Backup is not the most glamorous of IT functions. It doesn’t impress your customers, or your employees, for that matter. It’s not easy to connect the dots between backup and the bottom line. But backup is one of the most important IT functions that few people think about.
Unfortunately, backup issues plague organizations of all sizes. Studies show that a significant percentage of backups fail. One recent study found that backup-related problems are responsible for 32 percent of data loss incidents — the No. 1 cause of data loss.
Because backup isn’t glamorous, it often isn’t given the attention that it needs. Organizations often view backup as a one-time project rather than an ongoing commitment to data protection. They may neglect to update their backup strategy as the IT environment changes, or test their backups on a regular basis. They may consider backup as a distinct process, separate from security, business continuity and regulatory compliance.
Managed data protection services can help close these gaps. A qualified managed services provider (MSP) will take a holistic approach to protecting critical data to minimize the risk that data is compromised.
Why Is Data Backup So Difficult?
Backup has always been a challenge. Growing data volumes, limited storage capacity, and inadequate backup and restore performance are decades-old problems.
Today, explosive data growth has further compounded these performance and capacity issues. Data is constantly being received from mobile devices and Internet-connected assets. This data needs to be backed up frequently, restored quickly and protected constantly. Certain types of data must be retained for longer periods of time to meet business, legal or regulatory requirements.
These backup challenges are particularly painful for small-to-midsize enterprises (SMEs). Increasing costs and complexity and a lack of expertise make it difficult for SMEs to manage backup effectively. Backups take too long, so data isn’t backed up as frequently as it should be. Data recovery time is often measured in hours or days, dramatically increasing downtime. However, many SMEs lack the budget to invest in new backup infrastructure, or the in-house expertise to implement and manage a backup strategy.
What Is Managed Data Protection?
Because backup is as important as it is demanding, more SMEs are turning to managed backup services instead of trying to handle it in-house. Managed backup involves outsourcing the planning, monitoring, management and troubleshooting of the backup environment to a third-party provider so it meets your organization’s specific business requirements and risk tolerance. Managed backup can be offered as an on-premises, cloud-based or hybrid solution.
Backup tools and processes are overseen by a provider’s team of experts using the latest enterprise-grade equipment, substantially reducing the risk of data loss and the cost and duration of downtime. Your MSP will also provide regular backup reports so you can make sure your objectives are being met.
Managed data protection services go even further. In addition to backup and recovery, these services encompass various aspects of security, including encryption and access controls. They also include business continuity to help organizations maintain their operations and recover quickly in the event of a disaster or outage. Data is effectively managed and secured throughout its lifecycle, ultimately ensuring availability and compliance with regulatory requirements.
How Verteks Can Help
Managed data protection services are only as good as your MSP. While some MSPs offer managed backup, few provide the full range of services Verteks delivers.
Verteks will help you establish a comprehensive data protection strategy that satisfies your business and regulatory needs. We’ll help you identify all the critical data in your environment and develop policies governing how it’s stored, backed up, accessed and used. We’ll implement robust backup tools and monitor and manage the process, ensuring that data can be recovered quickly if needed. We’ll also implement strong security controls to minimize the risk of data loss or exposure.
If you’re not confident that your data is fully protected, contact the experts at Verteks to schedule a confidential consultation.
