Systems that protect data.
WHAT A BACKUP IS
A separate copy, from a point in time, that the live system cannot alter.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Replication A snapshot on the same storage A redundant array
WHY REPLICATION IS NOT A BACKUP
Deletion and corruption replicate immediately.
WHAT THE ESTABLISHED GUIDANCE IS
Several copies, on more than one kind of medium, with at least one held elsewhere and one offline or immutable.
WHY OFFLINE OR IMMUTABLE
So ransomware or a compromised administrator cannot destroy them.
WHAT IMMUTABLE STORAGE PROVIDES
Copies that cannot be deleted or altered before a defined period expires.
WHAT TO BACK UP
Data Configuration Databases, consistently Anything required to rebuild
WHAT CONSISTENTLY MEANS FOR DATABASES
Using the database's own mechanism, not copying files while it runs.
WHY
A file copy of a running database is frequently unusable.
WHAT TO ENCRYPT
Backups, which contain everything.
WHERE TO KEEP THE KEYS
Somewhere recoverable independently of the systems being backed up.
WHAT TO MONITOR
Completion, size, and duration.
WHAT UNUSUAL SIZE OR DURATION INDICATES
Something changed, possibly badly.
