Tips for Avoiding a Potential Backup Disaster

Are you constantly uploading your photos, messages, and contacts from your phone to the cloud? Whether it’s Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox, we surely recognize the importance of having a backup for IMPORTANT information.

If you religiously backup your phone, you should do the same for your business. In June, Isaac discussed the importance of security in business in Staying Ahead of the Curve. With employees working primarily from home, security has taken a new turn.

Last month, one of our largest clients called us in a panic. One small piece of hardware failure and all of their data became corrupt within a matter of seconds. We prepared a team of our most experienced Client Service representatives for a fix we anticipated would be easy. Then the dreadful question of, “When was your last backup? And, where is it stored?” came up. The only person who knew the answer to this was 5,000 miles away sipping pina coladas on a beach.

There was NO emergency procedure in place. With time ticking away, we rummaged through their systems and pieced together what little data they had left. When we were finally able to find the backup, we realized the recovery process had NEVER been tested. Therefore, the backup they thought was running on schedule, wasn’t actually setup correctly. A significant portion of their data simply wasn’t there!

That’s the thing. You set up your backups and cross your fingers for it to function as it claimed it would. Without frequent testing, emergency plans in place, and different versions of backups, it’s almost impossible for them to function properly. As a business continues to operate, backup and recovery should be frequently reviewed and updated.

After 30 hours of manpower troubleshooting an almost impossible task, we were able to recover 90 percent of our client’s data. We also left them with a few tips on how to get the most out of backups. Here are a few must haves for your business:

• Complete, Incremental, and Version Backups
  • Complete Backups: This backup usually contains larger files that cannot be backed up every day due to size. It should be scheduled no less than once a month.  The backup must include all servers and important workstations if local data is stored in any local environment.
  • Incremental Backups: This form of backup is needed because constant updates will provide your business with the most up-to-date information from minimal changes to newly created documentation.
  • Version Backups: A backup which contains multiple dated copies of the same files, allowing options to go back in time to retrieve data. Version backups will protect you from time released ransomware, such as cryptolocker.
• Logifiles
  • To record what is being backed up each time.
• Frequent backup testing
  • Example: Run a simple restore process by deleting a test document, test restoring it, then confirm it matches the original to ensure the backup actually works.
• Assign more than one person to perform backups.
• Assign more than one person who is familiar with the restoration process.
• Routinely review the backup plan with your operation team.
• Never a host backup and software system on the SAME network.

We receive hundreds of calls each year and the simple solution to many of our Client Service support tickets is nearly always – data backups. Validation and planning are essential parts of a business plan. Just like homeowner’s insurance, backups are the insurance policy for your business’ security. There must be a policy in place that includes review, testing, routine revisal, and updates of your backups. Give your business a backup health check and find an expert for a consultation to discuss your business’ plan.

What sort of work did you do before joining Vertican?

“Jack of All Trades”! In my younger days I worked for NY State as an Investigator, first with the State Liquor Authority, then the Department of State, and lastly for the Petroleum, Alcohol & Tobacco Bureau of the Tax Department’s Office of Tax Enforcement. I carried a gun and everything.

I then made a jump to technology working for a few software companies. When the dot-com industry went through some hard times I obtained my real estate license. When that industry went through hard times, I returned to technology and found a good fit as a Technical Support Specialist with Commercial Legal Software, which became Vertican Technologies. That was 11 years ago.

What is a typical day at Vertican like for you?

As a Business Systems Analyst (BSA), I primarily support two Diamond clients, so my day starts with a scrum meeting with the developers and other BSAs to talk about the status of program and support tickets. I then field emails and phone calls from our clients, troubleshooting issues and assisting users with how to best use Collection-Master and vMedia. I am also called upon to provide training and professional services for special client requirements.

What do you like most about working for Vertican?

It may sound like a cliché, but I enjoy helping people. I never wanted to be “a small cog in a big wheel.” Vertican is not a huge company so we have a lot of engagement with our clients; I have built relationships with many of them over 11 years. Prior to COVID, my favorite part of the job was traveling to train our users. I especially enjoyed that “light bulb” moment when some piece of information clicked for a customer when they learned something that was going to make their job easier.

If you could learn anything new, what would it be?

For a career-related skill I would like to learn SQL. Outside of work, I like to travel and love to learn languages. I still have some rusty high school German, a smattering of Norwegian, and occasionally take a stab at trying to teach myself Irish – that is a hard language! I think being able to speak to people in their own language is an important step toward understanding other cultures and bringing people together.

What was your very first job and how old were you?

I sold pinecones and seashells door-to-door to my very tolerant neighbors when I was eight. My first paying job was as a Camp Fire Girls counselor when I was 18. I also worked as a ship-to-shore marine radiotelephone operator providing phone communications for freighters on the Great Lakes that same summer.

Word on the street is you like to collect knives? Tell us about it and how that began.

That’s true! I have always had a fascination with sharp and shiny objects. Once at a flea market I came across an issue of “Knives Illustrated” magazine. It had photos of the most interesting and beautiful knives; I had no idea that there was a whole culture around hand-made art knives! I went to a New York Custom Knife Show and the rest, as they say, is history. I met the makers, asked a lot of questions, and was totally hooked. I now have a small but nice collection of art knives, have taken some knifemaking classes, and even worked part-time one summer for a professional knife maker.

What is something about you that may surprise your colleagues?

In my younger days I dressed up in armor and got hit with sticks as a medieval recreationist in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). I still dress up in my funny clothes for a trip to the Ren Faire about once a year.

What (else) do you like to do outside of work?

I live five-minutes from a 4,400-acre state park; I like to get out and hike when I can. I also love to travel and go out to clubs to dance, although both are difficult these days.

Share something exciting you did in the last 12 months.

Last fall I found a group of people to hike with and we did a hike and overnight camp; I slept in a hammock for the first time. We had torrential rain halfway through the night, but I had a good time anyway!

Do you have a favorite movie, artist and/or book?

Movie: Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, any of the John Wick series, and old martial arts movies like the Zatoichi films.
TV: Star Trek – TOS, TNG, Voyager, and Discovery best.
Music: Yikes. I like most anything, especially if I can dance to it! Classical, blues, big band, classic rock, techno…
Book: Lord of the Rings, The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran).

Please share a favorite quote.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Suess