Data Recovery and Backup Plan
February 19, 2013 by Kara Manon · Leave a Comment
Everyone has lost a document or some type of data at some point since technology entered our daily lives. Whether it’s something simple like the grocery list or something of high importance like company records, nothing is more frustrating than losing data and starting from scratch again (if you can). If you’re lucky it wasn’t anything important, you didn’t spend hours of your day working on it and it wasn’t critical data to your business. However, you can’t just rely on luck when it comes to important files and simply hitting “save” isn’t enough insurance to keep your work safe.
Even storing data within onsite servers isn’t always enough. If a natural disaster strikes your business or even if the power just happens to go out and your servers don’t power back up, what would your recovery look like? Not only could you lose internal data, but client data is also lost, which could lead to the loss of business from that client altogether. Take the steps to be prepared and ensure your data is secure.
TechNet Magazine lists nine questions to ask yourself when you begin to look at a backup plan. These questions are the first steps to keeping your data safe.
1) How important is your data?
Determine which data needs to be backed up and if the data is of high importance it will need to have redundant backup sets in case one of the backups fails, it will still be protected by other methods. Ready.gov recommends that data is backed up by at least three different methods. If the data is of a sensitive nature then it will also need to be encrypted.
2) What type of information does the data contain?
Consider the fact that different types of data are important to different people in the company. What may not be important for you to have backed up may be crucial to another department.
3) How often does the data change?
If the data changes frequently then backups should be scheduled everyday, but if changes are less common backups can be scheduled less frequently.
4) Can you supplement backups with shadow copies?
Shadow copies are point-in-time copies of documents in shared folders. The copies make recovering documents easy because you can go back to an older version in case a document is deleted. These copies should be used in addition to your regular backups and are not meant to replace them.
5) How quickly do you need to recover the data?
If the system is critical and you need to get back online quickly this may change your backup plan.
6) Do you have the equipment to perform backups?
Backups require hardware and devices. This can include includes tape drives, optical drives, and removable disk drives. Or you can use offsite backup solutions, such as the services DataCave offers.
7) Who will be responsible for the backup and disaster recovery plan?
Designate a person to be in charge of overseeing your recovery and backup plan. Have this person be responsible for reviewing the backup log to be sure no files were missed in the process. He or she should also check to make sure your backup solutions are functioning properly and actually backing up your data.
8) What’s the best time to schedule backups?
Try to schedule backups when the system use is as low as possible. This will also speed up the backup process.
9) Do you need to store backups offsite?
Similar to #6, but this step goes a little further. When you store copies of your data offsite it can safeguard your data in case of a natural disaster. Consider also storing copies of software that could be lost in case of a disaster.
Work through this checklist with your team to make sure your valuable data is safe. That way if disaster strikes, your company will be prepared because you were proactive and took the necessary steps to backup your data.
If you need a safe place to keep your critical business data or would like some more tips, give us a call or check out some of our Disaster Recovery whitepaper for more information.
To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected
February 7, 2013 by Kara Manon · Leave a Comment
The Relationship Between Technology and Security
We’ve talked a bit about CES. Now that we are a few weeks beyond, we can look back more objectively. What are the big trends that are truly emerging? In the hubbub of the event, new features and products capture our attention, but we wanted to look at what major shifts in the industry these products indicated.
It is not the least bit surprising that increased security emerged as a trend. With advances in technology and increased information availability comes concerns regarding data security. New technology exhibited and demonstrated at CES and throughout 2013 shift toward security awareness and complete integration with software and hardware improvements.
For example, Griffin Technology revealed Kiosk Retail, which is a “new iPad case designed to turn the familiar tablet into a fully-fledged POS kiosk, complete with a built-in encrypted magnetic card reader.” It can also be tied into a cash desk and into software from ShopKeep.com, which handles business transactions and keeps track of inventory.
Similarly, iTwin Connect builds on existing iTwin hardware-encrypted file sharing tools, where you “take a pair of iTwin USB sticks and leave one in your PC at home or in the office, carrying the other with you for secure file sharing.” No data is stored on the second key—it only sets up a secure connection so that you can access files on your computer. The iTwin connect “takes the concept several steps further, adding support for remote control, for VPN connections to a corporate network and for access to public internet connections via an iTwin-hosted VPN.”
