I’ll assume that if your business uses a database application that you perform daily/nightly backups of the core database to protect your business. For now I won’t assume how you perform those database backups but let me show you what I see on a regular basis.
As part of our data services we provide free on-site consultation and one common trend I’ve noticed is the hoops people need to jump through just to perform a nightly backup of their database.
A common method for database backups
Here is a typical scenario of how a business would perform a backup of their database; keep in mind the majority of small businesses have no IT people onsite.
A database server would be located in an office running MS SQL or another database application. The database holds critical data that is essential to the business and records include every piece of information about its customers.
The current backup solution isn’t compatible with open databases so a script is needed on the server to close the database down. Once the database is closed the current backup software needs to be scheduled to activate after the shutdown of the database and the backup needs to complete before another script starts the database.
Even though this method uses automation it does require some technical knowledge, take creating the shutdown & start-up database scripts as an example. OK so you can find these scripts online or you can use alternative methods BUT these do require some research, some technical knowledge and server configuration.
Why should employees or a business owner have to get their hands dirty to protect their business when there are easier methods to performing database backups? If you are lucky you’ll have an IT person on site that performs this daily task without any issues but as I noted, the majority of small businesses don’t have an IT person.
Wasting time & taking extreme risks with tape backups
Unfortunately the above process doesn’t end with the shutdown scripts and backup of the database. If using tapes (which most businesses do) the tapes need to be rotated on a regular basis but more importantly the tape backups need to be taken offsite which is usually done by an employee such as a receptionist or the business owner (extremely risky). Notice how I haven’t mentioned data encryption? That’s because businesses tend NOT to encrypt their tape backups, again extremely risky.
Take it from experience
I have been in the IT industry for over 10 years and I can assure you the above method for performing database backups is not only time consuming, its unreliable and unsafe. Also, this common method for database backups is a daunting task even for an experienced IT Engineer like me.
Automated, reliable & secure database backup solution
Even before C Infinity was officially launched we wanted to provide our clients with easy to use tools that makes IT work for their business. After vigorous testing on different backup platforms we found that Iron Mountains LiveVault Server Application was a perfect fit. Why?
- Automation
- Encryption
- Reliability
- User Friendly
- Easy management
The above 5 points were not the final deciding factors for us but they do hold a lot of importance when it comes to an IT solution and have been a foundation for our research.
Its better than tape backups
Our LiveVault remote service allows the backup of open databases by using Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy (VSS). This means a database can still be in use or open whilst backups are being performed so no extra scripts or configuration is needed.
I should also point out that LiveVault provides continuous backups so any database changes are backed up regularly allowing for 96 daily restore points. This means if disaster strikes a database can be restored from a backup set that was created 15 minutes previous to the disaster occurring.
There are many other benefits to our LiveVault backup service but time & time again I see businesses struggle with using tape backups for their database and other critical data. I wanted to point out; life can be a lot easier when it comes to IT with added reliability and security.
If you would like more information on our Managed LiveVault Backup Service or would like a FREE Trial please contact us.
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