Website operators should ensure that their website data is protected from loss, like all important digital data. Loss of business and customer confidence due to data loss is a critical risk for businesses and self-employed individuals. A backup strategy is therefore essential to quickly recover data after hardware failures, human error or cyber attacks.
A solid backup strategy allows returning to a system state not long before the problem occurs. Such a strategy should include several types of backups. The three main backup methods are full backup, differential backup and incremental backup. In a comprehensive backup strategy, a full backup is created first. This is followed by incremental and differential backups. When dealing with large amounts of data, different types of data can be backed up at different frequencies depending on the requirements and importance.
REGULARITY OF BACKUPS FOR RESTORATION OF CURRENT DATA
Regular backups ensure that an up-to-date version of a website can be restored. The frequency depends on the website update frequency. Backups should be automated to ensure regularity without website owners having to worry about performing them. There are numerous tools for setting up automatic backups, such as Cpanel or Plesk.
LOCAL DISTRIBUTION OF BACKUPS FOR INCREASED SECURITY
Local backups are stored on local computers or servers. Damage and loss can occur here as well, so backups should additionally be stored in another location.
With remote backups, backups are stored on a remote server. The backups are then safe even if local copies are damaged or lost. Remote backups can be transferred, for example, to your own web space separate from that of the website, or to cloud storage services such as Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Microsoft Azure that offer backup options.
Compared to an on-premise option like local disk storage, it can take longer to recover data from the cloud - depending on bandwidth and volume. And data in the cloud can also attract cyberattacks. Protective mechanisms here are in the hands of the cloud providers.
INCREMENTAL AND DIFFERENTIAL BACKUPS
Incremental means that the files that are new since the last backup are backed up. Differential means that files that have changed since the last backup are backed up. This saves time and resources as there is no need to perform a full backup.
MONITORING THE BACKUP INTEGRITY
The integrity of the backups should be checked regularly. It is necessary to test whether the backups were performed successfully and whether the data is intact. Monitoring backup integrity ensures that the backups can really be used when they are needed.
BACKUP FOR WORDPRESS WEBSITES
If a Managed WordPress hosting company is used, it will take care of the backup of the website automatically. What needs to be clarified here is the frequency of the update and also how and how quickly a restore can take place. If the offer does not meet the requirements, own strategies have to be implemented additionally.
WordPress backup plugins like BlogVault synchronize an entire WordPress website with its servers. Then, the backup can be downloaded to a local drive or saved to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox.
CONCLUSION
Business-critical and personal data requires continuous backup. Implementing a solid backup strategy ensures that a site can be restored at any time. A backup strategy specifies the data the company needs to back up, the frequency of backups, and the type of backup. Backups should be automated on a regular basis, kept in a secure location, and backup integrity should be verified.
The best strategy depends on the specific requirements. A risk assessment and analysis of the impact of data loss scenarios on a company's ability to do business can provide guidance on what data is backed up with a backup strategy and how often.
Under the so-called 3-2-1 rule for backups, a company has three copies of data stored on at least two different media, with one copy at an off-site location.
Companies should document the backup and restore process in detail, such as who is responsible, what programs and products are used, and where backups are stored.
