While many companies know that it is important to back up their data, many fail to realize that backing up is just half of the equation, especially where catastrophic events are involved.
Take Microsoft for example. One of the largest tech giants got caught with its pants down late last week (Thursday 3/14), rendering some of its services unusable for over 16-hours.
When a routine update failed, it caused an unexpected temperature spike, overheating the data center. Ultimately, it was the overheating which caused extended downtime for many of Microsoft’s online services, including Outlook.com,
Hotmail, Calendar, and SkyDrive. Eventually, human intervention was
required to help rectify the situation.
If you noticed some downtime late last week, that was why. Do you want to read the whole story? Click here.
While data wasn’t lost, time and access to services were. So what could Microsoft have done differently?
If they were a techQuility client, we would have advised that their systems be setup on a Backup Recovery Device, or BDR. While the BDR’s main function is to backup data at regular, scheduled intervals, it also offers some unique protection against catastrophe and downtime.
With a BDR in place, once we are aware of a catastrophic situation such as overheating servers, we are able to “flip the switch”, moving your data from your servers to the Cloud. This allows your data and servers to be accessed, even remotely, just as you would access them in the office.
When the switchover happens, any changes to your data continues to be backed up, so that you don’t have to worry about continuity. Then, once any issues are resolved, we can migrate your data back to your own network, so you can resume normal operations.
It is really that easy. So don’t let your company get caught pants-down like Microsoft did recently. Instead, take the time to put solutions in place now that will allow you more effectively manage your data and your office, even despite unforeseen events.
Julie Strier is a freelance writer who likes to help you maintain peace and calm during a catastrophe. Email:[email protected]. Website: www.mybusinesswriter.com.