Data backup and disaster recovery for companies

Keeping your company safe and agile when disaster strikes.

IONOS

Cloud Backup

Why data backups and disaster recovery are important for companies

The relationship between business continuity and disaster recovery strategies

How much data can I afford to lose? (Recovery point objective, RPO)

// Your answer to this question determines the backup intervals. If you don't want to lose any data at all, your data needs to be backed up constantly. You can extend the backup intervals a little if losing a few hours of data would not be so tragic.

How much system downtime can you accept before things get business-critical? (Recovery time objective, RTO)

  • For major international shops, the complete failure of the IT systems for just a few hours can mean the loss of significant revenue. Websites with relatively low traffic might be less affected by an outage lasting several hours or days.

The best storage location for the data backups (external hard drive, network drive or the cloud etc.) and the frequency of storage can also differ significantly from company to company. Nevertheless, data backups in the cloud are likely to be the most flexible and convenient option, as the cloud provider is responsible for providing the latest hard- and software and for compliance with relevant standards.

You can use various backup methods. Which one best suits your needs depends in particular on how frequently your datasets change.

Which types of backup are there and what is the best way of using them?

Differential backups

This type only copies data that has changed or been added since the last full backup. It requires considerably less storage space than a full backup. Shorter backup intervals are therefore possible. Individual restore points can be deleted without affecting others.

Incremental backups

Incremental backups only copy the data that has changed or been added since the last incremental or full backup. All incremental backups and a full backup can be used to restore systems and data. Very short backup intervals are sensible and possible, as the method does not require much storage space.

The various backup methods are combined: Incremental or differential backups can be performed after a full backup.

Backup media: Offline, online and hybrid backups

Data backups with Cloud Backup from Acronis, and the Compute Engine

Summary:

Backup and disaster recovery strategies are effective ways to prepare for serious incidents

Being well prepared for any eventuality helps to keep the economic or even existential risk to the company as low as possible. A disaster recovery plan influences which method you choose to back up your company’s data so that it can restored as smoothly as possible – in the interests of your image and business continuity. Acronis Cloud Backup in the Compute Engine provides you with a powerful tool to back up each component in your IT system as best suits your needs: No matter which operating system you use, regardless of where the individual elements of your IT system are physically located.
Tip:

Do not forget to document your disaster recovery plan!

Detailed documentation that meticulously describes how best to proceed in emergency situations is an integral part of any disaster recovery plan. Aspects such as the general organization of your infrastructure – whether on-premises or in the cloud – need to be documented precisely. When errors occur, a step-by-step guide to restoring services and all necessary configurations (e.g. IP addresses, DNS configurations, firewalls and routing) makes things less stressful for your employees and prevents them from making wrong decisions. You should also define the sequence in which systems should be put back into operation so that your restart proceeds as smoothly as possible.