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Information is one of the most valuable resources of every business. Protecting that information is crucial. Due to increasing technology, majority of businesses today run their operations from computer-based systems which process many master files and transaction files every single day. Paper record retention has been steadily decreasing with the increase in paperless work environments. As such, if the data relating to the backup information is lost or corrupted then all historical records could potentially be lost forever (especially in the paperless work environment). The end result proves that timely reliable system backups are proving to be vital to the continuing success of companies in today’s environment.

Businesses must then adopt policies and procedures with regular and effective system backups ensuring that their data is adequately protected. Prevention of lost data should include a multi-tiered approach that considers the risks related to viruses, firewall protection, content filtering, identifying vulnerabilities and management as well as intrusion detection. All businesses should have a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan to mitigate the risks associated with the loss of data. The business costs associated with downtime and data loss could be astronomical.

Backup Types

There are three types of backups that can be executed on a system, and each of these backups can use disks or tapes as the primary media:

Full Backup

Backs up all files on the system.

Incremental (Partial Backup)

An incremental backup is a backup that backs up only the files modified since the last backup. Incremental backups are usually appended to the full backup set. The result is a tape with the changes that occurred daily. This method of backing up provides and audit trail of file usage activity on their system and will enable a company to restore a specific days work without restoring any changes made since that point in time.

Differential (Partial Backup)

A differential backup is a cumulative backup of changes made since the last full backup which only backs up files that have been modified since the last full backup. The backup files increase daily until the next full backup is performed purging the archived files.

Disk-based vs. Tape-based

To back up data and information businesses have the flexibility of using both tape-based and disk-based solutions. Many companies use both types in their operations, the tape would serve as a direct backup and the disk would be used for the day-to-day backup solutions. Disk backups provide flexible and immediate access for everyday use, without having to shut down servers and taking the company off-line. It is recommended that companies require that the disk backups be converted to a tape backup so the information can be archived and stored for a long period of time.

Backup System Tools

Due to the technological advances along with the increased dependence companies have on computers with several different software and hardware options available. It is important for a business to assess its needs, size and operations when choosing the systems for their operations. Here are just a few products available; DriveWasher, File Shredder, BackUp MyPC, RecoverLost Data, Privacy Protector, Firewall X-treme, Anti Virus etc…. The list is quite extensive. Each company will need to research what products are best suited for them.

Backup System Controls

There are several factors in backup systems that should be considered for every business. If a company is publicly held, they are required to be audited by an external auditor and so each of these best practices should be considered when evaluating their internal controls relating to system backups. The objective of auditing backup systems is to ensure that all the systems that are essential to the business along with the appropriate confidential information is properly backed up. The auditor will review procedures, logs, systems and documents to determine if the procedures are adequate. It is essential that the previous versions (which are already backed up) are retained intact until the new backups are available and stored.

Risk Analysis

Understand the inherent risks of technological advances compared to the options available to mitigate those risks. Implementation of a backup solution is vital to the success of a company but the cost/benefits need to be aligned with the needs of the organization.

Scheduling

Backups should be on a maintained on a regular schedule. The schedules should depend on the data that is being backed up. For instance, systems or information that is crucial to the ongoing operations of the business should be backed up more often than information that is not critical.