Why Managed Backups Are Important for Best-in-Class Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) Solutions?

In today’s digital-driven world, businesses of all sizes rely on data to power their operations, serve their customers, and maintain competitiveness. As this reliance on data grows, so too does the risk of losing that data to threats like ransomware attacks, human error, natural disasters, or system failures. This makes managed backups an essential part of any robust business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) plan.

When combined with a best-in-class BCDR solution , these efforts can significantly reduce downtime and ensure your businesses resilience. In this article, we’ll discuss why managed backups are important, what ThrottleNet considers a leading BCDR solution, and how these combined efforts can help minimize downtime.

Why Managed Backups Are Important

The reason why managed backups are important is that they are more than just an extra copy of your data; they are a strategic approach to ensuring that your data is recoverable, secure, and consistently updated. Here are just a few points as to why managed backups are important for any business:

1. Data Security and Protection

• Data is one of the most valuable assets for any business. Managed backups help ensure that data is securely stored and protected from potential threats like ransomware and data corruption.
• Unlike basic backup solutions, managed backups often include encryption, multi-site redundancy, and 24/7 monitoring to safeguard sensitive information.

2. Quick Recovery and Business Continuity

• Having managed backups in place allows businesses to recover data quickly, minimizing operational disruptions. Whether a system crash or a cyberattack causes data loss, managed backups enable rapid data restoration, ensuring that business operations can resume with minimal downtime.
• Quick recovery times are essential for maintaining customer trust, avoiding financial losses, and meeting compliance requirements.

3. Compliance with Regulations

• Many industries are subject to regulations that require secure and reliable data backup solutions. Managed backups help businesses remain compliant by providing verifiable data protection practices and audit trails that meet regulatory standards. Keep in mind, this is not the same as archiving your email for compliance purposes as this is a different solution altogether.

4. Protection from Human Error

• Human error is one of the most common causes of data loss. Managed backups provide a safety net, ensuring that data can be restored in case of accidental deletions or overwrites.
• Regular, automated backups ensure that even if a user error occurs, the business can recover lost data and minimize the impact on operations.

5. Scalability and Flexibility

• Managed backup solutions are designed to scale with a business’s needs. As a company grows, its data storage and protection requirements increase. Managed backups can be adapted to support the growth of data, applications, and infrastructure seamlessly.

What is Considered a Best-in-Class BCDR Solution

When it comes to choosing a reliable business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution, ThrottleNet looks to Datto as this solution is often considered the gold standard in BCDR solutions. Managed backups play a critical role in safeguarding business data, and understanding why managed backups are important can make a significant difference in how effectively your business recovers from unexpected disruptions. Datto not only ensures your data is protected but also provides seamless recovery options tailored to meet the demands of modern businesses.

Here are a few reasons we feel Datto is best in class, but any BCDR solution should include the following feature functionality to illustrate why managed backups are important in maintaining operational resilience and minimizing downtime during a crisis:

1. Comprehensive Backup and Disaster Recovery Capabilities

• Datto offers an integrated suite of BCDR tools that include features like image-based backups, local and cloud-based data storage, and instant virtualization. This ensures that data can be backed up and restored quickly and efficiently, regardless of the situation.
• Datto’s proprietary technology allows for seamless data restoration in minutes, reducing downtime and minimizing the operational impact of data loss incidents.

2. Hybrid Cloud Technology

• Datto’s hybrid cloud approach means that data is stored both on local devices and in the cloud. This ensures that if a local device is compromised due to hardware failure or a disaster, data can still be accessed and restored from the cloud.
• This dual-pronged approach provides businesses with the flexibility to recover data quickly, no matter the type of disruption.

3. Instant Virtualization

• One of Datto’s standout features is its instant virtualization capability. This allows businesses to spin up a virtual instance of their entire system, directly from the backup, to keep operations running while primary systems are being restored.
• This feature is invaluable for businesses that need to maintain operations during server failures or data recovery processes, further reducing downtime.

4. Advanced Encryption and Security

• Datto prioritizes security by ensuring that all data is encrypted both at rest and in transit. This ensures that sensitive data remains protected from unauthorized access during backups and restores.
• Datto also implements strict authentication protocols to control who can access backup data, adding another layer of security.

How Managed Backups and a Best in Class BCDR Solution Work Together to Limit Downtime

Combining managed backups with a best in class BCDR solution like Datto provides a powerful defense against data loss and prolonged downtime. Here’s how these efforts work together to enhance business resilience:

1. Proactive Monitoring and Quick Action

• Managed backups include proactive monitoring to ensure backups are successful and data is protected. When integrated with Datto’s technology, this means that any issues with backups can be detected and resolved swiftly, preventing potential gaps in data protection.
• If a disruption occurs, Datto’s instant virtualization feature enables businesses to continue operations seamlessly while the primary systems are being restored.

2. Reduced Downtime and Increased Uptime

• The combination of managed backups and Datto’s capabilities significantly reduces downtime by enabling near-instant recovery of data and applications. This ensures that businesses can continue to operate even during unexpected events such as hardware failures, cyberattacks, or natural disasters.
• Minimizing downtime is crucial for maintaining revenue, meeting customer expectations, and protecting a company’s reputation.

3. Tailored Backup Retention Policies

• Managed backup services often include custom backup retention policies to ensure that businesses meet industry standards and organizational requirements. Datto’s flexible retention settings allow IT teams to configure how long backups are retained and how often they occur, providing a tailored solution that aligns with a business’s needs.
• This customization ensures that businesses can recover data from specific points in time, meeting compliance and operational requirements.

4. Comprehensive Data Protection Strategy

• A managed backup strategy integrated with Datto’s BCDR solution forms a comprehensive data protection strategy. While managed backups provide routine, reliable data protection, Datto’s advanced recovery features add an extra layer of resilience, ensuring that businesses can recover not just data, but full system functionality, in the shortest time possible.
• This combination addresses both routine data loss scenarios and large-scale disruptions, providing peace of mind for business owners and IT teams alike.

The reason why managed backups are important is because they protect a business’s data, ensure compliance, and minimize downtime. By integrating managed backups with a best-in-class BCDR solution like Datto, businesses can enjoy comprehensive data protection, rapid recovery, and a proactive approach to mitigating cyber threats and system failures. This combined strategy helps businesses maintain operational continuity, reduce downtime, and safeguard their reputation in the face of potential data loss incidents.