As discussed in Part 1, a catastrophic data event can occur anytime, but those who are prepared will be able to ensure their business continuity and minimize the disruption and economic loss to their companies. Part 2 will continue discussing the basics and importance of enterprise backup and recovery.

Basic Functions

Modern enterprise backup solutions feature a tiered backup system. As previously mentioned, this will consist of first storing data in a primary storage device and then backing it up on a secondary storage device. The data is managed by software for storage, backup, and recovery. The following summarizes the main features of an enterprise backup system.

Data Movement

Referring to the manner that a software application transfer data to storage devices, data movement has evolved from copying data directly and entirely from a primary location.  This was a costly and time-consuming process.

Fortunately, there have been vast improvements in data transfer and storage technology. As an example, data transfers now move smaller data packets over less channels. In any case, the kind of data movement your business will need will be determined by the size and requirements of its network.

Data Management

After data is transferred to the backup storage device, it will need to be managed with software. This incoming data will be sorted and filed in a format where the information can be easily retrieved in the future. Thus, enterprise backup storage can also work as a database, allowing data retrieval that is fast and accurate. Users will be able to perform searches based on a file’s name, revision date, size, and other parameters. Data redundancy is also controlled to conserve storage space.

Job Management

Enterprise backup systems are required to control both the movement and job management involving data storage, backup, and recovery tasks. Processes involving the backup of large volumes of data will require a large amount of network bandwidth. In order to cope, the backup system will stagger its various jobs over time, allowing its operations to be continuous and efficient.

Alpha Business Support

Choosing an expert computer technology support provider is an important decision for your business. Alpha Engineering Associates has been a trusted partner of many companies in the Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis areas since 1990 and offer:

• 24/7 Managed Services for Business Computing Systems

• Network and Mobile Computing Support

• Disaster Recovery Planning

• Software Development

For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha today at (410) 295-9500.