Backup and Recovery

What is a backup?

A backup is like making a copy of your important files and data so you don’t lose them if something goes wrong. It’s like having a spare key for your house – if you lose the original, you can still get in with the backup!

What solutions are available for Server Backups?

One IT offer a number of options for server backups. The most common service we use is “Microsoft Azure Backup Service” which is ideal for full server or selected file/share backup and recovery.

We also support Veeam, Datto, Acronis and other platforms based on customer preference or what solution fits requirements the best.

What solutions are available for Office 365 or Google Cloud service’s?

We have a number of solutions available depending on customer requirements. This may be a “per user” solution such as Datto or a “per gigabyte” solution such as Acronis.

We would investigate how many users and how much data a customer has and then make a recommendation as to the most cost effective solution to fit the customer requirements and budget.

Are there any limits to how much data, or how many users that can be backed up?

  • No, all solutions we offer allow for unlimited users and exceptionally high levels of data storage.

Is there a limit to how many backups can be taken in a day or how long data is backed up for?

  • The retention period is configurable between 30 days and 10 years on most platforms that we offer, longer retention periods often mean higher costs, so we would offer advise and guidance based on our knowledge of our customers, industry or legal compliance requirements or general best practice.
  • Depending on the retention period we may advise one solution is more cost effective than another or we may advise altering retention periods.
  • Multiple backups are taken daily by default on cloud platforms such as Office 365 and Google Cloud. Server backups generally happen overnight but can be run multiple times a day if needed.

Are backups secure and “air gapped”?

  • Yes, all solutions offered are encrypted to industry standard levels of encryption, both when the data is “in transit” over the internet, or “at rest” in the backup providers datacentre.
  • All backups are “air gapped” and have no “line of sight” between the backup and the live data.

How often are backups tested?

  • Backups are tested automatically by most systems and send daily reports to our Helpdesk. Any failures are investigated quickly and resolved.
  • We also perform regular “test restores” of data, this is part of the regular tasks our engineers carry out. A log of these is kept and available on request if customers require these for audit evidence.