Tag Archives: Data Backup and Recovery processes

07.29.15
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Why the Complexity of Data Backup and Recovery is Not to be Underestimated

Trends in the world of data is causing the backup and recovery of that data to be more complex than it has ver been in the past. The increased complexity of data backup and recovery should not be underestimated.

According to the IBM IEEE Spectrum IBM Bets $3 Billion on the Internet of Things “IBM’s latest business move anticipates huge growth in the Internet of Things, the growing swarm of devices capable of collecting data and sharing it all online. That swarm could include wearable wristband devices such as the Apple Watch, exercise and health-monitoring devices, household gadgets such as Nest’s smart thermostat, and smart cars capable of sharing information about weather and traffic conditions. IBM is betting that many companies will pay handsomely for help in analyzing the deluge of data coming from thousands or millions of sensors and computing devices.”Backup Data Center

The reason data is becoming more complex is because what we consider to be data today we never considered before. What is data? Data is an entity that is input to analysis and reporting so that we may act accordingly. If we need input to determine an action, then the input is data. There was a time when corporations needed only numbers and words for data – for financial reporting for instance. Now, corporations need analog information from devices, sentiment from social media and geo-spatial input to determine the location of the event at the time of interest.

If it is data it needs to backed up for the potential of being recovered upon request. This is becoming more complex than ever.

Data and the backup of that data is getting more complex while over worked IT staffs are still assigning backup and recovery to the ‘new guy’ or sometimes to the most junior specialist in staff. As we have discussed in this blog before “IT staffs are overloaded with mission critical day-today activities. It is understandable that Data Backup may be assigned to the newest member of the team and not deeply analyzed. However, it will become the most critical task the IT staff will undertake when that data needs to be recovered.”

Outsourcing Data backup processes to experienced professionals that specialize in this new form of data is a logical first choice to consider. One purpose to outsource is to free up the time of the IT staff to focus on core business strategies instead of training on the new Backup and Recovery techniques and then spending hours each day looking at logs and emails. The Storage Administrator can be released from the endless cycle of repeating the same tasks over and over again. And, the processes can be designed and performed by experts in the field of complex data backup and recovery.

Contact Salvus Data, specialists in data backup and recovery using Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM).

 

06.04.15
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The IoT is Rendering Your Old Data Back and Recovery Plan Obsolete

The Internet of Things is creating more complex data types within the corporate business data environment. This is making the stalworth Disaster Backup and Recovery plan that corporate management is relying on to protect their company obsolete.

IoTBusinesses are integrating the IoT with their mission critical applications at an accelerated rate. There is a need for data from specialized devices and applications to be made available to business applications. The data being generated from devices in trucks, shipping docks, and house water meters are being integrated with core business processes for analytics and advanced business processing. So, this data has now become corporate data.

So, what is the Internet of Things? First, let’s understand that there is a growing trend in the use of sensors in cars, traffic lights, water meters, and much more. When these devices connect to the Internet to transfer their data to monitoring applications, business applications, or to other devices, this environment becomes the Internet of Things. It is important to understand that it is the data being transferred over the Internet that makes the Internet of Things (IoT). If these devices or applications remained in communication with only their own platform, they would not be part of IoT.

Irregardless of data changes from the increased impact of the IoT, Sungard states in their post Are Your Backup and Disaster Recovery Procedures More Than A Year Old? Throw Them Out!. “In other words,  people kept using their old disaster recovery blueprints, backup and recovery procedures, run books, and disaster recovery binders. Some of these items are brought out only once a year and, even then, only a cursory glance is paid to them.”

Adding the issue of more complex data types, there should be no hesitation to prioritize the review and update of the corporate data disaster recovery plan. Central backup procedures must be reviewed for proper governance and assurance of data resiliency. This data is now mission critical and must be treated as legacy business data, just like Accounting, Payroll, etc. This provides an additional burden on the IT staff in understanding the implications of developing backup procedures for these diverse data types.

A business needs to ensure data integrity across the enterprise. A data backup and recovery Managed Service Provider (MSP) is an excellent solution to the new challenges of diverse data types. An MSP can remotely execute business critical backup strategies. Salvus Data, a data backup and recovery MSP, centrally monitors and manages your backup environments cost-effectively. Salvus does this while the corporate data remains within the cpntrol of the company. This improves backup success rates and data recovery. Contact a Tivoli Storage Manager AAA certified MSP; Salvus Data Consultants

04.20.15
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Big Data Requires a Big Data Backup and Recovery Strategy

Big data is arriving from multiple sources at a high velocity, volume and variety. To manage big data, you need a strategy for handing this data that includes a data backup and recovery plan.

big data strategyBig data is being generated by everything around us at all times. Every digital process and social media exchange produces it. Systems, sensors and mobile devices transmit it. The Internet of Things (IoT) is generating the demand for a management plan for Big Data. Data is coming from specialized devices and applications and integrating with business applications. Businesses are integrating these specialized devices and applications with their core business processes for analytics and transactional business processing.

Big data must be incorporated in plans for search, development, governance and analytics. To relieve the pressure that big data is placing on your IT infrastructure, you can host some Big Data and analytics solutions on the cloud. Deciding on the correct mix of cloud storage and in-house storage is critical to a successful implementation that is using Big Data. To achieve economies and efficiencies, you can run certain analytics close to the data, while it is in motion. But for data you elect to store in-house, you can use a defensible disposal strategy that reduces the run rate of storage, legal expense and risk.

A data strategy is never complete without a Data Backup and Recovery strategy. A Big Data implementation presents a need for even more focus on the ability to recover from a catastrophic event quickly. However, if an organization is not staffed or tooled to design and execute a Big Data backup strategy of this level of complexity, there are Data Backup/Recovery Managed Service Providers (DB/R MSP) that provide remote management of the Backup process, along with professional Disaster Backup and Recovery consultation. A company should look to a service provider that specializes in complex backup strategies while leaving the IT staff time to manage the daily tactical and long-term strategic activities.