Security – Backing up what is IMPORTANT, from the Inside

The sad truth is, it’s more likely then not, you will face a time that something bad happens. Perhaps its a security control you put in place will fail. Maybe it’s a update you didn’t apply because it required a restart (or three). Or perhaps you’ve angered a nation state, regardless of which, backups will be what saves you (assuming your not abducted and interrogated by the previously mentioned nation state). All these what ifs, is why it is the first item that will be given a more in-depth dive…

So what, exactly, is a backup? It is simply a ‘verified’ good copy of your data and/or anything you deem important that resides on a device of electronic storage. So items like Word docs, spending spreadsheets, family photos, recorded videos of your kids playing in the backyard, legal documents, and/or your music collection.

It is important to specify the following, that a copy is a copy, not the original. You cannot simply move your important data on a RAID 5 array and consider it backed up. It is also not moving the data onto an external storage medium. You must have more then a single copy of your important data. This means your original copy plus one, at a minimum. So you could keep your original on your laptop or desktop, with a copy on a file server. Maybe this file server has a RAID array… Maybe this server is linked to a DropBox account so an additional copy of the data will reside in the ‘cloud’… Maybe this server is also backed up onto a USB drive, be it a flash drive or an hard drive. This is the first step…

The second step, is the ‘verified’ backup or copy of your important data. So why do I quantify the ‘verified’ part in verified good backup, this is due to the fact, you do NOT have a backup if it hasn’t been tested. Tested to the point, that you have taken the time and effort to restore what you’ve backed up, to some other piece of storage medium you have access to and verified everything is there and you can access it. It is recommended to fully test your back up and restore functionality a least once a year. The more important data you could check at least every 6 months, more often as your comfortable.

To review, you only have a backup if… One, the data is not the original (as in it is a copy) and, Two, the data that is backed up or copied, is tested or verified to be available and in good condition in the event the time comes to restore it.

•  Backups
  • If it’s important, have a backup
  • A backup is not moving the file(s) in question to an external drive and calling it ‘good to go’
  • 3-2-1
    • This means having at least 3 total copies of your data, 2 of which are local but on different mediums/devices/services, and at least 1 copy offsite.
    • 2 local
      • Your main computer
      • A secondary computer
      • An external hard drive you backup to
      • A NAS on your local network
    • 1 offsite
      • Data backup services
        • Backblaze
        • Cloudberry
        • Carbonite
        • Mozy
      • Online Storage Services
        • Google Drive
        • Dropbox
        • iCloud
      • External Media
        • HDD/Optical media
        • Media given to family or firends to store
        • Media placed in a Bank box
        • Media given to a lawyer