(You don’t think this could happen to you? Clive visited this restaurant in Scotland last year and when returned this year he saw this) – Photo courtesy of www.clivecatton.co.uk
The decision on which data backup partner to use for your business can be a difficult one. It isn’t just a simple matter of looking for the best-known or the larger provider in the marketplace. Big is not always the best and a bad decision can be an expensive mistake.
Questions you should ask before making your decision:
- What main factors influence the cost of your data backup?
- What type of support are included in the contract?
- Is the system secure and managed?
- Are the offsite backups automated?
- How much data retention do you need? How many weeks or days will you need to go back and recover?
- Is your data backed up to a UK based server? Otherwise what is it its location?
- Who is responsible for monitoring the system? The user or the provider?
- If there is a problem what is the method of notification?
- If there is a problem how quickly your data can be recovered? How much down time can your business stand?
The most common mistakes companies make when choosing data backup method:
- Not taking into consideration your business needs
- Not taking into account log-term goals such as growth, which influence the size of your data
- Buying from a well-known provider without thinking about their service
- Buying an automated backup but not taking into consideration other aspects such as retention or management
- Spending too much for too little functionality
- Backing up to an USB memory sticks
- Placing data backup responsibilities into the hands of your junior team members
- Not having relevant data backup policies and procedures in place
- Not including staff training and support expenditure in order to save money
Steps you should take:
- Ask for advice – if you don’t have in-house IT department, don’t be afraid to ask independent external IT specialists who will help you make buying decision
- Get the big picture – determine your needs and wants and make sure your data is backed up in accordance to the regulations affecting your industry
- Determine your budget – Know how much you can afford to spend on a backup system. It is equally important to know what your recurring costs will be. Will you need extensive customisation? And what about staff training?
- Contact – when selecting a data backup provider, you should remember you are selecting a partner. You want the relationship that work in both directions. You want to be certain they will contact you if the data size exceeds the quote allocation, and there are other issues. You want the partner that you will be able to talk to whenever you need to.
- Confidence – make sure you are confident in the partner’s ability to deliver what you need. Have a look at their testimonials, ask around and make sure they aren’t going to be interrupting your service with no reason.
- Contract – make sure your provider offers terms and conditions that deliver a reliable backup solution. It’s not fine to have no T&Cs at all when it comes to data backup.
- It is your data, make sure you know where it is – make sure your data is stored in a UK based server. This is very important. You are responsible for your data and must obey with data protection law or other regulations that affect your industry.
- Do a final evaluation – double-check the solution, discuss it among your team and with your provider to make sure you cover all your business critical data. Make sure there is an adequate service and support available. Data backup services should be configured in the way that is best for your business.
- Plan your implementation carefully – avoid your peak busy times.
Clive Catton, Technical Director at Octagon Technology said: ‘Selecting a reliable backup provider is a big decision. Automated off-site backup is a great solution in terms of computer or hardware failure, theft, fire, flood or site damage. Don’t go the easy way and certainly avoid placing data backup responsibilities into the hands of your employees. Have a policy in place – this is very important.’
Backup is critical and it’s not a decision to be taken lightly!
Octagon Technology is the most trusted provider of data backup solutions. We monitor and provide UK based secure data backup solutions and recovery services for the individuals and businesses, small and large. If you would like to meet over coffee to discuss your backup (confidentially) then please call me on 01522 797520 or email me kamila@octagontech.com.
Kamila
