White Paper

Backup and Recovery
Considerations in 2023

Table of Contents

page

Backup and Recovery Misconceptions  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 1Plan with the Restore in Mind  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 1Know the Requirements of True Backup  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4Follow Recovery Best Practices  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .13Conclusion: Find True Backup and Recovery  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14Appendix A: Backup and Recovery Scorecards  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15Appendix B: True Backup at a Glance  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .16

To put together a goodplan, you need to know
the risks and how to
mitigate them. Most
backup approaches
don’t protect you in areal disaster, putting
your valuable data at
risk. Your last line ofdefense should be atrue backup approachthat protects all yourdata, not just a subset.

Backup and Recovery Misconceptions
Challenges to data security and business continuity haven’t slowed down . Cyberthreats, extreme weather,war, and the lingering effects of COVID-19 are a reminder of how crucial backup and recovery are. As thesethreats grow, so do the number of vendors who offer new backup and recovery solutions that make big
promises—promises that don’t always reflect true backup and recovery practices. Their products and services may sound enticing. But they could result in vendor lock-in, require you to purchase more hardware,and still leave you vulnerable to data loss .
That said, approaches that fall outside true backup have their benefits—they just serve other purposes.
They don’t provide what you need to meet regulatory requirements or build a last line of defense whencatastrophe strikes .
Our proven experience in backup and recovery has taught us that following the fundamentals is your best
chance in the event of an attack . True, not every organization faces the same risk . But living in uncertain
times means every organization should be cautious .
Here are three things to consider as you develop your backup and recovery strategy:
1. Plan with the restore in mind .
2. Know the requirements of true backup .
3. Follow recovery best practices .

Each section of this white paper is devoted to one of these considerations . By the end, you’ll understandour perspective on how to thoroughly back up your data and safely restore it .

Plan with the Restore in Mind
To put together a good plan, you need to know the risks and how to mitigate them . Most backup approaches don’t protect you in a real disaster, putting your valuable data at risk . Your last line of defense
should be a true backup approach that protects all your data, not just a subset. We’ll define the requirements for true backup in section 2 .

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

Risk Mitigation
True Backup*

True Backup*
2 Locations

Data Copy

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes
Yes

Data Mirror

Data Replication

Hopeand See

Array
Snapshots

No

No

No

No

LimitedData encrypted

No

No

No

No

No

Data corrupt

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Data corrupt? Something trustworthy there to compare/check?

Yes

No

No

No

No

Maybe

Data corrupt

Yes

Yes

LimitedLimitedNo

No

LimitedData loss. This is currently the most common threat to your data!

Yes

Yes

Limited

Yes

LimitedNo

No

Data loss on device, some trustworthy source for restore existent?

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Data corrupt on multiple similar devices/locations

Yes

Yes

No

Maybe

LimitedNo

No

Loss of control / access over HW from 1 or multiple sites

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Trustworthy historic data samples available for restore?

Site Closure / Local Riots Etc.

Yes

Yes

Maybe

Yes

LimitedNo

No

Loss of access to at least 1 site, potential data corruption there

Site Power Outage

Yeswith external vaulted
backup sets

Yes

No

Yes

LimitedNo

No

Loss of access over HW from 1 site, potential data corruption there

Wide Range Power Outage

Yes

Yes

with external vaulted
backup sets

No

No

No

No

No

Loss of access over HW from multiple sites, potential data corruption there

Site Flooding/Storm/Ice ...

Yeswith external vaulted
backup sets

Yes

No

Yes

mirror has to be in different location

No

No

Loss of access over HW from 1 site, potential data corruption there

Yes

Yes

LimitedLimitedNo

No

LimitedData corruption on device, some trustworthy source for restore of previous(older) data set existent?

(including snapshot
copy management)

Risk

Ransomware Attack
Data Corruption

Potential Compromised Data
Inside Job

Human Error

HW Component Failure

HW Firmware / SW Code Error
Search & Seizure

Legal Proof Required (Prior Art)

Migration/Upgrade Failure

remote restore

with external vaulted
backup setsremote restore

LimitedData copy (including snapshot copy management):

Snapshots or binary copies stored on mounted volumes on similar/identical hardware devices

Data mirror:

Data read and mirrored on schedule to similar device different location

Data replication:

Data is constantly instantly replicated. Once replication is stopped only 1 (or 2 different!) data set exists. Data replication synchronously/asynchronously replicates any mistakes made. Whilereplication to some extend helps you to avoid loss of current data, data protection helps you to recover any data. Data replication synchronously/asynchronously replicates any mistakes
made. While replication to some extend helps you to avoid loss of current data, data protection helps you to recover any data.

