Backup systems are managed daily (meaning they report to and are checked by us) and can additionally be setup to report to you.
If you have a database it must be backed up according to its software vendor’s recommendations, regardless of the other parts of your backup system. This is to ensure you remain within the support parameters of the software vendor.
Should you wish to implement your own backup system or vary from our recommendations we will require notice in writing of this. Your backup system will be appropriately documented in our systems so that we can assist you with a restoration in the shortest possible time.
Server Backup > Cloud with DR is usually setup to backup your entire server, every working hour, to local storage. For the purposes of disaster recovery, backups replicate to an off-site location overnight (bandwidth required). In an emergency we can have the last backup of your server up and running in the cloud within minutes.
Risk profile
Provided your local storage is available, the risk of data loss is limited to 1 working hour. In the event of a disaster removing your local systems, your system is available in the cloud as per the last backup completed, usually the night before the disaster. The server can be quickly made available for emergency access.
Backup Location
Backups are stored on your premises, usually on a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. Additionally, the disaster recovery component of this system is a "cloud" based system. However in our case we specify that the data is stored in multiple locations in Australia (and nowhere else).
Backup Schedule
- Backups are usually set up to run every hour during work time.
- Backups should not run ON the hour to avoid performance issues caused by clashing with other scheduled activities.
- Full backups are taken weekly, outside work hours if possible. Incremental backups during the day may impact system performance but are usually completed within a few minutes.
- Example backup schedule: Full backup on Sunday, incremental backups hourly between 08:25 and 18:25, Monday to Friday or Saturday.
Backup Retention
- Disaster Recovery – the last three backups are kept in the cloud, usually representing three working days.
- Local backups are retained for as long as storage will allow but pruned according to this schedule:
- Hourly backups are retained for at least 1 week.
- Daily backups are retained for at least 90 days.
- Weekly backups are retained for at least 1 year.
- Monthly backups are retained indefinitely, while storage allows.