Backup – not the last thing you should think of
I need a new service, so I need an application, and a new server, and perhaps some storage … and if we’re lucky we ask ourselves “oh, yes, what about the backup?” Have you noticed how really never turn IT off, we just add to it. So we end up with a backup strategy that encompassed everything 3 or 4 years ago, but one that falls pretty short today; that’s how it really works.
Even though we know that we really should backup all our data – just in case – are we absolutely convinced we actually are? Backup is our critical data protection solution and yet we rarely review our backup strategy.
With server virtualisation, the need for fast reliable application recovery, the exponential growth of unstructured data and poor data lifecycle management are some of the root causes of operational inefficiencies in IT and why we are change the way we approach our backup strategies.
Server Virtualisation
With more and more companies adopting virtualisation technologies to improve efficiencies and reduce CAPEX costs, organisations are looking for ways of protecting both virtual and physical environments with a single backup tool. It makes sense to use a solution that gives you granular recovery from a single pass backup, saving time, money and any amount of effort – don’t use separate tools and end up backing up the backup it turns the recovery process into a nightmare!
Microsoft Applications
The backup and recovery of Microsoft Applications is an inherently challenging process that becomes more difficult as the databases grow and the demands on its online availability increases, further limiting the time available for backup and recovery operations. Granular Recovery of Exchange, SQL and Active Directory from a single pass backup makes it easy and efficient to identify and recover only those objects needed.
Storage Optimisation
Optimising storage to reduce overall storage capacity can be done through integrated archiving and deduplication. Archiving moves old data to a separate store so you don’t have to backup the same data day-in, day-out – forever. Deduplication only backs up data (at a block level) once, using a pointer to the unique data. You can reduce the backup window dramatically with both archiving and data deduplication.
Backup Exec 2010
Backup Exec Agents and Options enhance and extend platform and feature support for your backup environments for Microsoft applications, virtual environments (VMware and Microsoft Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V) as well as storage reduction or optimisation technologies.
New Training Book on Backup
Every so often I write a book that not very many people read … put it this way; I’m not getting inquiring emails from Dan Brown on the state of my sales. To be fair, that’s not why I write. Predominately it’s down to boredom on aeroplanes and occasionally because I think there’s an area that, as IT people, we should focus, or re-focus on.
“Backing up Data in Your Business” has been written in the Smart Questions style, rather than being prescriptive we got through all the questions that as IT professionals from all walks of life we should be considering. Using the Smart Questions template this book has been targeted at the small to medium business, although it is also useful for larger companies, or those who are new to backup. It is primarily targeted at customers but has also been written with VARs (Value Added Resellers) in mind.
It’s pretty basic by moments, so if you are well up on backup today then it’s probably not for you. Where it will have an impact is with bosses who either don’t know what it is you are trying to do as a backup admin or if it’s not core to your skills – in other words you are all things to all men – then it is a list of things you should be thing about when considering your backup strategy.
It would also be a great training manual for any generalist whether vendor, distributor, reseller or end user. From the VAR perspective, this is something they can use to give to their sales force (to help educate them) as well as to their customers to make sure that they buy the appropriate solution. By educating the end-user it is possible to speed up the sales cycle and expand the sale as the customer is more aware of what technology is available to them to improve their backup solution, removing some of the pain points both from an end user perspective as well as the reseller point of view.
The first few chapters of the book look at the background as to why backup is important and how it has evolved – and why it turns out to be more complicated than first expected. (This is a sentiment echoed by small business, which start out with the best intentions and then give up as there are too many options and too much jargon… “All I wanted was a simple backup for my data…”)
The bulk of the book are the smart questions – organised in sections to help with understanding the need and building a business case internally, followed by more in depth questions on backup technology and on finding a supplier or an on-line backup service provider. Each question is kept relatively short, with a slightly longer explanation as to why the question is important. Finally there is a chapter with some case studies and what to do next.
The book has an ISBN number and is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
