Backup Gerenciado - a segurança dos dados e seus benefícios

The technology industry has undergone numerous changes over the past few years, and new technological platforms are being made available to enable more effective management, whether focused on customers or when dealing with business partners. This is not to mention the various new services and functions in the sector that are being created to meet the new business demands that arise along the way. Alongside this constant evolution, there is a huge amount of data flowing daily through the internet and within companies' technology platforms - data that is vital for any modern organization. The need to "care for and store" this information becomes essential, as generally these data represent extremely important information for the life of corporate systems. Unfortunately, a common situation we encounter is that companies only start to take precautions after experiencing some type of data loss. And the question in these cases is: How to ensure the security of this data? What is the best structure? The managed backup approach exists for this purpose, see below!

What is Managed Backup?

In simple terms, managed backup is a service performed by a specialized information technology team for the maintenance, storage, and management of files saved in an IT environment through automated, programmed, and monitored systems. In other words, the information that is part of the business will be stored in another structure or platform, whether physical or cloud-based, and its integrity and availability are managed by a team. And they can be easily recovered in case of loss of the originals. Put differently, it's not just making a copy of data and leaving a media stored away - it's ensuring the availability of all files to users in the event of failures, system crashes, or disasters. This solution also optimizes and improves the organization's productivity by allowing employees to focus only on their primary functions, leaving a specialized team with the task of maintaining a personalized plan that meets the data security needs of each situation, either manually or automatically, with the necessary frequency. The two most common types of backup are:

1. Local Physical Backup

The most popular model among users, as file copying can be done on external devices such as HDDs (Hard Drives) or USB drives (more common in home use and small data volumes). In corporate environments, data copying and subsequent restorations in case of failures are done through physical devices, such as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) and magnetic tape libraries, which can be stored within the company itself or in other spaces under the same ownership.

2. Cloud Space Allocation

This is a model based on the remote storage of backup copies. In this case, users can access and retrieve the information at any time, with no need for physical presence at the company, as the data is allocated in different external datacenters, national or international, further increasing protection. Another advantage is cost reduction with the use of the Cloud, for two reasons: there is no need to invest in its own infrastructure, and there are no maintenance costs. What many people overlook is that as important as the location where backups are stored is the software solution that will be used. 'Managed backup' combines these two types with management of stored information, encompassing not only the existence of backup copies, but also how and how quickly storage and data restoration should occur; in addition to increased security against malicious attacks. With these characteristics, it becomes clearer how advantageous managed backups are, as besides allowing control based on the type of result expected - such as faster data restoration in case of failures or other incidents - your information will be systematically secure based on a plan, and available for any queries at any time.

Characteristics of a Managed Backup Solution

Generally, the benefits of such an approach relate to the greater reliability of the process as a whole, its systematization, and a formal guarantee of expected service levels. This stems from the frequency of backups, the time needed for recovery in case of data loss, and the possibility of configuration using specific software tools, so that the solution works as planned and in real time, saving everything automatically. Starting from this, we list here 5 requirements of a good managed backup service:

• Be executed based on prior planning, grounded in business and corporate requirements;
• Be done in a structured manner, i.e., based on methodology and specific procedures for this type of solution;
• Use automatic execution – with no need for intervention to execute or change media, simply configurable to maintain automatic saving;
• Perform off-site backup – allow information to be saved - and stored with secure access - outside the work environment where it is generated;
• Allow restorations within deadlines and with a covered time horizon (one week, one month) according to predefined needs;
• Have high encryption and different password layers for information protection.

And whenever we think about backup strategies, we need to focus on what truly matters: restoration. I often comment that it would be correct to say we invest in the "restoration service" while everyone talks about "backup service". The issue is not just making the backup, thinking you are making a secure copy. The main issue is increasing the confidence that restoration is possible and that it can be done quickly. When the unexpected happens (and it will!), how much time would be needed to prepare your entire production environment back? Moreover, will it be possible to put everything back? What guarantees does your current solution offer? If we think only about performing supposed backup copies, there are cheaper ways. However, technically there are many relevant aspects to consider, such as integrity, security, encryption, data compression, history retention, processing resource consumption, internet link, etc. And only robust 'managed backup' tools operated by specialized teams can offer greater chances of success in this regard. Finally, it is important to emphasize that information, files, and databases represent a very important work or business asset, and without them, the company may lose much of its competitiveness, and in some cases, may not even be able to sustain itself without the business information they represent. Hence the importance of preserving your data through backups handled seriously and professionally. Now that you understand the importance of making backup copies of your business information, and you already know a bit more about managed backup, do not take risks. Zamak's backup & recovery solutions offer everything needed to protect your company, learn more about it. here.