Your data in safe hands

A backup is a copy of important data, files, or information that is made in case the original data is lost or damaged. The backup allows you to restore the data to its original state if needed, thus providing protection, and ensuring data availability. Backups can be stored on different media, such as hard drives, tape drives, cloud storage, or other types of storage devices.

Backing up your data is important because it protects you from data loss. This can occur due to various reasons, such as hardware failure, accidental deletion, malware attacks, or natural disasters. By having a backup, you can recover your data and minimize the impact of any data loss. This ensures that your important information, documents, etc are safe and secure.

The 3-2-1 method for backing up data is a widely accepted best practice for protecting important digital information. The method involves having three copies of data, with two stored locally and one stored remotely. This approach provides a high level of protection against data loss caused by hardware failures, natural disasters, or other catastrophic events. The 3-2-1 method also helps ensure that a backup copy of data is always available, even if one of the local copies is lost or damaged.

It is important to backup all important and critical data, including but not limited to:

• Personal or organisational documents, such as contracts, invoices, financial statements etc
• Digital photos and videos
• Any company intellectual property
• Email and other forms of electronic communication
• Databases and other structured data
• Operating systems files and configurations
• Application data and settings

The frequency of backups depends on the amount of data being backed up and the amount of data that can be lost or modified. It is typically recommended to perform daily backups for critical data, weekly backups for less critical data, and monthly backups for non-critical data. It is also important to consider the backup schedule based on business needs and data changes, as well as to validate the backups regularly to ensure their accuracy and integrity.

• Developing a backup strategy: determine the types of data that need to be backed up and how often backups should take place.
• Regular backups: perform backups on a regular basis to ensure that data is always protected.
• Multiple backup copies: keep multiple copies of data stored in different locations to minimise the risk of data loss.
• Testing backups: test backups regularly to ensure that they can be recovered in the event of a disaster.
• Documenting the process: document the backup and recovery process to ensure that it can easily be followed in case of an emergency.
• Storing backups securely: store backups in a secure location, either on premises or in the cloud.
• Disaster Recovery Plan: have a disaster recovery plan in place to ensure that the business can quickly recover for any data loss or disruption.

This depends on several factors, including the size and complexity of your data and the level of protection that you need.  Here are some of the factors that you should consider when choosing a backup method:

• Data type
• Data Volume
• Frequency of changes
• Recovery time
• Data location
• Cost

Yes, it is possible to backup data from multiple devices and platforms. There are several backup solutions available that support data backup from a variety of devices, such as laptops, desktops, servers, and mobile devices, as well as different operating systems and file systems. These solutions can backup data to a central location, such as an on-premise server or a cloud-based storage service, and provide options for data recovery in case of data loss or corruption. The best backup method for your organisation will depend on various factors such as the type and amount of data, the number of devices and platforms, the budget, and the data recovery requirements.

Even though Office 365 provides some data protection features, it is recommended to regularly backup your data to ensure its protection and availability in case of any data loss, deletion, or corruption. This allows you to recover your data if needed, ensuring that your organization can continue to function and avoid any potential data loss.

The Microsoft Share responsibility model is a security framework that outlines the responsibilities of both Microsoft and its customers in protecting data and ensuring compliance in Microsoft’s cloud services, including Office 365.  According to this model, Microsoft is responsible for securing the underlying infrastructure and providing secure services while the customer is responsible for protecting their own data and applications.

Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum amount of time a system, application or service is allowed to be down after a disaster or disruption before it negatively affects the organisation.

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.  It represents the point in time to which the data must be recovered from backups or other means to avoid unacceptable data loss.

We retain your data for as long as your account is active depending on the bespoke solution you have signed up for.  If you cancel this service your backup history will be removed.