Ensuring High Availability and Security for Your Data

At Hieda, we've noticed that many businesses still have a relatively low awareness of the importance of data security. While they may implement a backup strategy, it often leads to a false sense of security. While businesses recognize the importance of securing their data, many rely on a static security setup that is based on a long-term plan. Despite updates, little changes in the short or medium term.

With technology rapidly advancing, it's common for hackers to use the latest gadgets and be at the forefront of progress. As a result, data security is always playing catch-up. The need for a dynamic and constantly evolving security solution has never been greater. At Hieda, we understand the importance of staying ahead of the curve and providing tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each client. Our goal is to ensure that your data is always protected and secure, regardless of the latest technological advancements or cyber threats.

Why a Resilient Database Environment is Critical

With cyber attacks on the rise, protecting your data is more important than ever before. Despite the prevalence of data breaches, many businesses continue to neglect their data security, leaving themselves vulnerable to attack. From ransomware to natural disasters, there are many threats that can cause irreparable damage to your data and your business.

The consequences of a data breach can be severe, impacting your day-to-day operations, profitability, legal compliance, and reputation. That's why it's crucial to ensure that your database environment is resilient enough to withstand any threat that comes your way.

Ensuring Business Continuity: A Checklist for Disaster Recovery

Data security is a critical aspect of any business, but simply having a backup and security plan in place is not enough. As technology advances and cyber threats evolve, your disaster recovery strategy must be constantly updated and tested to ensure that it is effective.

At Hieda, we understand the importance of a resilient database environment and have developed a checklist to help businesses evaluate their disaster recovery strategy. By answering a few simple questions, you can quickly assess the maturity of your current environment and identify areas for improvement.

Don't Count on Backups – Test Them

Having a backup of vital data is a no-brainer for any company, but simply having a backup is not enough. As your environment changes and your business needs evolve, it is important to regularly test your backup system to ensure it is sufficient and effective.

At Hieda, we know that a backup is only as good as your ability to restore from it. That's why we recommend performing regular restore tests, even if there have been no major changes to your environment. This ensures that your team knows how to recover data in a crisis situation and that your backup system is up to the task.

Dealing with Data Loss


Data loss is an unfortunate reality, and it's essential to have a strategy in place for when it does happen. To optimize your backup process while keeping it cost-effective, it's crucial to assess the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO).

The RPO determines the acceptable amount of data loss in case of a disaster. To set the RPO, it's necessary to evaluate how frequently you take backups. For example, data like internal chat history may not be critical and could have a weekly or monthly backup. On the other hand, crucial data like customer information may require near-real-time backup to ensure minimal data loss.

The RTO determines the maximum amount of time your company can tolerate being without access to your digital environment. The RTO is an important factor to consider, as it affects your company's operations and productivity. Depending on your business requirements, you may need to recover your data and systems quickly or have more flexibility with the time needed to restore them.

Regularly reviewing and testing your backup strategy against real-life scenarios will ensure it is up-to-date and effective. In the event of a disaster, a well-planned and tested strategy can help minimize the damage and get your company back up and running quickly.

Best Practices for Data Backup and Security

Data backup and security are critical components of any company’s digital infrastructure. The increase in digitalisation has made it easier to store, manage and access data. However, with this convenience comes greater susceptibility to cyber attacks. Recent incidents of DDOS and ransomware attacks on large companies and governments have highlighted the need for robust data protection strategies.

To ensure that your data is secure, it is essential to use appropriate backup strategies. There are various options available, from external hard drives to specialised e-bunkers. However, it's important to consider factors such as accessibility, security and distance between the working and backup environments. 

It's also crucial to encrypt both the data and the connection to prevent unauthorised access. By taking these measures, you can safeguard your data against potential security breaches and ensure that it remains protected in the event of a disaster.

The Importance of a Comprehensive Recovery Plan 

A crucial, yet often overlooked component of any Disaster Recovery Strategy is the Recovery Plan. Even if all technical requirements are met, the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) may still be unachievable if the team is not properly prepared.

The Recovery Plan for a digital environment is similar to its physical-world counterpart, detailing possible disasters and the required actions to be taken in each phase. It also designates responsibility and communication procedures with relevant parties.

Those responsible for executing the Recovery Plan must regularly test their knowledge and critically assess the plan for necessary improvements. All parties involved must be aware of the plan's existence and know how to report a disaster situation.

Monitoring Your Backup Strategy

Having a backup strategy is essential for any business that relies on data to operate. It is crucial to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, so you can minimize the damage and recover quickly. However, just having a backup system is not enough. It is essential to monitor the backup strategy regularly to ensure its effectiveness.

A good backup strategy can fail if it's not monitored. Backup machines run continuously, which means that the data passing through them can lead to errors or other issues. It's important to ensure that the backup system is functioning correctly, that data is being correctly backed up, and that you are alerted immediately when something goes wrong.

The monitoring process is crucial in ensuring that the backup strategy remains effective. The process includes regular monitoring of the backup machines, verifying the integrity of the backup data, and testing the restore process to ensure it is working correctly.

Conclusion

Ensuring the security and high availability of your digital environment is critical in today's technology-driven world. Cyber attacks and data loss can result in significant financial and reputational damage, making it essential for businesses to implement strong security and backup strategies. By following best practices such as maintaining regular backups, testing backup systems, defining recovery plans, and implementing monitoring, companies can minimize the risk of data loss and quickly recover from disasters.

If you want to ensure the security and high availability of your company's digital environment, contact Hieda today. Our team of experts can help you develop and implement a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that meets your specific needs. 

We offer a range of services, including risk assessments, backup and monitoring solutions, and contingency planning. Don't wait until it's too late, take the necessary steps to protect your company's valuable data and ensure that your systems are always available when you need them.

April 13, 2023
Bart Callens

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