Introduction
Data is more important than ever in our digital world, both personally and professionally. Having backups of our irreplaceable data provides peace of mind and protects us from potential catastrophes like hardware failures, ransomware, accidental deletion, natural disasters, and more. But with backup solutions ranging from free cloud storage to enterprise-grade systems costing thousands of dollars, how much backup is really enough these days? Let’s dive in and find out.
How Much Data Needs Backing Up?
The amount of data requiring backup depends entirely on your situation. While free cloud storage around 5-15GB may be enough for individuals backing up personal documents, photos, and music, businesses need to consider:
- Email data
- Shared company files and databases
- Website files
- Software and source code
- Financial records
- Customer data
- Employee data
For businesses, hundreds of gigabytes or even multiple terabytes of data may need protection. The key is to inventory and classify data by importance to the company. Prioritizing backups of mission critical vs. optional data helps optimize backup costs.
Backup Redundancy: Local and Cloud Storage
I recommend maintaining both local and cloud backups for optimum redundancy.
Local backups to an external hard drive or network attached storage (NAS) provide faster restores and availability if internet goes down. Cloud backups protect against local disasters like fires, floods, and ransomware.
For businesses, having at least 3 copies of data across 2 different media types (like cloud and local storage) provides solid protection.
How Often Should Backups Run?
For personal backups, daily or weekly is typically enough. Code repositories, shared drives, and databases used for business should backup hourly or at least once per day. Backup frequency depends on:
- How often new data is created or modified
- The impact of potential data loss (hours vs days)
- Available bandwidth and resources for backups
Ideally, business-critical data should backup continuously with incremental backups hourly and full daily backups.
How Long Should Backup Data Be Retained?
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Personal backups: Until you confirm the data is copied to new backup location. For photos, at least 2-3 years.
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Business backups: Daily backups for 90 days, weekly for 1 year, monthly for 10 years. Adjust as needed to meet compliance regulations.
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Email backups: At least 3 years in case of legal discovery needs.
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Financial records: 7 years for tax purposes.
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Contracts and legal docs: 10+ years.
Security: Encryption and Access Control
Always encrypt backup data to protect it from unauthorized access if devices are lost or stolen. Use strong passphrases instead of passwords.
Restrict backup access to only staff needing it through access controls. Online cloud backups should have 2-factor authentication enabled.
Cost Factors: Storage, Bandwidth, Software
Key cost factors for backups include:
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Storage: More space needed for multiple versions and long retention periods.
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Bandwidth: Faster connections needed for large, frequent data transfers.
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Software: Reliable backup software for scheduling, versioning, encryption, etc.
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Testing: Regularly test restores to ensure backups work when needed.
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Infrastructure: Physical servers, drives, networking equipment.
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Service: Managed backup services for configuration, monitoring, and support.
For personal use, free cloud storage like DropBox may be enough. Businesses should invest in backup software and services sized appropriately.
How Much Backup is Enough?
There is no single answer, but these guidelines cover most situations:
- Have both local and cloud backups.
- Backup daily or even hourly for critical data.
- Keep 90 days to 10+ years of versions.
- Encrypt and protect access.
- Regularly test restores.
Adjust specific amounts based on data criticality, IT resources, and budget. Your backup strategy should match the scale and importance of your data. Prioritize protection of must-have data, then expand backups as affordable until reaching your ideal state.
Conclusion
Adequate data backup aligns with your data retention needs and resources. Start with essential data and work towards comprehensive protection. With critical business and personal data relied on more than ever, it is wise to invest in backup solutions that provide peace of mind and ability to recover from worst-case scenarios.
