Backup methods for your business

In the digital era, data is the backbone of any business. Data loss can be catastrophic – from business interruption to significant financial loss. Whether it’s human or technical error, environmental impact, or a ransomware extortion attack, a customized backup solution protects the business.

In this blog post, we’ll answer all of your relevant backup questions and provide insight into Open Circle’s best practices for keeping your data safe and accessible at all times.

A backup as insurance

A backup is a backup copy of all data. In the event of a system failure or data loss, it allows you to copy back and restore the affected data from special backup media. By restoring from the backup, it is possible to continue working as usual even in such events without data loss and operational downtime.

Data saved in backups

In general, all digital data can be backed up. Open Circle offers a wide range of backup solutions for this purpose for various data types, including:

• Hard disks from physical and virtual systems
• Files from physical devices
• VM configurations
• SQL and Exchange databases including mailboxes

Since Open Circle only backs up data stored on our cloud servers, we use our partner MOUNT10 to back up data in the Microsoft/Office 365/Azure cloud.

Storage options for backups

Backups can be stored on external and internal hard drives, in cloud storage, on servers in data centers, or on magnetic tapes. Each storage method has advantages and disadvantages. That’s why it’s important to choose the method that works best for your business.

Physical backups – whether local or offsite – are safe from cyberattacks, but can be lost due to physical damage. Cloud backups offer flexibility and remote access, but require strong encryption and secure passwords. Which is the right backup method depends on your organization’s needs and infrastructure.

Local backup: everything in one Place

Local backup is a copy of data stored on the same device or network. It provides quick access and recovery, but may be insufficient in the event of physical damage to the site.

Cloud backup: via the internet to the data center

Your data is synchronized and stored in the cloud, which is an off-site data center. This provides an additional layer of security, as your data is stored in a secure location that is separate from your operations site.

Cold backup: play it safe offline

With the cold backup method, the backup is created and stored offline. This provides an extra layer of protection against online threats.

Hot backup: live in real time

All system services are active during hot backup. This enables continuous backup without interrupting operations.

Warm backup: at regular intervals

During the backup process, the system is running, but some services might be inactive. This represents a middle ground between cold and hot backup.

Tape out backup: backup to a tape

Data is transferred from primary storage to a tape cartridge, which allows for quick recovery in the event of a failure. With Open Circle, this is an optional backup option.

Escrow backup: the independent third party in the boot

The backup is stored with an independent third party. So you have access to your data at any time.

Hybrid backups: double security

A hybrid backup combines local and cloud-based backup solutions to provide both fast on-site data recovery and additional security through cloud storage.

Data encryption in backups?

Data encryption converts data into an unreadable form, protects it from unauthorized access, and guarantees that backups cannot be viewed by unauthorized persons. This is especially important for backups, as they often contain sensitive information. Strong encryption ensures that they are secure and can only be viewed by authorized users.

Different backup methods

Understanding the different backup methods is critical to deciding on the best strategy for your business. Choosing the right backup method depends on several factors, including the size of your organization’s data, the frequency of data changes and the capacity of your storage infrastructure.

Full backup – the big backup with all data

Full backup backs up all data on a system, regardless of previous changes. This ensures a complete recovery, but requires a lot of resources.

A disk image backup belongs to the full backups. It creates an exact copy of a hard disk, including all files, the operating system and the disk structure. Disk image backup is used to fully restore a system to a new device or drive in the event of a total failure or serious error. This backup is especially valuable for businesses that need a fast and efficient method of data recovery to minimize downtime.

Incremental backup – the small backup for change

Incremental backup only backs up data that has changed since the last backup. This makes backup more resource efficient, but recovery more complicated.

Differential backup – the middle ground

A differential backup backs up all data that has changed since the last full backup. This backup method represents the middle ground between full and incremental backup.

Backup sets – the restore points

Backup sets are individual backups created as a group of backup files at a specific point in time as part of a backup strategy. A backup set can be a full backup, an incremental backup, or a differential backup.

A backup set can also combine multiple backup types. For example, a backup set can consist of a full backup and an incremental backup. In this case, the backup set would be called a differential backup. Backup sets facilitate the recovery process by allowing users to select a specific time at which they want to restore their data.

Georedundant backup and how it helps against ransomware

With a georedundant backup, data is mirrored in two physically separate data centers: at Open Circle in Bern and Zurich. This means that backups are optimally protected against ransomware attacks. The key here is isolation of backup servers and multiple storage at different locations. If one server is compromised, the others remain secure.