Tag Archives: Data Backup and Recovery processes

12.19.14
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Data Backup is One Necessary Step in Staying Prepared for Unexpected Events

There is a continuing conversation on what effects climate change and fracking are having on our environment. However, there seems to be no disputing the increase of natural disasters in the past few years when compared to periods in the previous century.

Internet of Things backupAs stated in the Iron Mountain Blog post What’s Shaking: Preparing for the Next Big One “According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey report, the number of major domestic earthquakes (magnitude 7 or greater) in the first quarter of 2014 was more than double what the national average has been since 1979. And that doesn’t even include hundreds of smaller, man-made temblors caused by fracking and oil drilling; incidences of these events quadrupled in Oklahoma this year.”

In the world of enterprise data, there are other trends impacting the perspective of business, while they prioritize their data backup and resilience programs.

Big Data

Customers using Data Backup and Recovery Solutions are reevaluating their present backup and recovery strategies. This is being motivated due to the increase in data complexity because of data variety, velocity and volume.

Hadoop

To help businesses of all sizes manage Big Data, there is Hadoop. The Hadoop software library is a framework that allows for the distributed processing of large data sets across clusters of computers using a simple programming model.

The Internet of Things

Businesses are integrating specialized devices and applications with core business processes for analytics and advanced business processing. This data from these specialized devices in cars, water meters, etc., has now become corporate data.

These new data types present a need for even more focus on the ability to recover from a catastrophic event quickly. However, the SMB is not often staffed or tooled to design and execute a backup strategy of this level of complexity. The solution is a Data Backup/Recovery Managed Service Providers (DB/R MSP) that provides remote management of the Backup process, along with professional Disaster Backup and Recovery consultation. Contracting a data backup consultant with the model of remote DB/R management allows the business to maintain their data locally without the need to hire new staff or train existing staff in sophisticated data backup and recovery processes.

10.23.14
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What is Driving the SMB to Develop Strategic Data Backup Processes

Small and Medium size businesses are recognizing the importance of the integrity of their data. These businesses need to effectively manage the growing amount of data.

Because of the wide-ranging benefits that small and medium size businesses can gain from Big Data in today’s competitive world, many are implementing a local Big Data strategy. A Big Data implementation presents a need for even more focus on the ability to recover from a catastrophic event quickly. With the implementation of Big Data comes the need for sophisticated Data Backup and Recovery procedures.SMB data in the cloud

SMBs must ensure that critical data is available when needed, even as environments become more complex. Data must also be resilient in the face of regulations, hackers and natural disasters. If disaster does strike, recovery must be fast so there is a minimal impact to the bottom line.

“There is a growing interest among SMBs to harness technology, but they are worried about costs and having the right skills. They want to take incremental steps to build on existing capacities that also hold potential for consequent bold moves. Storage and infrastructure will play a critical role as enabling technology.”  IDC as stated on IBM.com

Although the SMB is nimble, the SMB also has the challenge of a limited IT staff. The old method of passing the responsibility of Backup and Recovery to the newest and most junior IT staff person is no longer an option when mission-critical data is now in a combination of structured and unstructured complex formats. The need for a comprehensive data backup strategy becomes more critical to the business, while the implementation of that strategy becomes more complex.

The SMB will look to the cloud for an answer to their backup needs.  Salvus Data Consultants is a Data Backup/Recovery Managed Service Provider that does not require the data to leave the customer’s network unless the SMB wants the data to be stored offsite. The data can remain within the customer’s network or deployed off site at the customer’s chosen location, while the processes are managed in the cloud.

 

09.22.14
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Black Swan Events are Considerations for Data Back Up Strategies

Data Backup and Recovery is critical to protecting against the Black Swan Effect.

The “Theory of Black Swan Events” is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept that the event is a major issue and a surprise. Understanding the cause of the catastrophic event is

Black Swan Event

Black Swan Event

generally only possible through hindsight. While it doesn’t happen everyday, it does happen. And when it does – you better be ready!

A Black Swan is an event with the following three attributes:

  • First, it is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility.
  • Second, it carries an extreme impact.
  • Third, in spite of its outlier status, human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable.

An example would be Data Corruption existing in a server backup. Yes, there are constant occurrences of data corruption coming in daily from server backups where the data is virtually impossible to restore. Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) is an advanced utility that can be set up to remedy these common situations on the fly. However, this is only possible if TSM is configured correctly. Your Data backup and Recovery processes should be developed by professionals that understand the nuances of this complex discipline.

Let professionals take over from here, while you concentrate on your core business. You don’t need a Black Swan in your data center. Fort more information on Black Swan Events, contact Salvus Data Consultants.