operations following any disaster.

A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall | A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall | A solid Backup is Essential image of building being destroyed

THE 3-2-1 BACKUP RULE

Keeping your data safe through almost any failure scenario requires a process, planning, and a little paranoia. Imagining disaster scenarios isn’t fun for most people, but IT people see these situations all the time, so we don’t have to imagine them. And from all this experience, the industry has devised a strategy for multiple backups. In our love of acronyms, we call it the 3-2-1 Backup Rule.

A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall | A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall |

Wait, backups for backups?

Yes. And here’s how it works.

  • 3 Copies of Your Data
  • 2 Different Mediums Stored Locally
  • 1 Copy Stored Offsite

WHY DO WE HAVE 2 ONSITE AND 1 OFFSITE?

One important thing to understand is that backups are for more than disaster recovery. Fires, earthquakes, and alien attacks aren’t the only events that could require access to a backup. Less severe things like a hard drive crash, accidental deletions, and a shootout between international spies in your waiting room might require you to go to that backup for a quick restore. In these cases, it’s handy to have a backup on a server or external drive that can be easily accessed. But should Godzilla stomp on your building while duking it out with Kong, those local backups probably aren’t gonna survive it.

For these and more realistic reasons, having that offsite backup means everything!

YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY TOO!

A successful backup is the most vital step in preventing a network disaster, but we can’t do it without you!

If your computer gets backed up, PLEASE follow these four simple guidelines:

  1. Leave the Computer on when you work if it’s powered off, it can’t be backed up
  2. Close all files when you finish for the day – if the file is open, it will not be backed up
  3. We schedule backups to begin at 7 pm – if you work later than that, let us know
  4. When you go on vacation, drop us a line, and we’ll adjust our backup schedule

If your computer doesn’t get backed up, you have one straightforward guideline:

  1. Don’t store files on your desktop only network drives and cloud services are backed up

With your help, and the 3-2-1 Backup Rule, not even a zombie apocalypse will be able to stop you from resuming operations—so long as you don’t get bitten.

A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall | A Solid Backup Process is Critical | Chuck's Cyber Wall | Early Morning IT Maintenance image of a dated backup disk.

CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS

At Clark Computer Services, we have the cybersecurity expertise you need, whether its help with compliance, establishing a backup process, getting antivirus and other security software onto your computers, and more. Contact us at 301-456-6931 or support@clarkcomputerservices.com to see how we can help you and your business get Cyber Secure!

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