Backup windows are your frenemies
The backup window is considered in some organizations to be too long. This excess of time is usually gauged by how much personnel want to do something they can’t while the backup is in progress and less to do with the way the backup is actually proceeding. Making friends with the backup window is therefore one of the best ways to determine if it’s actually running slower than it could be, and in order to do that, Accounting Today says IT personnel should stop viewing it as something that gets in the way of completing more important tasks.
There are some key areas that businesses can focus on when inspecting the integrity of hard disk management solutions in the backup infrastructure. The most important of these are performance, flexibility and quality.
Performance refers to the efficiency with which certain tasks are carried out in the backup window. Optimization of data processing can result in a streamlined single-pass update of the continuity infrastructure, facilitated by deduplication and automated replication for essential systems. The various parts of the backup process need to be running at optimal capacity and at industry standards for timely backup and continuity maintenance. This can vary between specific data centers, but the focus should be on how well corporate resources stack up against the current average times of new enterprise solutions.
Flexibility pertains to how easy it is for businesses to change up their hardware and software tools to accommodate for changes in overall function. Architecture needs to be scalable to handle mounting big data needs, more virtualization and a growing desire for companies to mobilize data for better employee access. If resources are no longer compatible with current operating standards, they may impose on the backup window’s efficiency.
Quality relates to the overall integrity and purity of the data that an organization stores during the backup window. Hard disk management tools can catalog a broad base of information, but the file tracking software associated with these documents needs to be compatible with all the various parts of corporate infrastructure and must be able to scale to meet mounting data demands. If even one employee doesn’t have the right dashboard to interact with backup data or snapshots are tagged inappropriately in the replication process, the quality of backups is diminished.
IT personnel must understand the various aspects of backup windows before making a move to replace any part of the infrastructure. Treating these essential disaster recovery and compliance resources like allies rather than enemies is a good way to start.