How do you backup and recover your ERP system?

1 Identify your backup needs

When creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system, the first step is to identify your backup needs. This involves determining which data and components of your system need to be backed up, how often, and where. It's also important to consider the impact of data loss or downtime on your business operations, and define your recovery objectives such as how quickly and how much data you need to restore. When determining your backup needs, you should take into account factors such as the size and complexity of your ERP system, the type and frequency of transactions and changes in your system, regulatory and compliance requirements for your data, the availability and reliability of backup storage and network, as well as the budget and resources for your backup and recovery plan.

2 Choose your backup methods

When creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system, you must choose your backup methods. This includes selecting the tools and techniques you will use to complete and manage your backups. There are multiple types of backups, such as full, incremental, differential, or online backups, that have different benefits and drawbacks in terms of speed, storage, and recovery. Furthermore, you should take into account the format and encryption of your backups, as well as the verification and testing of your backup integrity. Various factors to consider when selecting your backup methods are the compatibility and functionality of your software and hardware, the security and accessibility of your data, the frequency and duration of your backup windows, the performance and effect on your system, and the scalability and flexibility of your methods.

3 Implement your backup plan

The third step in creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system is to implement your backup plan. This involves executing and monitoring your backups according to your schedule and policies, as well as documenting and communicating the plan to stakeholders such as IT staff, managers, vendors, and users. Additionally, you should review and update the plan regularly to reflect any changes or improvements in your system or business needs. When implementing your backup plan, it's important to consider the roles and responsibilities of your backup team, the procedures and protocols for initiating, completing, and reporting backups, the backup logs and reports for tracking and auditing backups, the backup alerts and notifications for detecting and resolving issues, as well as the backup training and education for your staff and users.

4 Prepare for recovery scenarios

The fourth step in creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system is to prepare for recovery scenarios. This means considering different types of disasters or emergencies that could affect your system and the steps you would take to respond and recover. Establishing and testing your recovery procedures and protocols is also important, such as how to restore data, how to verify and validate recovery, and how to resume normal operations. When doing so, take into account the severity and likelihood of threats and risks, the recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO), the recovery methods and tools, the recovery team and resources, as well as the communication and coordination with stakeholders.

5 Perform regular backups and tests

The fifth step in creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system is to perform regular backups and tests. This involves following your backup schedule and policies, and ensuring that your backups are complete, accurate, and secure. To guarantee that your backups and recovery procedures function correctly, you should conduct regular tests and drills. You should also measure the performance of your backup and recovery plan, and report and document your results. In addition, you should consider factors such as the frequency and scope of your tests, the criteria for assessing the quality of your backups, the tools used to test and verify them, as well as the challenges faced during testing. Finally, you should identify any improvements or recommendations for your backup and recovery plan.

6 Review and improve your backup plan

The sixth and final step in creating a backup and recovery plan for your ERP system is to review and improve it. This means analyzing and learning from your experiences, and using your insights and feedback to enhance your plan. It is important to monitor and update your plan regularly, taking into account changes in your system, business, and environment. Additionally, you should incorporate best practices and innovations in backup and recovery, as well as benchmark your plan against industry standards and peers. Factors to consider when reviewing and improving the plan include the goals and objectives of the plan, its strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats for it, the feedback from stakeholders, as well as trends in backup and recovery technology and practices.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?