What Can You do to Prevent Data Backup Failure?

Nowadays, in spite of appearances, it is very easy to make backup useless. A few tips on how to avoid it.

Human error. IT environments are complex and multi-level, and it is still people who are responsible for setting up and automating the backup processes. It’s easy to overlook something. Know your environment enough to make the backup consistent. Perform #recovery tests. If possible, use data protection tools.

Media failure is still one of the main reasons why backups are created at all. The simplest answer to this threat is to follow the 3-2-1 rule. 3 copies of data, 2 copies stored on different storage media, one of which is off-site.

Another reason why many companies decide to backup data is the growing number of cyber attacks which target… backed up data! They are usually conducted through compromised credentials and backup system APIs. Remember to isolate backup credentials and limit access to them.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that software updates (OS, application, or some management platform) may cause our backup mechanism to stop working properly. Updates may cause incompatibility and affect the correctness of backups.

Whenever possible, use backup software. In other cases, we need common sense and a bit of knowledge.