- Commandment 1: Start with a Written Plan
- Commandment 2: Back Up Data Daily
- Commandment 3: Properly Label Backups
- Commandment 4: Review Backup Settings
- Commandment 5: Maintain Multiple Backups
- Commandment 6: Ensure that the Backup Medium Is Sound
- Commandment 7: Regularly Test Backups
- Commandment 8: House a Backup Offsite
- Commandment 9: Dont Overlook Security
- Commandment 10: Revisit Backup Routines
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Commandment 2: Back Up Data Daily
More important than remembering whether a Windows Copy backup flips the archive bit (it doesn’t) or an Incremental backup clears the checkpoint marker (it does) is implementing a backup strategy that provides umbrella coverage. In other words, no data gaps should be permitted that could enable significant data loss should a hard drive self-destruct or system fail or be destroyed through a fire, lightning strike, flood, or other disaster.
For this reason, backups should run daily, at least in most small and medium-sized businesses. With operable daily backups, the most data an organization stands to lose is just the information recorded since the last backup was completed. Most SMBs, in such cases, could recover well.
In other organizations, such as those operating in the financial services industry, the loss of even a day’s data could prove crippling. Organizations with more demanding data loads must take greater steps, such as implementing online as opposed to near-line backups, to eliminate loss windows.
As stated earlier, a backup strategy should call for IT professionals to meet regularly with department heads. These regular meetings provide outstanding opportunities to confirm that the proper data is being backed up, and the backup windows being used don’t span timeframes that are too lengthy should a disaster occur.