There are two types of people: those who back up their data properly and those who haven’t lost any information… yet. Regular backups are vital; that way, you can be sure that in the event of any emergency, you will be able to get back to work quickly. This solution will not only save your data with the required frequency, but also enable you to control this data. For your convenience, we have put together a checklist of the features that a backup solution should include in order to keep your data safe.
Security
Data protection is a top priority for any company. A backup solution should provide options to prevent unauthorized access to data, so that an intruder won’t be able to reach it. Passwords and two-factor authentication are a must. If you have several administrators, you need to be able to give them different permissions, depending on their experience. Also, the channels that are used to send and receive the data should be encrypted and, given that users may delete something by accident, the solution should be able to block their attempts.
Flexibility
The backup solution that you choose should be able to grow as your company grows. Therefore, flexibility matters; the solution has to fit your needs, even if they change frequently. It has to be customizable, as well. You’re going to work with the solution every day, so it is good to be able to configure it for your convenience. Some solutions can be personalized, and this might be a nice opportunity to raise awareness of your business among clients.
Performance
Your backups shouldn’t interfere with users’ work when uploading; at least they shouldn’t occupy the whole Internet channel and all the computer resources. So, a backup solution needs to include such functionality as bandwidth control and multithreading. If you limit bandwidth consumption during working hours and extend the limit for nights and weekends, users might not even notice that something is happening. As for multithreading, it helps to transfer data to storage a lot faster.
Bring Your Own Storage
According to the 3-2-1 rule, which is considered to be a gold-standard backup strategy, you need to use at least two different storages, and it is best if one of them is in the cloud. So a backup solution should be able to work with both cloud and local storage solutions. Also, a big plus is when a backup solution vendor offers their own storage. In this case, everything related to your backups can be done in a single window.
Automation
When you have a large park of computers, manual configuration of each of them takes a long time. Automation reduces this time significantly, so a proper backup solution has to be able to work with computers in bulk – for instance, deploy the same backup plan for a whole company with all its endpoints, or import users from an existing table and create them within the solution.
Onboarding and Support
Any software has a learning curve, but onboarding makes it shorter. So you can employ your solution with its full set of features much faster. 24/7 support is also vital, as support is where you go when you encounter any problems backing up or restoring data. Most people tend to undervalue support and onboarding, but these services make things a lot easier. You need to be sure that you’ll get answers to all your questions, so the support part is significant.
Integration
As a backup solution is basically software, it is more convenient when you can connect it to the services you already use – for example, to an IT software manager. Integration with ConnectWise, Autotask, or OptiTune via an API can save you time and money.
Reporting and Notifications
If you have a single computer, you can just watch how the backup is going, but for more machines, you need a tool for bulk monitoring. If something goes wrong, a backup solution should notify you about it; otherwise, some vital data might be lost. Additionally, the solution should keep a full history of backups and their results and provide various reports, so that you will be fully aware of what’s happening with all your backups every single minute.
Multi-Platform
Most computers work on Windows OS, but not all of them. The solution must have versions for macOS and Linux, as these operating systems are also popular. It is worth having a similar backup solution for all the computers you maintain, as different software might require more time to get familiar with, and to utilize with all its payments, updates, etc.
Digimark can provide you with the best options and consultancy, for your needs and data safety.
Contact us to find out how our solutions can elevate your security and operations.