“The result is an intriguing response to many of the issues thrown up by BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). There’s minimal corporate management required, but the increased security makes it easier to justify giving employees access to files and applications from home PCs or while on the road.”
Ultimately, the security trend demonstrates a shared feeling of responsibility throughout the technology community. They say, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” It is reassuring to see technology security evolving to stay on track with emerging technologies. As engineers and developers create more, you can expect to see security considerations. And doesn’t that give you peace of mind?
Why Colocation is a Viable Option for Small Business Owners
February 29, 2012 by Kara Manon · Leave a Comment
Colocation – locating servers and high-tech equipment away from the bricks-and-mortar location of a business – is no longer just for the big boys of the data world. It’s also becoming an emerging consideration for small- to mid-sized business owners.
Many small business owners find themselves burdened and overwhelmed with the task of keeping a server running 24/7 for their business and Internet hosting needs. Colocation facilities at a data center can provide small and mid-sized business owners peace of mind about their IT needs with state-of-the-art security, safety, performance and reliability at a price that is more economical than one might think.
Common colocation services include:
- lockable rack cabinets or cages
- power in a variety of formats
- network connectivity
- proper cooling and ventilation
- physical security, including video surveillance and key card access
- real-time, live monitoring of all systems
Indiana Data Centers
February 8, 2012 by Kara Manon · Leave a Comment
There has been a lot of talk about Indiana lately. For example, Indianapolis just hosted its first Super Bowl, which is absolutely fantastic for a native Hoosier like myself (especially considering the Patriots lost). There was so much praise for our capital city that there might even be hope that we could host another Super Bowl in the future. The massively popular 800-foot zipline in Super Bowl Village is leaving other host cities wondering if they should follow suit. On another sports related note, the Pacers are doing surprisingly well this year. Let’s not forget that Bloomington, Indiana was named one of the 10 Best Cities for Data Centers. How great is that? Considering Data Cave is the closest Tier IV data center to Bloomington, that’s pretty exciting.
On top of everything else, the weather had been unseasonably warm. All-in-all, not a bad time to be living in Indiana.
So, why should you choose a data center in Columbus, Indiana?
First, the Midwest is a logical location for a data center. Land, power, and other associated costs of building or leasing a data center are lower than places like California, New York, New Jersey, etc. When leasing space from a Midwest data center like Data Cave, those savings get passed along to the customer. The Midwest is free of things like Hurricanes, Tsunamis and major earthquakes which is always a plus. Of course, we do have to worry about tornadoes which is why Data Cave was built to withstand 200+ mph winds (EF5 rating). I’m not kidding, if there’s a tornado coming, you can find me and my husband camped out at Data Cave. Typically, it isn’t the wind you have to worry about, it’s what the wind is carrying that can cause damage. Debris would have to go through 2 concrete walls (12″ and 8″ blocks) reinforced with one-inch rebar in order to get through to customer equipment. I’d also like to point out that there are also no windows around our customer suites. Seems logical, right? No one could bust a window to get in and debris can’t fly through easily. Okay, back to the tornado discussion. On this list of the 25 deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history, only one of them went through Indiana and that was in 1925. So, I would say that the chances of a EF4 or EF5 tornado in Indiana are slim. Actually, EF4 rated tornadoes and above account for 1% of all tornadoes and I’ve even seen that percentage as low as .1%.
I’ve shown some benefits of being in the Midwest but what about Columbus, Indiana? Columbus sits outside of Metropolitan areas. This means there is more “buffer acreage”, less people, no shared building space (i.e. strip mall) and it doesn’t affect your connectivity. All of this equates to higher security for your equipment. Data Cave sits on 21 acres on a private drive and gated entrance. You won’t find anyone randomly walking around our building at night or any other time for that matter. However, Data Cave is still within driving distance of Indianapolis, Louisville and Cincinnati. We have clients based in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Louisville, and more. One of our clients is even based in Seattle, Washington and another has locations all over the U.S. that need to be connected.
I’ve been working for Data Cave since September and I can tell you that it doesn’t take long to become impressed with the place. It’s a safe place for your equipment and we know what we’re doing. It also doesn’t take weeks to get things done around here. We have technicians, engineers, programmers who are so knowledgeable that it blows my mind. But seriously, don’t just listen to me, you should see it for yourself.
Call us at 866-514-2283 or fill out our little form and request more info.