Implementing Backup and Recovery: The Readiness Guide for the Enterprise

Summary

As you learn more about the nature of the data and the reasons for backing it up, you will probably find some data or some systems that do not need to be backed up on a regular basis at all. Many people have decided that the static OS files generally do not change except when OS patches are applied or the system is reconfigured. They do not have regularly scheduled backups of this data and only perform them when applying patches or making configuration changes. Also, some systems can be easily rebuilt online from other systems, which is usually faster than a total recovery. In this case, you might only need a single backup to protect all of these systems in your enterprise. In addition, there is a cost incentive to fully understanding the data. The cost of tape media is one of the driving forces behind not backing up too much data, as well as the fact that backing up data that does not require it ties up tape drives that could otherwise be used for more important data.

The real key to this entire discussion on determining why the data is being backed up is to truly understand the nature of the data. In a large enterprise, it is unlikely the backup administrator will have this knowledge. You will have to get this information from the people who control the data throughout the enterprise. The best way to do this is to develop a questionnaire that you can distribute. This will help you gather the information you need to correctly architect the backup and recovery system. It is common to use this kind of tool to determine when to back up, what to back up, how long to keep the backups, and where the backups should be kept. However, as we have seen, you also need to know why certain backups must be performed. In the following chapters, we discuss the other parts of the backup equation.

Keep in mind that just because you sit down and do all of this work now, you are not 'done.' Things change, and you need to develop an ongoing dynamic process that lends itself to constant growth. Gathering the information that will be needed from others in the company may be time-consuming, and it may not be readily available. Formulating a backup and recovery strategy may take a while, but the first step starts with, well, a first step.

In the next chapter, we look at how your specific business requirements affect your backup and recovery strategy.