March 31 is World Backup Day, which offers a timely reminder to take stock of your business’ data recovery strategy – should the worst happen.
Around 1 in 10 computers is infected with a virus each month, but nearly 30% of people have never even backed up their data. If you run a business, ensuring you have a file backup procedure in place could be what saves your company.
World Backup Day founder Ismail Jadun said: “We all know someone who has lost critical data, whether it was their videos, photos, music, book reports, or personal stuff. Hopefully, this day will make everyone think about their situation, learn about the various options and get their files backed up.”
Here are some data recovery best practices you can implement this World Backup Day
A database or file backup is a second copy of all your important files. Instead of storing it all in one place, you keep another copy of everything somewhere safe. Database backups are an essential part of any business’ data recovery strategy because they provide a safety net in the event files get deleted or become corrupted; therefore, avoiding the loss of productivity, revenue, reputation, and even customers.
Why a cloud-based storage solution is a better choice for data recovery
Outdated on-site methods of data recovery involve physical backup solutions that require costly off-site long-term storage, as well as external disaster recovery measures. The additional overheads of these services, as well as having to regularly test these data recovery solutions, can add significant costs in terms of money and resources.
With a cloud-based solution like Microsoft Dynamics 365, all your business’ data is stored securely in the cloud and is also replicated to a different data centre in the UK in case of a disaster, such as a loss of power, flooding, or fire.
As we will discuss in this article, file backup and data recovery in cloud computing can be automated, requiring minimum input on your part.
By using a cloud-based solution, your business will benefit from:
- Heavily reduced costs on IT hardware
- Reduced staffing costs for an on-premises IT team
- 24/7 support and maintenance of your cloud storage by Microsoft experts with years of experience
- No hefty regular manual upgrade costs
- Data recovery which can be performed in a matter of minutes from anywhere
- Data being stored across multiple geographical locations, thus eliminating a single point of failure
Create a full file backup with Microsoft OneDrive using the cloud
You can back up your important folders on your PC with OneDrive, so not only are they protected for data recovery, they also are available on any device.
As standard, you can back up a total of 1TB with a Microsoft 365 subscription. Admins of OneDrive for Business can increase this to 5TB, and if you require more storage, you can contact your Microsoft Partner (like Strategy 365) and ask for more file backup storage, up to 25TB.
Please note: each individual SharePoint site can be expanded up to 25TB, meaning there should be ample storage for your company’s data recovery needs.
How to create a file backup with Microsoft OneDrive
To create a backup, just select the blue cloud icon in the Windows notification area, select Help & Settings > Settings, then Backup > Manage backup. Select the folders that you want to back up, then select ‘Start backup’.
How to retain backup data with retention policies
If you need to keep certain data, such as an email or customer file for ten years, you can ensure data is retained for as long as needed in your data recovery strategy. You can also ensure that admins cannot change these policies using Preservation Lock. Find out more about using retention policies and retention labels here.
Use Microsoft OneDrive for Business for data recovery from ransomware attacks
Ransomware is a type of malicious software (malware) designed to block access to your files until you pay money. According to Microsoft’s security teams, multiple ransomware groups have been targeting aid organisations, medical billing companies, manufacturing, transport, government institutions, and educational software providers. In a report on the attacks, Microsoft warned: “These attacks, however, are not limited to critical services, so organisations should be vigilant for signs of compromise.”
Microsoft’s ransomware detection notifies home users when their OneDrive files have been attacked and guides users through the process of data recovery. Business users have access to additional flexibility and centralisation of security measures. For example, email messages for Exchange Online travel through Exchange Online Protection (EOP), which quarantines and scans in real time all messages and attachments for viruses and other malware.
With SharePoint and OneDrive for Business, there is an added layer of protection in the form of ‘versioning’. This helps you to recover earlier versions of your files before they were encrypted by ransomware. Versioning is enabled by default.
Automatically back up files with Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications
If your business is using Microsoft Dynamics 365, you can rest assured that Dynamics 365 carries out weekly full file backups for data recovery, as well as an additional layer of backups every 12-24 hours, as well as additional layers of backups down to every 30 minutes.
Dynamics 365 applications, such as Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Service, are automatically backed up and file backups occur continuously.
To restore a backup for data recovery, it just takes a few clicks.
- Head to the Microsoft Power Platform admin center and sign in using administrator credentials.
- Go to Environments > [select an environment] > Backups > Restore or manage.
- Click the System tab, and then select the backup you would like to restore.
Bear in mind that to restore a backup, you must be within the storage limits currently in your environment. If you are using more data than you are currently paying for, you will need to either delete data or purchase more storage prior to restoring the system. If in doubt, please consult with your Microsoft Partner before beginning this process.
How does Microsoft’s Dataverse protect your data recovery process?
In addition to all the automatic backups we’ve covered in this article, Microsoft also carries out full replication of UK services to another UK-based datacentre. This means that no matter what disaster may bring down a datacentre (such as a fire or power cut), another datacentre will automatically have your business covered.
If you have found the information in this blog article useful, please tell other business owners about World Backup Day and Microsoft’s backup solutions. Find out more about the secure Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications here.
