Data Backup

Data backup is the process of creating a copy of the data on your system that you can use for recovery when your original data is corrupted or lost.

Data loss is quite common and it can happen at any given time. There are several reasons data loss occurs, including computer viruses, hardware failures, file corruption, fire, flood, and theft. Even human error can be the cause of accidental deletion of something important.

Having a backup strategy can save you from losing all your hard work and significant data. Making data backup part of your cyber hygiene is always a good idea to consider, as it helps you recover all the data you might have lost due to a hardware defect or ransomware attack.

Why is Data Backup Critical?

Data backups are among the most important infrastructure components in any organization, as they help guard against data loss. Companies are dependent on data and it's hard to survive without the proper backup or disaster recovery plans in place. Backups help companies restore deleted files or recover a file when it is accidentally overwritten.

In addition, backups are usually the best option for recovering from a ransomware attack or from a major data loss event. You can avoid these types of risks by implementing a strong data backup strategy and procedures.

What Data Should You Back Up?

Generally speaking, you should back up any files or data that are not easy to replace. This would include:

• Operating systems
• Applications
• Configuration
• Word processing documents
• Spreadsheets
• Databases (for financial data), customer data, and personal files
• Installation discs, operating system discs, and registration information

On the other hand, you do not need to backup programs or system folders. Programs need to be reinstalled before you can run them and system folders can be restored from your operating system install disc. If you have downloaded any of your applications, you should save the install files at any cost.

When choosing a backup solution, it's important to make sure it protects all your data. If not, some data goes unprotected or you may need multiple backup solutions.

Best Practices for Backing Up Your Data

There are a variety of ways to back up your data and there are some general guidelines when it comes to making a good backup.

• Back Up Everything - Since storage is cheap, it makes the most sense to just back up everything.
• Cloud Storage vs. Local Storage Cloud storage comes with many advantages compared to local storage. For example, your backup might be lost, unless you store your data in the cloud.
• Overall Backup - It's always a good idea to Back up your data in as many places as you can. Choose both physical backup and backing up in the cloud for a better outcome.
• Make Physical Copies - Make sure you always make physical copies of things like your tax records and bank statements, in addition to any digital backups you might have.
• Identify What Needs Backup - Make sure to identify what you need to back up. For example, you might have several computer applications stored in the cloud and that may not be necessary.
• Organize Your Documents - Take time to organize your documents as they are the most important part of your backup. That way, you make sure you've backed up everything you need to.
• Backup Challenges - As application data is one of the most challenging things to back up, you might need a backup solution that backs up daily or more often - without you having to take action.

Data Backup Options

There are a handful of options when it comes to Data Backup. Understanding the types of backup and getting one that suits your need is a good first step to take.

Flash Drives

Flash drives are small portable storage devices widely used to transfer files from device to device. They are often referenced as pen drives, thumb drives, or jump drives. In contrast with cloud storage, flash drives do not offer a large storage capacity and do not come with additional security features. There is also the risk of your drive getting lost or stolen.

External Hard Drives

As you can already tell from the name, an external hard drive is connected to the computer via cables or wirelessly. Some instances of external hard drives include USB flash drives and solid-state drives, also known as SSDs. There are several advantages to using external hard drives. They're easy to use, portable, and capable of storing large files. Also, they can be moved from computer to computer, making it convenient to transport data.

Cloud Backup

With Cloud backup, users backup their data to hardware that's in a remote location. This way, data is accessible anytime on any device via the internet. Your data is easier to manage with Cloud storage. In most cloud storage services you get a large amount of storage space and they also encrypt the content for data security.

Backup Services

Another method of data backup and storage is an online backup service. In this case, the service provider handles the stored data. A backup service helps people and companies manage their data better.

What Does the Enterprise Data Backup Process Look Like?

Gather Data

Gather data from your data sources. The first step starts with gathering data from everywhere that it's located and stored. It is always a good idea to have a solution connected to the data sources. Having a data backup solution with as broad of data connectivity as possible is going to give you the broadest coverage to be able to replicate data from all the enterprise data sources where it's stored.

Create a Data Pipeline

Create a data pipeline, a series of data processing steps, to replicate data to your database or data warehouse. Having a flexible and agile pipeline helps you with fast & easy automated data replication to any database or Data Warehouse.

Archive Data

Data archiving is the process of moving data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage system for long-term retention. Archiving fills a data retention purpose and is a useful process to implement alongside data backup, particularly if you need historical data for regulatory or analytics purposes. A good data pipeline and ETL or ELT solution may also be useful for data archiving.

Optional: Restoring Data

Data restoration is the process of copying backup data from secondary storage and restoring it to its original location or a new location. A restore is performed to return data that has been lost, stolen or damaged to its original condition or to move data to a new location. You may want to procure a data restoration solution as well as a data backup/replication solution

How to Choose the Best Data Backup Pipeline Solution

You should always choose a backup solution based on your needs. It is important to keep in mind the kind of data you're protecting. There is no doubt that a strong backup strategy has a huge impact on your digital life.

There are several additional things to look for in a backup system:

• Ease of Setup - This will give users the ability to connect directly to a folder, object or bucket as a data replication destination.
• Speed of Data Backup - With high speed of Data Backup users will experience fast & easy automated data replication to any database or Data Warehouse.
• Cost - A free option to get started is always beneficial for users to familiarize themselves with the backup system.
• Data Security - This will give users complete control to define which data should be replicated and how that data should be replicated to a database.
• ETL/ELT - Which pushes processing functionality down to the underlying database/data warehouse.
• Automation and Scheduling - Gives users the ability to auto-schedule data backups to their data warehouse or database of choice.
• Storage Space - It's always essential to have a good database/data warehouse as it comes with numerous benefits for users.

Introducing CData Sync: Enterprise-Scale Data Backup Pipeline

CData Sync allows you to back up data to every popular data warehouse and database destination, on=premise or in the cloud. Automatically gather data from more than 100+ enterprise data sources for data backup in 30+ databases. With CData Sync, you can unify all your data sources and backup your data - no code required. Easily automate & schedule data backups, and simplify your data integration & management today.

Download a free, 30-day free trial of CData Sync to get started with your data warehousing and repliation initiativess.