Thus, data loss can lead to extremely serious and costly results. You protect yourself against this danger through a good data recovery management system.
A sound data recovery management system would ensure that:
The following information provides insight on data recovery management issues.
Backing up the data, in the hope that it can be restored if the original data is lost, was the traditional practice. Data was backed up on to magnetic tapes that were stored safely at another location. It was assumed that this would protect data even in the case of a fire or natural disaster as it could be restored any time.
Tape was the preferred medium of backup because it was less costly compared to disks.
However, there are a number of problems with this strategy:
It was soon found that simple backups could not ensure timely and reliable recovery of data when needed. Full mirroring of critical data and applications on redundant servers and such other practices began to be adopted.
Costs of disk storage have also come down significantly to make disk backup affordable. However, unless you have a carefully worked out policy for data recovery, you can still be incurring unnecessary costs and yet might not be able to restore data when needed.
A sound data recovery management policy would have the following elements at a minimum:
In addition to policy, the aspect of implementation would also be carefully developed.
Traditionally, the emphasis was on backup. Backing up is only a means to an end. The end is the ability to recover the data if the original is destroyed. It's on this end that a good data recovery management system turns its focus.
Backed up data might not be recoverable in a usable form later. So your attention should be on ensuring that satisfactory recovery would be possible when needed. This needs attention for several factors.
It's this focus that's reflected in the policy and procedures discussed above.
One key element of data recovery management is attending to the environment. This means two things.
One, it involves recreating the environment under which the original data was created. The data might not be usable otherwise.
Two, it means adapting the data recovery management itself to new developments. Existing policies and procedures might be less than optimal under new conditions.
It's thus necessary to tailor your data recovery management to suit the changing environment as it affects your organization. This is the significance of the continuing review of the policies and procedures mentioned earlier.
Don't let your data face the kind of risk indicated at the beginning. Every day, new kinds of viruses are appearing and hackers on the Internet are improving their ability to crack the toughest of security measures.
A good document management system can be your best bet in such a context. Such a system would include several of the data recovery management tasks. Most systems would typically include continuing data protection features and some might even provide data recovery facilities.
Get a good document management system.
