A practical backup plan for small businesses
Ask a business owner whether their data is backed up and the answer is often "I think so." Then a hard drive fails, and it turns out the last copy is a year old. Here is a backup plan that is simple enough to actually follow.
Know what you can't afford to lose
Start with a list: accounting files, customer and supplier records, invoices, contracts, staff records, the database behind your stock or school software, and important email. If losing it would stop the business or cost money to recreate, it belongs on the list.
Follow the 3-2-1 rule
Keep three copies of important data, on two different types of storage, with one copy away from your premises. For example: the original on your computer, a copy on an external drive or local server, and a copy in secure cloud storage.
Make it automatic
Backups that depend on someone remembering will eventually be forgotten. Use software that copies files on a schedule, every day for active data, and alerts you when a backup fails.
Unplug the external drive. A backup drive that stays connected can be encrypted by ransomware along with everything else. Connect it for the backup, then disconnect it.
Test a restore
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan. Every few months, pick a file or a database and restore it to a different computer. If it opens and the data is complete, your plan works.
Protect against power problems
Sudden power cuts corrupt databases and damage drives. A UPS on your server and key computers gives systems time to shut down cleanly, and a stabiliser protects equipment from surges.
Write it down
One page is enough: what is backed up, where, how often, who checks it, and how to restore it. If the person who set it up is away, someone else should be able to recover your data.
Need help putting this in place? Our data backup and recovery service sets it up, tests it and monitors it for you.