What to back up, and how often
A backup is only useful if it contains the right data, is recent enough, and can actually be restored. Here is a simple way to think about it.
What to back up
- Accounting, payroll and invoicing data
- Client, patient or job records and any line-of-business databases
- Shared folders and documents on servers and in the cloud
- Email, including Microsoft 365 mailboxes, OneDrive and Teams files
- Files on laptops that are not saved to a server or cloud folder
- Server settings and configurations, so a system can be rebuilt quickly
How often
Ask how much work you could afford to redo. For most businesses, data that changes every day should be backed up at least daily. Busy databases may need backing up several times a day. Keep older copies too, for example daily copies for a few weeks and monthly copies for longer, so you can go back to before a problem started.
The 3-2-1 rule
- Keep three copies of important data: the original and two backups.
- Store them on two different types of storage, for example a backup device and the cloud.
- Keep one copy off site, so a fire, theft or ransomware attack in the office cannot reach it.
Test your restores
Backups fail quietly. Check the backup reports regularly, and at least every few months restore a few files, or a whole system, to prove the backup works. Remember that synced folders such as OneDrive copy deletions and encrypted files too, so they are not a backup on their own.
Still stuck?
Download the remote support tool from our remote support page and call us on +264 83 376 4016, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00. You can also email info@microtechnamibia.com.