A hard drive with severely damaged platters.

But with that said, we appreciate any opportunity to broadcast the importance of data backup. Our laboratories frequently receive cases from clients who swear that they’d made a copy of their family pictures, manuscripts, and other important files — but when their hard drive or solid-state drive failed, they realized that the backup was missing or incomplete.

According to the World Backup Day website, 21% of people have never made a backup. Other statistics are even more startling: Backblaze’s 2022 Backup Survey reports that only 10% of respondents had daily backups, while 26% acknowledged that they only backed up their data once per year.

Put simply, if you’re not backing up your files, they’re at risk. Here are a few simple ways to protect your mission-critical data.

Keep at least two data backups, including one off-site copy.

A single backup is good, but two backups are much, much better. 

Certain data loss scenarios may damage all of your media. A flood, tornado, or even a malware infection could render a single backup useless. By keeping at least one copy offsite, you can get a much higher level of protection.

Cloud backup services are an excellent option. We also recommend keeping a separate local backup — while cloud services are extremely reliable, any system can lose data, period. You might lose your password for a cloud service or have trouble with another type of authentication method; if you need to restore data quickly, every second counts.

Related: Should I Use Cloud Storage or an External Drive for Data Backup?

Take human error out of the equation. 

You can use backup software and cloud storage software to fully automate your backups. That’s key to a strong strategy: When backups are automatic, you don’t need to think about them as frequently. 

With that said, you should still check your automated backups occasionally (as we’ll discuss below). You might also consider creating regular “golden copy” backups that are stored offline: This can provide protection from ransomware attacks and other types of malware infections. 

Related: 6 Data Backup Mistakes That Increase Your Risk of Data Loss

Check your backups regularly. 

Many of our clients make backups, but when a media failure occurs, they realize that their backups are missing some important files. In some cases, the data is corrupt or unreadable — or the backup device fails at the same time as the primary drive (this is especially common for data loss scenarios caused by power surges, fires, and other natural disasters). 

We recommend running regular tests to ensure that you’re prepared for a data loss event. 

Load your backups and ask questions:

• Is my backup recent enough to be useful?
• Does my backup contain all of the important files that I need? 
• Can I open, view, and use the files? 

If you answer “no” to any of those questions, you need to re-think your strategy. 

Related: Why People Don’t Back Up Their Data

If data loss occurs, don’t panic. 

Nobody’s perfect, and if you’ve forgotten to back up your data, you’re certainly not alone. However, the steps you take following a data loss event will significantly impact your chances of a full recovery. 

Some quick tips:

• If a device fails due to physical issues (such as hard drive head crash), data recovery software will not fix the underlying problem. Running software can damage your media, causing permanent data loss.
• Work with a qualified provider. Data recovery laboratories have cleanrooms and other specialized equipment — most computer repair shops do not have the necessary resources to attempt recovery.
• Keep your device powered off. Hard drives, NAND flash media, and other data storage devices write data frequently while operating. Powering down your media ensures the best chance of a successful case result.

If you’ve lost data from a hard drive, SSD, or any other type of device, we’re here to help. Datarecovery.com provides a no data, no charge guarantee, along with free media evaluations for most types of storage media. 

To learn more, call us at 1-800-237-4200 or submit a case online.

The post World Backup Day: A Good Reminder to Protect Your Data appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Veritas Backup Exec  is a unified data backup and recovery solution for small to midsize businesses. The software enables organizations to protect critical data across multiple systems, and thanks to integrated cloud connectors for all major cloud vendors, Veritas has become an industry standard for establishing redundant backups and archives while maintaining compliance with security & privacy regulations.

However, over time, storage media changes and evolves. By migrating data from one medium to another (for instance, from data tape archives to the cloud), businesses can reduce the cost of key systems while improving data availability. Organizations may also need to upgrade from an earlier version of Veritas to enjoy enhanced performance and security.

Below, we’ll address some of the unique challenges of Veritas backup migration. For more guidance, contact Datarecovery.com at 1-800-237-4200 to discuss your organization’s needs.

All Veritas backup migration projects need an established scope.

With all forms of data migration, appropriate planning is critical. Most pain points can be preemptively addressed, but all too often, data migration is rolled into a larger project — or administrators have too much confidence in the capabilities of their database migration solutions.

Some tips to keep in mind:

Data migration requires time.

Even if you’re planning to complete the process in a single operation (the “big bang” approach to data migration), you’ll need enough runway to plan for unexpected events such as data conversion issues, damaged physical storage media, and the complex nature of unstructured data.

Veritas provides data migration tools to make the process easier — namely, Veritas Backup Exec Migration Assistant. Even so, automation has limitations. No software can repair a damaged tape set or instantly bring decades of archives into a new format.

Data migration requires logical sequencing.

For most organizations, the goal is to improve data availability. If your business needs to retain archives for compliance, migrating to a new solution will enable access to more powerful search tools — essential during eDiscovery and other legal processes — but if compliance requirements have expired or you have a large amount of redundant data, migrating every archive could be an unnecessary expense.

Additionally, most Veritas data migration projects will necessarily require some degree of prioritization. In general, a phase-based approach is better than a “big bang” migration. Even if your business completes the primary phase of data migration in a single operation, you’ll likely focus on highly usable data — archives might need to remain on legacy systems for some time.

Establishing your priorities will help you make logical decisions during the planning phase. Think logically about your migration project. What datasets are essential for avoiding downtime? What data provides the most value to the business?

Data migration requires robust benchmarking and backups.

Key stakeholders will expect to see the results of the Veritas backup migration project — after all, data migration is a major undertaking with significant expenses. If you’re not able to demonstrate improvements, you’ll have trouble making the case for future investments.

Accurate benchmarking is essential. Track the performance of your current systems (including legacy archival media) prior to the first phase of the project. While you may also run the old system in parallel with the new system, some processes completed during migration may affect the results.

Finally, remember that the most important steps in a successful data migration are backup and verification. Datarecovery.com frequently receives cases from enterprises that encountered errors during migration that resulted in data loss — potentially leading to data retention compliance violations.

Common sources of data loss during migration include:

• Data formats are inaccurately mapped from the old system to the new system
• Data is mistakenly marked as redundant or obsolete
• Archives include data in unexpected formats
• Physical media damage (for instance, to data tapes) prevents the migration of certain datasets
• Data security settings are not accurately translated, resulting in potential exposure to unauthorized users

No two data migration projects are identical, but in every case, security and integrity are extremely important considerations. Working with a third-party migration expert can help you avoid common mistakes.

Datarecovery.com can help your business manage Veritas Backup migration.

As leaders in eDiscovery, data migration, data recovery, and data loss prevention, Datarecovery.com offers expert services for Veritas backup migration. Regardless of the complexity of your project, we’re here to help.

Contact us at 1-800-237-4200 to learn more or click here to submit a request online.

The post Veritas Backup Migration: Challenges and Considerations appeared first on Datarecovery.com.