As businesses around the world are reminded about the importance of data backup during Backup Awareness Month, storage specialists Arcserve have stressed that recovery can often be the missing part of the successful business continuity equation.
Global research commissioned by the company reveals that most companies will suffer data loss at some point. The findings highlight why having a fast and effective data recovery plan plays just as important a role as data backup.
Key findings from the research include:
* 76% of mid-sized companies have experienced data loss in the last five years.
* 45% of respondents said that they could not recover all their data after a loss.
* Only 24% of respondents have a well-documented, stringently tested, and up-to-date disaster recovery plan.
* 77% of mid-sized companies lack a clearly-defined data resilience plan.
Arcserve says it recommends businesses adopt the proven 3-2-1-1 data backup strategy. This strategy requires three backup copies of data on two different media, such as disk and tape, with 1 of those copies located offsite for disaster recovery. The final “one” in the 3-2-1-1 equation is immutable backup – a key element of successful ransomware protection because data is converted to a write-once, read many times format and cannot be altered.
“Backup Awareness Month was created to help people be more aware of the significance that data plays in our everyday lives and the importance of keeping it safe,” says Patrick Tournoy, executive vice-president for operations at Arcserve. “Of course, we fully agree with this and believe that robust and tested data recovery planning is critical to any data backup and protection plan.”