Backups are a critical component for an organization to recover data from a hardware/software failure, human error, corruption or ransomware. Follow the rule of 3-2-1-1.
3 copies of your data (including production data)
2 different types of media (cloud, disk, tape)
1 off-site copy (other location from the production data; cloud, other building)
1 immutable copy (the data cannot be changed)
So why is data backup important? Most importantly it can protect against data loss. If you are needing to restore data it can save time and money and ensure the continuity of your business.
Any critical and sensitive data should be backed up. Remember that simply backing up your data does not ensure it’s integrity. Therefore, systematic restores should be performed. The backup process needs to be documented and should include types of backups (incremental, full, differential), process for backing up, dates and person responsible. Documentation of testing a restore should also be included. The integrity of backups cannot be verified if the restore process is not performed with regularity. Limit the accessibility to the backups in order to protect from unauthorized access.
Data backups do not prevent attacks and misuse but they are a critical component in your business continuity plan.