Backup
disaster – the signs!
An organisations data backup is usually at the back of everyone’s
mind. That typically human trait where we believe it will never
happen to us. BackUp failures do happen on a regular basis. When
BackUp’s go right no one takes any notice, if there is a
problem the data is restored and everyone goes about there business
like it never happened and nobody gives it a second thought. However,
when BackUp’s go wrong and data cannot be restored, you
would be surprised how everyone becomes an expert on the subject,
and even more at finger pointing to who was responsible.
Below are some key signs to look out for regarding the preservation
of your backup environment, and possibly your job.
1. Metrics
If you have no firm visibility of your organisation storage capacity,
continued growth, success/failure rates and the performance within
your backup environment then you can’t be aware of any problems.
It sounds so simple, however, we have seen on many occasions many
SME’s and schools where there are staggering backup failure
rates and yet nothing is done about this. Backups can fail for
a number of reasons such as the tape not being changed, the storage
capacity not being large enough and the backup window not being
sufficient to do the job. If you do not manage the metrics of
your backup environment then you will eventually run into problems
with capacity and performance not to mention the problems you
will encounter when tasked with trying to restore data.
2. Backup SuperStar
Most organisation will have had many people work on the backup
environment over a period of time. However, it normally comes
down to a single person who manages the backup facility on a daily
basis. This ‘backup superstar’ knows all of the idiosyncrasies
of the system and truly understands the environment. This superstar,
unknown to most people, keeps the backup environment running,
stable and performing. Well these backup skills are in high demand,
and eventually your ‘backup superstar’ will leave
for a better opportunity. When you have critical human resources
depart, your institutional knowledge departs with them. This then
leads to the deterioration of the backup environment whilst others
try to learn how it works. BackUp software is a complicated beast
to get working right, it is imperative that the knowledge is shared
amongst your resources so that you are in the best possible position
should your superstars leave.
3. Throw hardware and money at the problem.
If you organisations expenditures for your backup environment
have gone through the roof in a short space of time in order to
alleviate backup pains, don’t hold your breath. Too many
organisations are jumping on the disk-based backup band wagon
because it’s the latest word in all the tech magazines.
This investment is often done blind and does not always produce
the results you expected. There is no doubting that Tape backup
has it’s disadvantages due it’s mechanical nature
and sequential disposition. However, tape based backup is still
perfect for many organisations needs. Don’t get us wrong,
we’re big fans of disk-based backups, but the technology
has to be fit for purpose. Disk-based backup can cause problems
and normally does when organisations carry out implementations
that are too big, and have complex consequences to the infrastructure.
This can lead to poor client performance, slow networks and complicated
software environments. The installation of an all new virtual
tape library can also help to mask the problems with backup within
an organisation and that is often a result of poor basic processes.
4. Lack of offsite storage
Many organisations believe that consistently taking a backup offsite
for long term storage is a folly that is not required. As long
as they have their daily or weekly backup carried out constantly
they believe that in the event of a problem they will be ok. This
may be the case if all you are dealing with is a simple deleted
file. However, the point of backups is not just to be a catch
net for people accidentally deleting files. The main purpose is
to provide a recovery solution in the event of catastrophic failure
or even fire and flood. If your organisation is not currently
taking backup’s offsite on a regular and consistent basis
then you are already putting yourselves at risk and you should
start right away. If a disaster strikes everyone will want to
know why they can only recover 1 week old data, and all eyes will
be on you.
