Quite frequently we are asked to restore data for one reason or another – unfortunately, all too often we find that the firm does not have recent data available to restore. We are usually able to find another way to get them back into production, but it’s not always pretty. Paying careful attention to your data backup systems is critical – your backups are your last line of defense.
Most law firms have already moved away from tape backups; cloud-based backups have been a very efficient method of backup and recovery for a long time. Tapes were notorious for not being there when you need them. I’ve even seen instances in which the tape backup software accidentally wrote over a tape that was to be used for a restore because the system was waiting for a tape to finish its backup set and the technician input the tape to restore without remembering to engage the write-protect tab. If you are still using tapes, definitely remember to engage the write-protect tab as you pull the tape out of the tape drive.
Even online cloud-based backup systems can have issues – just as much care and attention to detail are required for cloud-based backups as any other. We just see different kinds of issues with cloud-based backups. The biggest issues we see involve failure to select the appropriate data, failure to monitor (missed alerts), and poor performance when restoring.
Strange as it may sound, you have to make sure you have selected the right data for backups and that you are backing it up correctly. Does your cloud backup solution have a built-in agent for SQL? If not, your SQL database restore is not going to be easy. Did you forget to add the new server to the backup routine? If so, it won’t be there when you need it. Do you read the emails from the cloud backup vendor, telling you that the backups are no longer working after you increase the disk space? Do you check the console daily?
As with so many things in the IT world, there is no substitute for testing. Thoroughly test when you implement the system. Test each quarter; test every time you make significant changes. Test performance – you need to know how long it will take to restore and if the expected time meets your firm’s maximum tolerable downtime (MTD). Test your assumptions regarding restore times. If your restore times are off, you will need to re-evaluate what could be improved or simply be more realistic with the restoration time period.
Monitor the systems, making sure there are no errors and you are not running out of allocated space. Pay careful attention to messages from your cloud backup vendor – they are likely trying to tell you something important. The vendor also likely has a portal where you can check on the backup status – it should be checked at least daily.
Backup systems are easily forgotten, especially when outsourced to the cloud. This is where your attention to detail skill is critically important. Make sure someone at the firm has an eye on your backups; odds are you will need them someday, and when you do, you will want the data to be current and readily available.
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