Best Practices for Cloud Data Recovery and Data Protection

Data recovery has always been a critical consideration for organizations just because IT crises are commonplace. The IT team, charged with the responsibility of keeping everything moving, often faces the daunting task of keeping systems up and running against unexpected outages so that it is possible to ensure that data always remain accessible.

Hardware can fail; users might inadvertently delete or overwrite files, and even file corruption is a reality. In the age of ransomware, it is also possible that users encrypt all data they use. Considering all kinds of eventualities that computer systems might encounter and in the interest of maintaining business continuity, organizations have placed data recovery New Jersey as the first agenda when discussing business operations.

Deviating from the traditional tape backup at off-site locations that used to be the most reliable method of data backup and recovery, more and more organizations are taking up cloud data recovery solutions. For recovering data as quickly as possible, you must be aware of the limitations of the cloud and have a formal data recovery plan in place. You should also be ready to bear the cost of protecting vital company information that might often be high but not having a data recovery system cloud turn out even more costly. Business stoppage arising from data loss leads to revenue loss and loss in customer confidence that can have a crippling effect on business. Adapting the best practices in data protection and recovery would help companies to protect data that has become the most valuable assets in the industry.

Develop a protection plan in detail

Just as you would need a business plan to be successful, you should also have an elaborate method for protecting data that comprises of sets of instructions in a well-structured manner, preferably step by step. A plan will help in delineating the task that you assign to specific persons and along with it comes accountability. The more time you spend in planning, better would be the results. The plan should include the schedule for data backups, identify the persons responsible for managing cloud-based assets or physical assets, and who would deal with customers should the data get lost.

Treat hard drives and other storage devices with sensitivity

You must take adequate care in handling the hard drives and should pay careful attention to it so that the slightest signs of malfunctioning alert you to act immediately to avert any disaster. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to data protection. As SD (Secure Digital) cards are popular and widely used, you must care for it too. These cards are useful due to their portable nature, and these are heavily used by the field staff and those who take a considerable amount of video content or photos. Since SD cards are sensitive and may get damaged easily, besides taking proper care of it, make sure that you do not use the cards for extended storage of data.

Restrict data access to meet the legal requirements

Strict security and privacy laws that impact the plan for data protection govern many businesses. Very high standards of legal compliance might be necessary by some companies that entail maintaining very high standard of data protection. Ensure that you not only comply with all regulatory and legal requirements but also exceed it to avoid disastrous fines and lawsuits. Moreover, you would like to give restricted access to information to staff members since not everyone is entitled to access sensitive data about the company and customers. Use smart access control to prevent unauthorized persons getting access to sensitive data and prevent incidents of breaches.

Have layered backup

Instead of depending on a single backup, take recourse to backing up the backup once again. Making the data redundant is an efficient way to protect data. Whether it is physical or online (cloud) storage like Amazon and Google, you accomplish the task of storing huge information at the least cost. For maximum protection, take advantage of the low-cost barrier and create several layers of backup by using a combination of on-premise backups together with private cloud backup.

Eliminate duplication of data management

Businesses today gather data from an array of sources like e-mail, customer service, social sites, mobile marketing and many others. Having a centralized data management system after accessing all the sources would help to avoid efforts being duplicated. It will be easy for staff to obtain information from a single source that cloud gives more advantage to the marketing efforts.

Despite having a solid plan for data protection by using on-premise storage together with private cloud, companies would still have enough reasons to recover lost data. Using the services of companies that specialize in disaster and data recovery could ensure that you maintain business continuity.

Author bio: Lucy Jones is a tech blogger and data recovery expert. She has previously worked with esteemed companies such as AmericanTechPros.com. Currently, she works as a consultant for businesses.