Backup - Boring but Important
by Joe Ulm
Okay, I know, data backup is a pretty boring topic. But it is only boring until something happens and you need to restore your data. Then backup isn’t quite so boring – it is essential. And, from what I’ve seen at most law firms, they simply trust that their backup is working. They check the backup log and there it is in plain English “backup complete.” Most backup systems even provide an additional layer of assurance by tossing in the all powerful word “verified.” Now there’s a word to be confident in, right? Well, probably not. In truth, most backup systems today don’t know whether your data was backed up properly or not, much less being able to verify anything. So how do firms ensure they’re getting a good backup? Well, let me tell you the ways…
I won’t go into all the technical specifications and idiosyncrasies that backup systems are notorious for because well, that would put all but the greatest geeks directly to sleep. No, the point to this article will be to help you determine which system is best for your firm and show you how to maintain the system so that it provides the exact risk limitations you are looking for. First, let’s look at how to make a good decision on a backup system.
Data backup is all about mitigating risk. Just like good attorneys do for their clients, your backup system should limit or mitigate your risk. In this case, the risk is data loss. Whether Jack in HR deleted the vacation schedule again or Bob in litigation accidentally deleted a brief that is due in an hour, your data backup system should be capable of restoring specific pieces of information quickly and accurately without affecting other data on the system.
Luckily, most backup software programs are capable of doing exactly that. However, be careful of programs that are integrated into your server software. These programs are far less reliable than those specifically designed to backup your data. The first thing I would recommend is that you verify that you have backup software running on your server that has the sole purpose of backing up your data. I’ve never met a software program that did backup and something else and did them both well. Stay with a designated backup software program like ARCserve or my favorite, Backup Exec. Remember, you could lose your building, your phones, your server and could still recover, but if you lose your data, you’re sunk.
The next most important aspect of selecting a proper backup system is to ensure you have sized the system appropriately. Okay, this may seem like the definition of common sense, but considering that most firms change their backup system only when they change their server (or servers), it is critical to get it right the first time. I recommend estimating your firm’s backup needs over the life of your server (usually between 3 & 5 years) and adding 50% more capacity. The way backup drives are priced today, it just costs too much to change your backup system in the middle of the life of your server. Adding an extra 50% capacity to ensure you don’t have to go through this process costs nothing in comparison. So estimate your data backup needs over the next few years and add 50%. You’ll be happy you did.
The next thing you’ll want to consider is what type of backup system to install. Most systems have to be portable or you wouldn’t be protected in the case of a fire, flood, or other natural disaster. Consequently, tape backups have been the backup system of choice for years, and all things considered, tape backup still isn’t a bad choice today. However, tape backup does come with some inherent problems such as reliability of media, speed in accessing data and the durability of the drive itself. Because tape drives require so many moving parts, they tend to wear out quickly and just like the old Steve Miller cassette I used to listen to, cassettes require you to wind the tape forward or backwards to get to the data you need. As such, accessing and restoring data can be slow. Never fear however, because two newer types of backup systems are becoming more prevalent in firms today; hard drives and online.
Hard drive backup systems work much like tapes do today. They are about the same size as a tape, you insert them and eject them just like you would a tape and they are small enough to take off site. They are by far the superior in data reliability, restore speed, and because they require few moving parts, the drives tend to last longer. This type of backup has been around for years, but until recently the drives themselves weren’t small enough to carry around easily and their data capacity was limited. That has now all changed. Hard drive backup systems today are easily capable of backing up over 80 GB and often they are smaller than their cassette counterparts.
Online backup is a different creature altogether, but more and more firms are incorporating this type of backup into their backup strategy. Online backup systems operate exactly how they sound; your data is sent across the Internet to a data center where it resides until you overwrite it with the following days’ backup. It has been my experience that online backup is becoming more prevalent for firms either as an added layer of protection for their existing system or as an entire backup solution. With the price of bandwidth dropping all the time, firms are able to send gigabytes of data over the Internet reasonably cheaply and without having the backup encroach on business hours. Firms are charged a monthly fee for this service and the fee usually depends on the amount of data being backed up. Nonetheless, this trend in online backup is growing and probably worth looking into for most firms.
Once you have successfully determined the size, type and software of your backup system, you will want to maintain it properly to ensure all that effort wasn’t for naught. The first and best piece of advice I can give you is to test, test and test again. Software systems don’t have the ability to really know if they have backed up your data successfully or not. They can tell you what data they copied to media and what data they did not, but they can’t tell you if the tape is old and worn or if there are bad sectors on your backup drive. Online backup is more certain in that regard because the vendors that provide online backup have redundant systems and checks in place to ensure the data is indeed backed up, but the majority of firms today are still using tape. Be safe. Test your tapes and replace them annually. For hard drive backup systems you shouldn’t have to replace the drives annually, but you should test them often.
The next most important thing to do is to clean the drive. This applies mostly to tape backup systems, but since tape is still the predominant backup type in use today, I couldn’t let it go unmentioned. Also, review your backup logs. They aren’t perfect, but they do tell you a lot. Most of the time data loss can be avoided by looking at your backup logs regularly.
So there you have it. Choose your backup system carefully and maintain it properly and your risk of losing data decreases significantly. Size your backup correctly, choose the right type of media, deploy a dedicated backup program, and follow good maintenance procedures and no natural or man-made disaster shall part you from your data.
This article originally appeared in the January 24, 2007 edition of the Wisconsin Law Journal.
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