Some best practices for server backups

Data centers handle large amounts of data, and when data is compromised, it's a disaster. This is why regular backups are important. Even if you have a lot of backup data that you don't use, backing up is certainly not a waste of time. You may be lucky and never experience data loss. However, since this rarely happens and maintaining the integrity of your data is so important, there seems to be no problem in "saving" time and resources by skipping backups.

Industry insiders say that backup in the data center is very important. The reason for this is very obvious, although I once heard a system administrator from a small company say that some organizations did not "waste" time and resources on backup and achieved success. I don't think he understood why I was shocked by this statement and looked at him in disbelief. I hope only one in a million people believe that backups are useless. I would expect most IT professionals to believe in the value of backups and only use their best efforts to perform proper backups.

If you've never had to use a backup in the event of a disaster, you're in luck. However, since there is no timetable for disaster to strike, up-to-date backups are one of the life belts for successful disaster recovery when disaster strikes. Many of the key points of backup best practices are actually bits of common sense that everyone knows and uses. Regardless, here are some best practices for backups:

1. Establish rules and procedures. Many technicians hate such things as documentation, but adequate provisions are the key to the success or failure of any operation. Backup rules and procedures don't have to be a thick book, you just need to include these things when you back up: when to back up, what content needs to be backed up, who is responsible for the backup, who can access the backup content, etc.

2. Test the backup. This rule is common sense. However, the issue is worth mentioning. Having a corrupted backup is certainly no use. What's worse is that you thought the backup was good and could be used for disaster recovery, but it turned out that it couldn't be used. Therefore, to avoid this situation, be sure to always test your backups, especially when backing up important data.

3. Label and arrange backups. When you have 2 or 3 backup CDs, it's easier to guess what's on each one. When you have several PTs of data in various backup media, you can't just guess. Therefore, you must tag each of your backups and arrange them in a library. Labeling a backup includes using a meaningful name, the date and time the data was backed up, the content of the data, who created the data, and some description.

4. Store backups in a safe place. Your security regulations will most likely include backup storage. However, if these are not included, you will want to make these provisions at the right time to correct the problem. A safe place is a broad term that usually means a place where you store your backups that is protected from unauthorized access and protected from physical damage from disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes. It is best to not store backup data in the data center itself. However, if you do have a safe place to store your backups, you can store them there. Some data centers are like fortresses, more secure than others.

5. Backup in real time. The latest backup is always useful. For example, in banking, online transactions, etc., only real-time backups are useful. Real-time backup does not require more resources. However, if your data is time-sensitive, then real-time backup is only an option. Even if your data is not time-sensitive, it has no impact on real-time backup.

6. Back up the data that has been backed up. For added extra protection, you can back up your already backed up data. It may seem like you are backing up over and over again throughout the day, but for important data, backing up data that has already been backed up is not a waste of time.

7. Use automation. Manual backup is a lot of work, although it is not unheard of for data centers to use manual backup. However, manual backup is rare because there are many automated tools. If you don't have one of these tools, you'll want to get one because that will make your life easier. However, you should not forget to check the results of the backup, because while automation is good (saving time and effort), it is not good if it produces unusable backups. It is rare for a backup tool to go wrong, but don't think that it will never happen to you.

8. Consider encryption. The backup contains sensitive data. Even if you're not concerned about security, you still need to think about what might happen if an intruder were to gain access to your backup data. Even if you have strict access controls in place and the risk of someone else illegally accessing your backup data is very small, you still want to use encryption. Many automated backup tools offer reliable encryption, so why not?

9. Know what to back up. It would be best if you could back up absolutely everything, but an absolute approach is unrealistic. The second best approach is if you can omit data that can be ignored. In any case, you should classify your data according to importance and back up at least important and very important data regularly. Indeed, the more data you back up, the better. However, if your operation has serious limitations, you must ensure that important data is taken care of.

10. Destroy any backup media you no longer use. Used backup media that you throw into the trash is a huge security risk, because unless you ensure that the data on these storage media has been completely erased and cannot be restored using any method, otherwise, you have provided others with Opportunities to illegally access this data. The data on the old backup media may be old, but it is still data that cannot fall into the hands of illegal visitors.

11. Use reliable media. This is another common sense rule. If you use unreliable media for backup, it means you don't actually have a reliable backup. If you use reusable media, you should periodically check whether the media is still ready for backup tasks. If that doesn't work, you need to replace it immediately.

12. Back up regularly. Backups take time and depend on the specific backup program you are using. Backups may affect the normal operation of your data center. You can't stop work in progress for a backup. Indeed, backup tools generally do not have this requirement. However, some data cannot be backed up while it is running. The machine needs to be stopped first and then backed up. If possible, plan to back up this data during times when the machine is not heavily used (at night and early in the morning).

13. Back up the virtual machine. Finally, one thing you shouldn't forget when taking backups is the virtual machine. Backing up virtual machines is not a separate science, however, it does require some skills. Therefore, unless you don't need to back up your VMs, you'll want to spend some time learning how to properly back them up. In some cases, guidance is provided in the documentation from the virtualization solution vendor, but this is not the case for every vendor. Not all the tips for introducing virtual machine backup are so detailed. Therefore, you need to be more careful when backing up your virtualization solution.

The list of data backup best practices is endless. Some best practices are good in certain situations, and some rules are always reasonable. Regardless, backups are very important and cannot be ignored. Therefore, you'll want to experiment with various methods and see which one works best for you. Trial and error is not the best strategy. Therefore, study as much as possible in advance to avoid some pitfalls.