To ensure that a company’s computer data is backed up effectively and completely, it is recommended that a backup procedure be implemented in all departments.What is a backup procedure? What is a backup procedure? What strategy should be adopted?
What is a safeguard procedure ?
The backup procedure is a protocol that details the computer data that must be backed up, the schedule of copies to be made, and the recovery methods. In concrete terms, it is a roadmap for company employees specifying the expectations of the management team (or information systems management) for the retention of work documents and the application software required to read or modify them.
The backup procedure may state, among other things:
- The complete list of all data and applications to be backed up, the optimal frequency of copies and their standard retention time.
- The complete list of all employees authorized to perform backups and access the most sensitive information.
- The media and Locations where data is stored Whether it is a simple optical disk or a network of servers (internal or remote).
- The tests set up allowing to verify the correct operation of the backup procedure and the ability to recover and reuse the data.
Why set up a backup procedure?
The more a company depends on computer tools for its business, the more it is necessary to set up a data backup procedure in order to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the business in the event of disasters, theft or technical failures. By adopting a clearly identifiable strategy, it minimizes the risk of data loss.
This formalized procedure, known and applied by all, allows employees to standardize their practices for backing up their work documents and their preferred software.
What backup strategy should you take?
The safeguard procedure can take different approaches depending on the needs:
- The complete backup => All the files of the company present on all the workstations are systematically copied.
- The differential backup => Only files that have been modified following the most recent full backup are copied.
- The partial backup => Only the most important files that have been pre-selected are systematically copied.
- The incremental backup => Only important files that have been modified as a result of the most recent partial backup are copied.
Although the last two methods are less demanding in terms of storage capacity and therefore more economical, it is nevertheless preferable to make a complete copy of the documents from time to time, given the difficulty of determining in advance which data is vital to the company and separating it from redundant or useless data.
The ideal backup procedure consists of alternating copy modes, for example by making an incremental copy as often as possible (depending on the value you place on each document) and then a complete copy more occasionally.