13 best practices for data backup

The data center operates a large amount of data. This is a disaster when data is damaged. This is the importance of regular backup. Even if you have not used a large amount of backup data, backup is definitely not a waste of time. You may be lucky to have never experienced data loss. However, since this kind of thing rarely happens and data integrity is very important, it seems that there is no problem to "save" time and resources by skipping backups.

Some insiders said that it is very important to back up data centers. This reason is obvious, although I once heard a system administrator from a small company say that some organizations have not "wasted" time and resources for backup and have succeeded. I think he doesn't understand why I'm shocked and looks at him unbelieving. I hope only one million people believe that backup is useless. I want most IT professionals to believe in the value of backup and only make the best effort to make the appropriate backup.

If you have never used backup because of a disaster, you are lucky. However, since there is no timetable for disaster attacks, the latest backup is one of the rescue belts for successful disaster recovery. The main point of many backup best practices is that everyone knows and uses some common sense. In any case, the following are some best practices for backup:

1. Set rules andProgram.Many technical personnel hate documents and other things, but adequate regulations are the key to success or failure of any action. The backup rules and procedures do not have to be a thick book. You can simply include this content when backing up: backup time, backup content, who is responsible for the backup, who can access the backup content, and so on.

2. Test the backup.This rule is common sense. However, this question is worth mentioning. It is certainly useless to have a corrupted backup. What's worse, you think this backup is good and can be used for disaster recovery, but the result is not usable. Therefore, to avoid this situation, always test the backup, especially when backing up important data.

3. Mark and arrange backups.When you have two to three backup CDs, it is easier to guess the content of each disc. When you have several PT data in various backup media, You can't simply guess. Therefore, you must mark each of your backups and arrange these backups in a single database. Marking backup includes using meaningful names, date and time of backup data, data content, who created the data, and some instructions.

4. Store backups in a safe place.Your security regulations may include the backup storage content. However, if you do not include such content, you need to make these rules at the right time to correct the problem. A safe place is a broad term. It usually means that the places where you store backups are protected, preventing illegal access and preventing physical damages from fire, flood, earthquakes, and other disasters. It is best not to store backup data in the data center itself. However, if you do have a place that securely stores backups, you can store them there. Some data centers are more secure than others, just like the fortress.

5. Real-time backup.The latest backup is always useful. For example, in banking and online transactions, only real-time backup is useful. Real-time backup does not require more resources. However, if your data is time sensitive, real-time backup is only an option. Even if your data is not time sensitive, it does not affect real-time backup.

6. Back up the backed up data.To add extra protection, you can back up the backed up data. It seems that you have been backing up data repeatedly for a day. However, it is not a waste of time to back up the backed up data for important data.

7. Use automation.Manual backup is a heavy workload, although it is not uncommon for data centers to use manual backup. However, manual backup is rare because there are many automated tools. If you don't have these tools, you need to get them because they will make your life easier. However, you should not forget to check the backup results, because automation is good (saving time and workload), but it is not good if you generate unused backups. There are very few errors in the backup tool, but you should never think that this kind of thing will never happen to you.

8. Consider encryption.The backup contains sensitive data. Even if you are not worried about security issues, you need to think about what may happen if intruders want to obtain backup data. Even if you take strict access control and other people illegally access your backup data, you still need to use encryption. Many automatic backup tools provide reliable encryption functions. Why not?

9. Know what to back up.If you can absolutely back up everything is the best, but the absolute method is unrealistic. The second good way is whether you can omit data that can be ignored. In any case, you should classify your data based on importance, at least regularly back up important data and very important data. Indeed, the more data backed up, the better. However, if your operation has serious limitations, you must ensure that you take care of important data.

10. Destroy any backup media you no longer use.The used backup media you threw into the garbage collection poses a huge security risk, because unless you ensure that the data on these storage media has been completely eliminated and cannot be replied in any way, otherwise, you will be given the opportunity for others to illegally access the data. The data on the old backup media may be old, but it still cannot fall into the hands of illegal visitors.

11. use reliable media.This is also a common-sense rule. If you use unreliable media for backup, this means that you do not actually have a reliable backup. If you use media that can be reused, You need to regularly check whether the media is still backed up. If not, replace it immediately.

12. Regular backup.Backup takes time and depends on the specific backup program you are using. Backup may affect the normal operation of your data center. You cannot stop ongoing work for backup. Indeed, backup tools generally do not have such requirements. However, some data cannot be backed up when it is running. You need to stop the machine before backing up the data. If possible, plan the backup time for the data and back up the data at night and early morning when the machine is not busy.

13. Back up virtual machines.Finally, one thing you should not forget when backing up is a virtual machine. Backing up a virtual machine is not a separate science, but it does require some skills. Therefore, unless you do not need to back up the virtual machine, you need to take some time to learn how to back up the virtual machine correctly. In some cases, some guidance is provided in the description file of the virtualization solution vendor, but not every vendor does. The techniques for introducing Virtual Machine backup are not all that detailed. Therefore, you need to be more careful when backing up the virtualization solution.

The list of best practices for data backup is not exhaustive. Some best practices are useful in some cases, while some rules are always reasonable. In any case, backup is very important and cannot be ignored. Therefore, you need to experiment with various methods and see which method is best for you. Repeated trials are not the best strategy. Therefore, try to learn in advance to avoid some traps.