The question that many SMEs ask themselves when they are afraid of losing information is: where to make a security backup Where is the best place to do it, in the cloud, on an external hard disk, on a USB stick, on a private server?
It is clear to us that having backups is of great importance. For the good of the company itself and for the good of the customers whose data you are storing. However, the choice of where to make backups is key so that we can then restore it properly.
How to make a backup the right way
Before even asking ourselves where we are going to keep the backups, we should think: what will be the process by which they are going to be created, can we automate it so that it does not have to depend on the person on duty remembering to do it?
Because this is key so that all aspects are covered. And we already explained this when we were talking about how to make a backup.
If your backups are not automatic, it doesn’t matter where you keep them. Sooner or later, you will end up with a computer problem at the worst moment. And there will be data that you didn’t have stored because whoever was supposed to make the backup didn’t do it.
Prevention is undoubtedly the key to success when it comes to making backups, regardless of where we store them.
Where to store company’s backups?
After deciding what the process is going to be, it is clear to us that the storage hardware we use for backup backup also matters.
We are always going to place the backups on a storage memory, the question is where it will be or on what device. And whether we have control over that device or not.
- There are virtual backups, where the data is stored in the cloud, either on an external server or spread across different servers within a network.
- And there are backups stored on particular physical devices, e.g. a private server, another computer, USB, a cell phone, a CD, a DVD, etc.
There are some clear aspects that we must have in this regard when making a backup:
- Certain devices are going to limit us a lot because of their low storage capacity. For example, CDs and DVDs. This will force us to constantly have to acquire new CDs or DVDs, in addition to enabling a space to place them in your company.
- Physical devices that are in our hands or connected to our computer are always less secure. That is, if you get a virus on your computer, it is quite easy to end up infecting the USB stick.
What is the best way to create backup copies.
That said, we already know that the best way to create backups is for them to be automatic and also to be on a preferably virtual device. As far away as possible from the devices we are trying to protect.
They should also be devices the more robust the better. It is much easier for a USB stick or an external hard disk to break down than a powerful server located in a data center with the best technologies enabled for its care and protection.
Now, that doesn’t mean that something can’t happen that could affect our data. For example, that a hacker manages to bypass the firewall or enter our external server through a brute force attack, being able to manipulate, delete or add data in our storage system.
Faced with this type of problem, once again the best thing we can do is prevention. Encrypted backups are safer because, even if they are stolen or intercepted by a cybercriminal, he needs the key to decrypt them and it will not be easy for him to get it or find out, so his chances are greatly reduced.
Let’s also not forget that it’s not just data theft that needs to be protected against. Let’s also think about the loss or deletion of data on our computers, which would require restoring backups. Or simply the fact that we are going to buy new computers and need to transfer all the information from the old ones to the new computers.
In these cases, it is always better to have an automated, encrypted, offsite backup system so that we can easily recover our data.