? EDITOR ’ S QUESTION //
“
START YOUR BACKUP POLICY
BY LISTING CRITICAL BUSINESS
PROCESSES AND DATA CRUCIAL FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY .
A s companies are increasingly moving critical data to the cloud , a robust data protection strategy is key for any SME . Access and control of data is the foundation of any business and with cyberthreats on the rise , it ’ s important for companies to look under the hood and assess their backup and recovery capabilities .
Assessing your company ’ s data protection health can be done with the following , easy steps :
• Identify critical business processes and systems . Start your backup policy by listing critical business processes and data crucial for Business Continuity . This includes safeguarding , for example , customer data , financial records and intellectual property , as well as aligning with any local compliance regulations , such as GDPR .
• Protect identity systems . Recognise the central role of identity systems , such as Entra ID and Okta , in user authentication and authorisation data . Protecting these systems is paramount to reducing the risk of unauthorised access and data breaches as they define who can access what inside a company ’ s network .
“
A WELL-
STRUCTURED BACKUP POLICY IS INDISPENSABLE IN ANY ORGANISATION ’ S IT STRATEGY , SERVING AS A SAFEGUARD AGAINST DATA LOSS OR CORRUPTION .
• Ensure regular backups and establish retention periods . Implementing a wellstructured backup schedule or automated scheduling to ensure regular backups will bring peace of mind and ensure you ’ re in control of your data . Customise your retention periods to your business and ensure you ’ re in compliance .
• Define recovery procedures and test them regularly . Establish clear procedures for restoring data following a loss . Specify responsibilities , access protocols and determine the priority of data recovery . Regularly test backups to verify their ability to be swiftly and accurately restored in the event of data loss .
• Choose a backup and disaster recovery partner . After implementing the framework , you ’ re ready to explore solutions tailored to your requirements . When selecting a vendor , adhere to industry best practices for data protection .
A well-structured backup policy is indispensable in any organisation ’ s IT strategy , serving as a safeguard against data loss or corruption . It provides assurance that critical data remains protected , retained and promptly recoverable .
JAKOB ØSTERGAARD , CTO , KEEPIT
22 intelligent
. tech
Intelligent SME . tech