Backup and software media storage best practices

BROWSE BY TAG Remote data protection,   Data Protection,   Disaster recovery and planning,   VIEW ALL TAGS

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Remote data protection The role of remote replication in enterprise data storage Storage Decisions Chicago 2009 Session Downloads Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Disaster Recovery Track (Chicago 2009) Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Data Retention & Retrieval Track (Chicago 2009) Riverbed Technology's Steelhead and Autodesk's AutoCAD resolve file compatibility problem CDP picks up a little steam WAN shopping checklist Is cloud storage the return of the service provider? Remote-office backups made easy Disaster recovery site options Disaster recovery and planning Backup in a snap: A guide to snapshot technologies Storage Decisions Chicago 2009 Session Downloads Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Disaster Recovery Track (Chicago 2009) Storage Decisions Session Downloads: Data Retention & Retrieval Track (Chicago 2009) More testing, more confidence for DR plans The under-over on DR Best storage Products of the Year 2008 Disaster recovery site options DR for virtualized servers Storage Decisions San Francisco 2008 Session Downloads

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary mirror  (SearchStorage.com) Storage as a Service (SaaS)  (SearchStorage.com) wide-area file services  (SearchStorage.com)

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

There are numerous best practices around backup and software media storage. Some of these best practices can be summarized as follows:

Backup media

• Should be stored offsite within reasonable distance allowing for both protection from a wide area disaster and timely media recall.
• Must be stored in a secure location and under controlled environmental conditions (heat, humidity, dust, etc.) as per the media manufacturer's specifications and industry standards.
• Must be a duplicate of the onsite backup media (no single copies) and sent offsite daily shortly after creation.
• Must be inventoried via backup software or manually if the software does not provide this functionality.
• Long-term retention media should be tested periodically and migrated to new media as technology evolves to ensure recoverability of data.

Software media

• As with backup media, software installation media should have a copy available offsite.
• A copy of the software installation license keys should also be kept offsite along with system specific unique identifier information if required (some applications require it).
• Software installation media should be inventoried, subject to version control and maintained via a configuration management database.
• Software media should be stored with a copy of the system configuration and recovery documentation for disaster recovery (DR) purposes.
• Change management must also take into consideration the impact on offsite stored software media and documentation when authorizing a change such as a version upgrade.

The above are probably some of the most common best practices around backup and software media storage. Other good sources of information include the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and the Business Continuity Generally Accepted Practices (GAP).