Back-up - almost always a must, even when working in the cloud
Cloud solutions such as Google Workspace come with many security features. With them, it is possible to work more securely than with exclusively local storage of files and data without much effort. But does this relieve administrators of the need to create back-ups? If not, how can a back-up be realised?
In principle, clouds like Google are very well secured against external threats. For example, redundant data storage makes it possible to restore data that may have been destroyed in a fire from another data centre. In addition, versioning of files makes it possible to revert to earlier versions. But these and other features by no means cover all possible cases in which data can be lost. Most of the time, there is no malicious intent, but a human application error. Often files are accidentally deleted and there is no way to revert to a previous version. This can lead to the loss of data or work done. Most people are not aware of this issue.
Back-ups for every need
To prevent such losses, it is especially important to ask whether business-critical data is stored in the cloud. This can be customer contracts, documentation or work contracts, but also productive files that users use to exchange information about projects. If the answer is "yes", the company should regularly create a back-up. The challenge here is that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all back-up. Rather, it is an instrument for data protection that should always be designed individually.
An important criterion for choosing a suitable strategy and back-up software is the duration of the restore, i.e. how long can the restore take without causing major problems - keyword Recovery Time Objective (RTO)? The background to this is that an online backup solution such as Backupify and Synology uses an API interface. These have limitations so that larger back-ups and restores can take several days. It is also important to consider what should be additionally backed up and in what form, and how the restore should take place. It is not always necessary to import a complete back-up. It is often sufficient to search folders for individual files and restore them. It is also possible to restore specific users or organisational units. It is important to know in this context that native Google documents, for example, cannot be exported as such and thus cannot be recovered. This can lead to changes in the formatting. Furthermore, Google's versioning is missing.
How much data loss can be tolerated?
Another aspect to consider is the so-called Recovery Point Objective (RPO). It specifies the time period between backups and how much data may be lost. This correlates with questions such as how much changes within how long and how important this data is. The Data Protection Trends Report 2022 of the back-up software provider Veeam shows that this should not be underestimated. According to the report, 89 per cent of respondents saw a discrepancy between the amount of lost data they can get away with after a failure and how often the data is backed up. This value had risen by 13 percent in the past twelve months. Although the study applies to Germany, the situation in Switzerland is not likely to be significantly different.
Three, two, one - maximum safety
When choosing a method, it is also important to consider the 3:2:1 rule. It means:
- Three backup copies should be made, with the productive data already being one of them.
- The storage takes place on at least two different media. It should not only be a cloud backup, but also a backup on a network attached storage (NAS) and/or a hard disk.
- A back-up must be kept at an external location.
The reason for this is that back-ups are also exposed to dangers. The 3:2:1 rule reduces the probability of failure to an absolute minimum and creates the greatest possible security.
Inexpensive back-up solutions
Nevertheless, in many cases it does not have to be a highly complex project that requires a specialised provider. A common backup solution for creating backups of Google Workspace that does not cost much is Backupify, for example. With the Cloud to Cloud Back-up with Backupify, for example, data from the Google Cloud is additionally backed up and can optionally be transferred back or backed up as a download to local storage. Gmail, calendar, contacts, My Drive as well as Shared Drive are taken into account, whereby there are different plans for different requirements. The costs are manageable and inexpensive, starting at 4 euros per month and user. After all, users do not need their own hardware for such a backup, nor do they have to spend money on its maintenance.
So take the upcoming World Back-up Day on 31 March as an opportunity to additionally secure your data from the Google Cloud! With our support and consulting packages, we make sure you have minimal hassle.
Back-up - almost always a must, even when working in the cloud
Cloud solutions such as Google Workspace come with many security features. With them, it is possible to work more securely than with exclusively local storage of files and data without much effort. But does this relieve administrators of the need to create back-ups? If not, how can a back-up be realised?
In principle, clouds like Google are very well secured against external threats. For example, redundant data storage makes it possible to restore data that may have been destroyed in a fire from another data centre. In addition, versioning of files makes it possible to revert to earlier versions. But these and other features by no means cover all possible cases in which data can be lost. Most of the time, there is no malicious intent, but a human application error. Often files are accidentally deleted and there is no way to revert to a previous version. This can lead to the loss of data or work done. Most people are not aware of this issue.
Back-ups for every need
To prevent such losses, it is especially important to ask whether business-critical data is stored in the cloud. This can be customer contracts, documentation or work contracts, but also productive files that users use to exchange information about projects. If the answer is "yes", the company should regularly create a back-up. The challenge here is that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all back-up. Rather, it is an instrument for data protection that should always be designed individually.
An important criterion for choosing a suitable strategy and back-up software is the duration of the restore, i.e. how long can the restore take without causing major problems - keyword Recovery Time Objective (RTO)? The background to this is that an online backup solution such as Backupify and Synology uses an API interface. These have limitations so that larger back-ups and restores can take several days. It is also important to consider what should be additionally backed up and in what form, and how the restore should take place. It is not always necessary to import a complete back-up. It is often sufficient to search folders for individual files and restore them. It is also possible to restore specific users or organisational units. It is important to know in this context that native Google documents, for example, cannot be exported as such and thus cannot be recovered. This can lead to changes in the formatting. Furthermore, Google's versioning is missing.
How much data loss can be tolerated?
Another aspect to consider is the so-called Recovery Point Objective (RPO). It specifies the time period between backups and how much data may be lost. This correlates with questions such as how much changes within how long and how important this data is. The Data Protection Trends Report 2022 of the back-up software provider Veeam shows that this should not be underestimated. According to the report, 89 per cent of respondents saw a discrepancy between the amount of lost data they can get away with after a failure and how often the data is backed up. This value had risen by 13 percent in the past twelve months. Although the study applies to Germany, the situation in Switzerland is not likely to be significantly different.
Three, two, one - maximum safety
When choosing a method, it is also important to consider the 3:2:1 rule. It means:
- Three backup copies should be made, with the productive data already being one of them.
- The storage takes place on at least two different media. It should not only be a cloud backup, but also a backup on a network attached storage (NAS) and/or a hard disk.
- A back-up must be kept at an external location.
The reason for this is that back-ups are also exposed to dangers. The 3:2:1 rule reduces the probability of failure to an absolute minimum and creates the greatest possible security.
Inexpensive back-up solutions
Nevertheless, in many cases it does not have to be a highly complex project that requires a specialised provider. A common backup solution for creating backups of Google Workspace that does not cost much is Backupify, for example. With the Cloud to Cloud Back-up with Backupify, for example, data from the Google Cloud is additionally backed up and can optionally be transferred back or backed up as a download to local storage. Gmail, calendar, contacts, My Drive as well as Shared Drive are taken into account, whereby there are different plans for different requirements. The costs are manageable and inexpensive, starting at 4 euros per month and user. After all, users do not need their own hardware for such a backup, nor do they have to spend money on its maintenance.
So take the upcoming World Back-up Day on 31 March as an opportunity to additionally secure your data from the Google Cloud! With our support and consulting packages, we make sure you have minimal hassle.
