A cloud backup is only worth something once it has been restored.
Almost every company has a backup. Few have ever brought one back.
Short answer
A business backup is a copy of your data in a different place from the original, which lets you carry on after a loss, a mistake or an attack. Jevana backs up servers, files and databases to separate storage, keeps them for a period you choose and test-restores part of them at an agreed moment. Without that test you do not know what you have.
Four questions a backup has to answer
- What
- Which systems and folders are in it, and which are not. The second is usually the surprise.
- How far back
- Which day you can return to: yesterday, last month, last year.
- How much lost
- How much work you can lose at most. With a nightly backup that is a day.
- How long to recover
- How long before you are working again. A single file is easy to bring back, a whole server takes longer.
How we set it up
Several copies
The 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two kinds of storage, one of them in a different location.
- The original you work with
- A copy nearby, for restoring fast
- A copy at an external location, outside the data centre, for when the first place is lost
Unchangeable
A backup an attacker can delete does not protect you from that attacker.
- Copies that cannot be changed or deleted for a fixed period
- Separate access, apart from the accounts of your network
- Encrypted in transit and in storage
Checked
A green tick says something was written, not that it can be used.
- An alert to us when a backup fails or is strikingly small
- A test restore at an agreed rhythm
- A report of what was restored and how long it took
From backup to disaster recovery
A backup brings your data back. Disaster recovery brings your business back: the servers run again, in another place, while the original environment is not yet repaired.
That takes more than a copy. Hardware has to be ready, the network has to be switchable and someone has to know the steps. We mirror an environment to a second location, so it can start there if the first is lost. We agree beforehand how quickly you need to be back.
When it is too late to think about it
- The backup has been failing for months, and the alerts went to a colleague who left
- The disk with the backup was attached to the same server that got encrypted
- The file is in the backup, but nobody knows how to get to it
Questions
What is the 3-2-1 rule for backups?
The 3-2-1 rule says you keep three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, one of them in a different location. The original counts as the first copy. The idea is that no single event, such as fire, theft or a failed disk, hits all copies at once. Today an unchangeable copy is added, against ransomware.
How often is a backup tested?
We agree that with you, and a usual rhythm is every quarter. In a test we restore part of the data or a whole server to a separate place and check that everything is usable. You get a short report of what was restored and how long it took. That way you know beforehand what to expect in an emergency.
Can ransomware encrypt the backup too?
Yes, if the backup can be reached from the infected network. Attackers look for it deliberately and delete it first. So we keep one copy unchangeable: for a fixed period nobody can alter or delete it, not even us and not even someone with admin rights. Access to the backup is also separate from the accounts in your network.
What is the difference between backup and disaster recovery?
A backup is a copy of data that you can restore. Disaster recovery is the plan and the provisions for working again after a major outage: replacement servers, a network that can be switched over and an order of steps. The backup is part of it. Without a plan you have data, but not yet a working business.
Do you also back up a NAS or a server at the office?
Yes. A NAS or server at the office can send its data to our storage, encrypted and at a fixed time. You keep the fast copy at the office and a second one off the premises. For many small offices that is the simplest way to meet the 3-2-1 rule without moving everything to the cloud.
Goes well with
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Microsoft 365 backup
A daily copy of mail, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, outside Microsoft, with a retention period you choose.
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Backups for small businesses: what do you really need?
The 3-2-1 rule, why Microsoft 365 needs its own backup, and why a backup only counts once you have restored it.
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NAS management
A Synology or other NAS at the office updated, secured and given a backup off the premises.
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Private cloud
A sealed-off environment of your own, with virtual servers and a network, on our hardware.
From the knowledge base
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How long must a Dutch company keep its business records?
Seven years for the accounts, four weeks for a job application. The Dutch periods side by side, and what they mean for email and backups.
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Is OneDrive a backup? The difference between syncing and backing up
Syncing copies your mistakes too. What OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox do and do not bring back, and what a real backup does.
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Ransomware: what do you do in the first hours?
Files encrypted and a ransom note on the screen. What to do straight away, what to leave alone and how to get back to work.
Tell us what you run.
An introduction costs nothing. You talk straight away to one of the two people who will actually do the work.
or email info@jevana.systems