Why you need to back up your data in Canada
No business leader wants to hear the dreaded words ‘data loss’, but the fact is, it can happen, and it’s happening more often.
With employees working remotely and accessing business data through various outlets, the risk of data loss is unfortunately not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’.
That’s why protecting your environment requires a layered approach that — in addition to robust defensive tools — includes a robust backup system.
What to do when your data is lost
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Those of us who have experienced data loss – either through a system failure or human error – know how stressful the situation can be.
What we often don’t know is what businesses and organizations should do after it happens.
Enter Mary Ann Labricciosa, Acronym’s senior product manager for data and IP solutions.
She and her colleagues have been putting data backup best practices to work to ensure customers can recover their backup data as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“We get that it’s not just the risk of losing your data; it’s also the reputational risk, the downtime risk, and all the financial impacts that go along with that,” she said.
One of those best practices is working with top Canadian vendors who store their data within our borders. The low number of Canadian owned and operated data storage companies makes the partners they work with “special gems,” Labricciosa says.
These gems are a business owner’s first line of defense: they aren’t subject to American laws like the Patriot Act, which turns the U.S. government into a de facto hacker of sorts since they can legally view your data without your permission and without notifying you.
“Customers can buy third-party data storage from a hyperscaler and set it up themselves,” said Labricciosa.
“But if they ever need quick and affordable access to their data after a breach plus technical support, it could cost them more time and money.”
But storing your data safely in Canada is just the first step — you also need the most robust system possible to safeguard your data.
Jeff Farley, Acronym’s head of product development and management, explains the data protection “rule of thumb” known as the 3-2-1-1-0 rule which suggests:
- Three (up-to-date) backup copies of your data
- Stored on Two different types of storage media or devices (e.g. in the cloud and on a network drive)
- With at least One copy offsite
- And One copy that is offline
- And Zero errors when creating backups and performing data restoration
Once your backup system is up and running, an additional best practice Labricciosa recommends is having a playbook that will tell you and your team exactly what to do in the event of a major data loss event.
“The playbook gives you something to fall back on when you’re in that panic moment,” said Labricciosa.
While every business is different and will need to tailor their playbook to their needs, Labricciosa suggests starting with a list of emergency contacts that includes employees, suppliers and customers who may be impacted, and appointing a designated leader who will oversee and coordinate the response.
Compiling an inventory of physical and cloud assets, including diagrams of interconnection points and APIs will also help make recovery easier.
What you should ask your cloud service provider
To avoid being faced with the unexpected during a stressful time, ask your cloud service provider these questions:
- Will there be any egress fees — meaning an additional charge — for retrieving my backup data?
- Can I visit the data center in-person to download my data onto a physical drive?
- If not, how long will it take to download our data via the internet, and how reliable and secure is the connection?
- Is there an additional charge to complete a test restore?
With Acronym, you won’t have to worry about being hit with unexpected fees or faced with unnecessary delays in accessing your data online.
If visiting the storage facility to download your data onto a physical drive is the more efficient solution, we’ll help make it happen. And we’re available 24/7 to answer your call to get the recovery process started as soon as possible.
About Acronym
Acronym Solutions Inc. is a full-service information and communications technology (ICT) company that provides a range of scalable and secure Network, Voice & Collaboration, Security, Cloud and Managed IT Solutions. We support Canadian businesses, large enterprises, service providers, healthcare providers, public-sector organizations and utilities. We leverage our extensive network expertise to design and build customized, fully scalable solutions to help our customers grow their businesses and realize their full potential. With more than 20 years’ experience managing the communications system that enables Ontario’s electrical grid, Acronym is uniquely positioned to understand the mission-critical needs of any business to deliver the innovative and reliable services that respond to the changing demands of businesses, and support rapid growth and digital transformation initiatives.