Requirements: Does Your Backup and Recovery Solution Do This?

• A viable Business Data Recovery solution should cover all the computing platforms in the business that it is being utilized for.

• The solution should provide protection for all data, whether that data resides on a servers, laptops or desktop computers.

• Off-site and on-site backups should occur at regular intervals to meet individual clients’ needs.

• Backups should occur rapidly and seamlessly to avoid interfering with server performance while the backup process is being executed.

• For best results, off-site backup should be provided at a hardened, secure data center, and that has a high level of physical security in place along with internet and power redundancy. Data should be secure on-site as well as off-site by using a high level of encryption. The encryption key should be kept in a secure location either by the end-client themselves, or their respective solution provider.

• The Backup and Disaster Recovery solution should restore server images to dissimilar hardware. This is essential, as it prevents limitation by the type of new servers being installed.

• It’s important to know the recovery time frame following a server crash or catastrophe. The procedure for rebounding after disasters must not be complex, but rather, comprised of a few simple, straight-forward steps.

• There should be no hidden fees — the cost to maintain and manage the solution on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis — plus any labor expenditures — should be taken into consideration before signing a deal.

• Coverage should be 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.