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Centralization
Administration of your data protection procedures needs to be centralized in order to maintain consistency and control. This will ensure all data at various locations, not just corporate headquarters, is protected properly. The goal is to ensure that the business, as a whole, has consistent data backup procedures, vendors/products, and infrastructure. One "master" location will hold the overall backup policy information (schedules, rotation practices, etc.) and then push out the policies to remote operations. The central location will also collect backup reports from all other sites, but the actual data processing and backup will be done independently at each site.
Prioritize The Data
All data is not created equal. Different data may require different levels of protection. All data should be backed up at least once a day, and certain systems and databases might warrant even more frequent protection. Decide what data is mission-critical.
Coordinate Backup With Business Procedures
Synchronize your data backup and archival tasks with operational milestones (i.e., backing up data upon the acquisition of over 100 orders; backing up data at the close of trading hours, etc.) As part of operational best practices, it is also recommended that data protection and restoration operations be included with annual financial audit processes, to ensure that backup operations are run according to sound principles.
Update Regularly
Keep your plan up-to-date by evaluating it at least annually. Part of your plan should re-evaluate data volume and importance, adjusting if necessary. Look at what was mission critical yesterday but may be infrequently updated today and anything new that has come online recently re-categorizing which data is mission critical when necessary. Your plan should also take into account volume growth, and forecast when new equipment or software will be necessary.
Timely Procurement
Schedule buying backup media at regular intervals to ensure your supply keeps up with the demands of frequent backups. Use our Media Calculator to plan your tape requirements.
Consider Desktops And Laptops
What are your policies for protecting knowledge and information assets that exist on desktops, laptops, PDAs, and other mobile telecommuting devices? Don't leave this responsibility in the hands of individuals with little or no data protection knowledge! Backup individuals' systems at least once per day, to a centralized location -- preferably automatically. Critical data, trade secrets, new designs, corporate policies, etc. may be contained on individuals' hard drives.
Establish Communication Channels
Procedures in the event of data loss, with the view toward providing the swiftest possible restoration.
Think Long-Term
Have a defined set of archive tapes - logged weekly, monthly, quarterly, or a subset of either - that are stored at least one year off-site. It's critical to your business health and may be required by law.
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