Managing data effectively has never been more of an imperative for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). The one-two punch of increasing cybersecurity threats and regulatory pressures make this particularly pertinent, and with the proliferation of hybrid and remote work models, the importance of reliable data backup solutions is expanding exponentially.

With all that taken into account, here are some effective strategies that will deliver continuity and resilience, while in turn maintaining client trust.

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Basic Data Backup Best Practices

Data breaches were up by 20% last year, and left double the number of individuals exposed to malicious third parties, so MSPs have a duty to implement best practices to protect their clients’ data and ensure seamless recovery from the all-but-inevitable attacks they’ll face. Let’s talk over some essential strategies:

  • Regularly Scheduled Backups: Consistent backup schedules minimize data loss. Weekly full backups combined with daily incremental backups provide a good balance between thoroughness and efficiency. For example, an MSP managing retail businesses might schedule nightly incremental backups to capture daily transactions
  • Data Encryption: Encrypting data both at rest and in transit ensures confidentiality. Use robust encryption protocols such as AES-256. Let’s say you’re an MSP handling sensitive healthcare information; encrypted backups protect patient records from unauthorized access – which given that 33% of people were impacted by this type of breach last year, really needs to be prioritized
  • Geographically Distributed Storage: Storing backups in multiple locations mitigates risks related to physical disasters. Cloud storage solutions like AWS or Azure offer geographic redundancy options that safeguard against regional outages
  • Version Control: Maintain multiple versions of critical files to guard against accidental deletions or malicious attacks like ransomware, which accounts for 24% of breaches on its own. For instance, keeping several weeks’ worth of email server snapshots allows quick restoration if recent versions are compromised
  • Automated Backup Solutions: Utilize automated tools to reduce human error and ensure consistency in backup processes. Solutions like BDRSuite can schedule and execute backups with minimal manual intervention. If you’re looking to learn more about the steps you can take to automate key processes like data backup, then it’s worth taking time to build AI skills as well, since we’re increasingly seeing tools of this type being brought to bear on a variety of business processes
  • Regular Testing and Validation: Perform regular tests of backup restorations to verify data integrity and availability. Periodic drills simulate real-world recovery scenarios, confirming that the backups are functional
  • Retention Policies: Implement clear retention policies to manage storage costs while complying with legal requirements. Define how long different types of data should be retained based on business needs
  • Documentation and SOPs: Maintain thorough documentation and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for backup processes. Clear guidelines help teams respond quickly during recovery operations
  • Data Classification: Prioritize data based on its criticality. High-priority data may require more frequent backups or additional security measures compared to less critical information
  • Regular Audits and Compliance Checks: Conduct regular audits to ensure that backup practices comply with industry regulations and standards, such as GDPR or HIPAA, enhancing trust with clients

Effective Data Backup Strategies

Different strategies ensure that MSPs can offer tailored solutions to their diverse client base. Consider the following approaches:
3-2-1 Backup Strategy: This widely recommended strategy involves keeping three copies of data (one primary and two backups), storing them on two different media types, with one copy off-site. For instance, a legal firm’s sensitive documents might be stored on local servers and external hard drives, with an additional copy in the cloud.

  • Hybrid Cloud Backup: Combining local backups with cloud storage provides flexibility and reliability – explaining why the hybrid cloud market grew to $73.5 billion last year. Local backups enable quick recovery from common incidents like accidental file deletion, while cloud storage offers protection against larger-scale events such as natural disasters
  • Incremental Forever Backups: Rather than performing regular full backups—which are time-consuming and resource-intensive—this approach only backs up changes since the last backup. An e-commerce platform handling large volumes of data daily could benefit from this strategy by minimizing downtime during backup processes. Since downtime can cost $5,600 for every minute in this context, speed is of the essence
  • Snapshot-Based Backups: Utilize snapshots for rapid point-in-time recovery options. This is particularly useful for virtual environments where traditional backup methods might struggle with performance issues or complexity. A financial institution could take frequent snapshots of its databases to ensure minimal data loss in case of system failures
  • Continuous Data Protection (CDP): CDP continuously captures data changes, allowing for near-instantaneous recovery points. Businesses with high transaction volumes, like stock trading platforms, benefit from minimal data loss
  • Disk-to-Disk-to-Cloud (D2D2C) Backup: This strategy involves first backing up data to a local disk and then replicating it to the cloud. It offers both fast local recovery and long-term off-site protection
  • Reverse Incremental Backups: Unlike traditional incremental backups, reverse incremental methods update the last full backup with new changes and create a rollback point for each day. This ensures that the latest backup is always a full one

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Store Data Anywhere:

You can store your backup data in BDRCloud, or public cloud services such as Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Google Cloud Storage, and Wasabi. Additionally, leverage on-premise or remote storage options like Network-Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Network (SAN), and traditional tape storage to meet your specific business requirements and compliance needs.

Centralized Management:

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Final Thoughts

While it’s not the most scintillating aspect of Managed services, hopefully it’s now apparent that not only is data backup easy to manage with just a handful of best practices put in place, but that also you can adopt strategies of various types that are tailored to your needs as an organization. The next step is something you need to take yourself, but use this info as a motivator to get you moving.

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