To make sure your cloud backups will work if the worst happens, they need daily monitoring, remediation, and regular testing. Enter the "managed" cloud backup option.
TIME TO READ: 6 MINUTES
You’ve set up your company’s cloud backups. Made sure every device is included in the backup. That’s it, right? That’s all you need to do?
Not so fast. Who’s testing those backups? Who’s monitoring the backup process so you know it works each & every day?
If not you, who? An MSP like PlanetMagpie who offers Managed Cloud Backup services.
How Do You Define What a "Managed Backup" Is?
Backups (should) run all the time. But who’s watching them? Who’s testing them?
If you can’t say who’s watching your backups right away, chances are the answer is, “Nobody.” Which means your backups – the first line of defense in risk management – are themselves at risk.
A “Managed Backup” eliminates this risk. Basically, managed backups are a service—contracting an MSP to actively manage your organization’s backups.
How does this work better than running backups yourselves? With Managed Backups you improve your backup reliability in three ways:
- Priority: Instead of potentially being a backburner item for a business’ IT department, your backups become a front-burner item for your service provider.
- Catching Everything: The number of devices an organization uses changes on a regular basis. If backups aren’t updated regularly, they won’t back up new devices, or stop trying to back up old devices.
- Backup Validations: Regularly making sure a backup will work if you need to restore it. Every single backup needs some kind of validation. Managed Backups take the whole validation process off your plate. All you’ll need to do is ask your Managed Backups team to restore files when you need them.
Why Backups Fail (and Why They Need Watching)
What happens when nobody monitors a backup? Maybe nothing (at least we all hope!). Over the past 10 years though, we’ve seen backups fail left and right. Here are a few of the causes we found:
- Corrupted backup files
- Backup connection dropped without anyone noticing, resulting in out-of-date backups
- Malware snuck into backups off user’s device & deleted their contents (empty backups!)
- Backups are only partially available due to service disruption or file-level failure (e.g. some files fail to backup)
- You can restore files from within a system backup, but its operating system won’t restore
Managed vs. Standard Backups
Let’s compare Managed Backups to a typical cloud backup service, in terms of their maintenance items.
Standard Cloud Backup:
- Monitoring: Internal System Only
- Number of Complete Backup Archives: At least 1
- Remediation Options: Automatic Restore of latest backup (some services)
- Data Corruption Risk: Grows over time
- Restore Testing: None
Managed Backup Service:
- Monitoring: Daily, by a human
- Number of Complete Backup Archives: Minimum 30 days, extensible up to 1 year
- Remediation Options: Pre-restore data confirmation, complete disk restore, partial disk/file-level restore
- Data Corruption Risk: As close to zero as humanly possible!
- Restore Testing: Monthly file restore test, annual server restore test, “snapshot test”
A "snapshot test" is when you use data protection software to do an automated test of an existing backup. Cove Data Protection, one such software platform and the one PlanetMagpie recommends most, does this by opening a backup archive, running it like a virtual device, and taking screenshots of the result.
It’s not as thorough as a file restore test, but it’s close, and an easy way to spot data corruption.
The 5 Advantages of Managed Backups
We can see that Managed Backups add more value to your backup routine. If you’re still not sure though, let’s spell out the direct advantages. Not just for preserving your data, but protecting your business’ overall operations too.
- Data integrity. Maintain your data integrity in the event of a disaster. All data, from all devices, all verifiably safe.
- Speed. Support faster, confident data recovery. Get any user (or any server) up & running quickly.
- Flexibility. Provide operational flexibility. Managed Backups cover remote systems, granular backup sets, and consistent monitoring/notification policies.
- Reduce disruptions. Reduce your downtime to its absolute minimum.
- Maintain compliance. Data privacy compliance. The GDPR framework requires organizations to protect user data both in transit and at rest. Without management, a standard cloud backup may leave its archived data unprotected at rest. That could mean expensive fines.
It comes down to what happens when an emergency hits. Standard backups may be available…or they may not. They may be usable; they may not. With Managed Backups, you know 100% you’re able to recover.
How to Set Up Managed Backups
This is the easy part. Call your MSP and ask to see a Managed Backup plan.
If you have an existing cloud backup, all we’d need is access to its management system.
(If you don’t have an existing cloud backup, now’s the time to start. We’ll take care of it!)
A Managed Backup service runs a series of monthly tasks, monitored by the MSP’s team, all done in the background. Your only involvement is reading a monthly report saying, "All Backups Safe."
When it Comes to Backups, Don’t Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst
Every device breaks down at some point. Laptops, servers, phones, even networks. Plan for their failure with solid backups for all.
A standard cloud backup is always better than nothing. That said, using an MSP’s Managed Backup Service elevates your risk management to its highest level.
Just in case something happens. Because it will...eventually.
Additional Resources:
How to Verify That Your Backups Actually Work
Cove Data Protection