Implementing Backup and Recovery: The Readiness Guide for the Enterprise

Off-Site Storage Requirements

Most people today realize the need to implement a true data protection strategy of which backup is an integral part. One of the components of this strategy is management of off-site media. You should always select a backup product such as VERITAS NetBackup that offers an automated vaulting or off-site storage solution so you have the management tools for tracking the media that is off-site. The questions that you are addressing for an off-site or vault solution are as follows:

• What images need to be sent off-site?

• How many copies of the images need to be kept off-site?

• How long should each image or type of image be kept off-site?

• Do we have enough tape media on hand to allow for two or more copies?

You must determine which systems need to have off-site copies of their data and if all or only part of that system needs to be sent off-site. Sending a backup tape of the operating system off-site is typically not necessary and not cost-effective. You will need to know if incremental backup images as well as full backups are required for off-site. This requirement can be different for each type or class of system. It also depends on the existence of a DR site and legal requirements.

How Many Copies?

The next question is how many copies of each backup image should be kept off-site. This usually depends on why the data is being stored off-site. If there are legal requirements, then these requirements usually stipulate how many copies. If it is being done for pure DR, one or two copies might be adequate. This decision is usually based on either specific legal and business requirements or on your overall DR strategy. In cases where an off-site storage facility is used, you might only need one copy. If there are multiple sites, it is common to send copies to a sister site that can act as a DR site. In these cases, you might want two off-site copies so one can be kept locally and the other at the remote site. What you really need to do is keep an open mind and take a look at all the possibilities and requirements.

How Long Should They Be Kept Off-Site?

If there are legal or business requirements, these must be met. A common legal requirement is that all data related to any financial trades must be retained for seven years. The other considerations are how many potentially different copies of an image do you want to store off-site and how many tape cartridges are you willing to maintain out of production? Again, it may be up to the business unit managers as to how long they want their data stored off-site. In most companies, the IT department views the business units as their customers; as such, there are costs involved in the services you are providing to your customers. Similarly, when the business unit manager requests that his or her data remain off-site for two years, you must present the costs associated with the management of this data. There will be the cartridge cost, pickup/delivery costs, and storage costs. Even if you are not charging this back to the managers, it is a good idea to document this for your management. Once you are able to present people with the facts, reality sets in and you are able to help them reasonably determine the proper length of time for off-site storage given their business requirements.