Backup Technologies

Identifying the correct backup technology – vendor check list

How much data do I need to backup and where does it live?

How frequently do I need to backup?

What data needs to be kept offsite?

How long do I want to keep the backup for?

How quickly do I need the data restored;

a) In the event of user error?

b) In the event of a hardware failure?

c) In the event of a site wide failure?

Do I need a bare metal backup?

Do I need to backup Microsoft Exchange, and if so, will I need to restore;

a) At the message store level?

b) At the mail box level?

c) At the email level?

Do I need to backup Microsoft SQL Server databases?

Are there other applications I need to backup?

Of the computers I will be backing up, what operating systems are running?

What about security settings, users, registry, etc?

How much time will it take to carry out the backup procedure?

What media is used and how reliable is it?

How much will it cost?

Terminology

Backup media: The media on which the data is stored, e.g. magnetic tape, hard disks etc.

Onsite backup: Where the backup is kept at the same location as the user’s copy of the data.

Offsite Backup: Where the backup is kept at a separate location.

Online backup: Where the data is sent offsite via the internet.

Managed backup: Where the entire backup process is outsourced.

Delta blocking: Where only the changes to data (e.g. files) are sent offsite, instead of sending the whole file.

Data de-duplication: Where multiple identical files are only sent offsite once.

Bare metal: Where an image of the entire computer is written to a file.

Restore: The process of retrieving the data.

Dissimilar hardware restore: Where the data or image is restored to different hardware.

Links

Acronis: Bare metal imaging tool

Backup Systems: Managed backup service

Iron Mountain: Data protection