What are the most effective ways to back up electronic records?

1 What is a backup?

A backup is a copy of your electronic records that you store in a separate location or device from the original source. A backup can help you recover your records in case of accidental deletion, corruption, theft, disaster, or cyberattack. A backup can also help you preserve historical records that are no longer needed for current use but may have legal, financial, or historical value. A backup is not the same as an archive, which is a collection of records that are organized and maintained for long-term retention and access.

2 Why backup?

Backing up your electronic records is important for several reasons. First, it can help you protect your data from loss or damage. Data loss can occur due to human error, hardware failure, software malfunction, power outage, or natural disaster. Data damage can occur due to viruses, malware, ransomware, or hackers. Second, it can help you comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Depending on your industry and jurisdiction, you may have to keep certain records for a specific period of time and produce them upon request. Third, it can help you improve your productivity and efficiency. By backing up your records, you can avoid wasting time and resources on recreating or restoring them. You can also access them faster and easier when you need them.

3 How to backup?

Backing up your electronic records can be done through different methods and tools, such as external hard drives, cloud storage, and backup software. External hard drives are simple and affordable, but they require regular backups and secure storage. Cloud storage is convenient and scalable, yet it necessitates a reliable service provider. Backup software is efficient and customizable, but it requires technical skills and maintenance. All of these methods have their advantages and drawbacks, so it's important to consider the cost, speed, bandwidth, security, frequency, schedule, and type of backup when making a decision.

4 What to backup?

When deciding what to backup, you have to consider the value, relevance, and frequency of your electronic records. You have to backup the records that are important for your business operations, compliance, and accountability. You also have to backup the records that are updated or changed often. You may not need to backup the records that are duplicated, obsolete, or irrelevant. You can use a records retention policy or schedule to help you determine what to backup and for how long. A records retention policy or schedule is a document that specifies the categories, formats, and lifecycles of your records. It can help you organize, manage, and dispose of your records in a consistent and compliant way.

5 How often to backup?

The frequency of your backup depends on the volume, nature, and risk of your electronic records. You have to backup your records as often as necessary to minimize the potential loss or damage of your data. You can backup your records daily, weekly, monthly, or at specific intervals or events. For example, you can backup your records every time you create, modify, or delete a file, or every time you complete a project, transaction, or report. You can use backup software to schedule and automate your backup frequency.

6 How to verify and restore?

The last step of backing up your electronic records is to verify and restore them. Verifying your backup means checking that your backup is complete, accurate, and usable. You can use backup software to perform verification tests or reports. You can also manually check your backup files and compare them with the original source. Restoring your backup means retrieving and recovering your backup files when you need them. You can use backup software to perform restore operations or instructions. You can also manually copy or sync your backup files to your original device or location. You should test your restore process periodically to ensure that it works properly and efficiently.

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?