True backup: siehe Definition “echtes backup” in Kapitel 2

Table 1. IT risks and mitigation options

Follow These Steps When Planning
Here’s how to plan with restore in mind:■ See what is required for regulatory compliance: For example, GDPR, HIPAA, KVKK, PIPEDA, CCPA,

notifiable data breaches act and many more require data loss prevention.
■ Classify your data according to a limited set of categories .
■ Understand the requirements of stakeholders, insurance companies, and so on .
■ Accept the fact that all critical data is in scope, no matter if it’s in the cloud, off the cloud, or part ofa hybrid environment .

2

■ Define appropriate retention policies for ongoing backup and consider regular long-term backup

The ability to restore
to any point in timedepends on how often
you perform backups.
RPO is especially
important for filesystem backups. For
application backup, theability to back up log
files is critical to RPO.

sets for legal proof and integrity checks .
■ Define the number of backup copies to keep and how to distribute them across locations anddifferent media (for external safe storage and integrity checks).
■ Keep it simple—recovery must work in panic mode. “Simple” might require you to keep more data

sets to bypass some obstacles .
■ Know the potential fees (legislation, ransomware, business on hold) if restore fails .
■ Prepare for change, reduce hardware and software dependencies, and avoid multistep approaches .

In short, you should define restore service-level agreements (SLAs) based on requirements and specificinfrastructure setups. These SLAs should include the recovery point objective and recovery time objective.

Recovery Metrics
Your plan should account for two critical recovery metrics:
RECOVERY POINT OBJECTIVE

A recovery point objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable interval during which transactional data islost from an IT service.
The ability to restore to any point in time depends on how often you perform backups. RPO is especially
important for file system backups. For application backup, the ability to back up log files is critical to RPO.
A sophisticated RPO definition automatically tells you the recurrence (scheduling) of your backup jobs.
RECOVERY TIME OBJECTIVE

The recovery time objective (RTO) is the amount of time a business process must be restored after adisruption to avoid a break in business continuity .
RTO mostly defines the performance needs of recovery. The faster the restore, the sooner you are back inbusiness. Setting your RTO may take some testing because you may not know how fast the infrastructure
is. Any backup and restore performance depends on the underlying infrastructure—server, storage, andnetwork. And guess what? If you can recover fast, your backup is good as well.
RPO AND RTO HELP YOU PLAN

RPO and RTP are key. They make sure information can be recovered in a timely and accurate fashion.
Defining RPO and RTO also highlights prerequisites for backup. Oftentimes, data protection designs only
consider backup. And when business-critical data needs to be brought back, there is no way to compensate for slow, ineffective recovery. Test your recovery procedures regularly.

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

Before we focus on
how to design yourbackup environment it
is important to reiteratethat there is no shortcut
to restorability. In caseof a disaster, you needproper backups.

Figure 1. Illustration on RPO and RTO

Know the Requirements of True Backup
Before we focus on how to design your backup environment it is important to reiterate that there is no
shortcut to restorability. In case of a disaster, you need proper backups.

True Backup
The word backup can mean different things to different people—and vendors. But a true backup must:■ Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule (more on that later).
■ Obey the policy for different media in two categories:– Logical: Use of backup software with its own data format (transportable) .
– Physical: Backup to dissimilar media—for instance, tape or to the cloud.
■ Ensure that copies are distributed to at least two secure, separate locations . Storing tapes externallyis also a good choice .

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SNAPSHOTS DON’T COUNT

Be wary of tools that1) create data copies
that stay on mounted
disk volumes and2) store data copies
or snapshots without
proper format change.
Any such approachcannot be considered abackup. Even if analysts
endorse these tools,
they don’t provide
reliable restore options
nor the required data
integrity guarantee.

A snapshot describes data that is frozen at a certain point in time. In fact, snapshots are often implemented
by tracking the changes on the primary storage. However, a snapshot is not a backup—only an additional
component in a data protection strategy .
A snapshot only works for restore if the original volume still exists and blocks from the snapshot can berecovered to a consistent volume. That’s why you need an independent backup. It will help you if a storage
system is gone, or you need to restore to a different infrastructure.
For virtual machines (VMs), a VM-snapshot is a binary clone of the VM at best. So it is missing the logicaltransformation to make the data independent from the specific architecture.
NEITHER DO DATA COPY AND SNAPSHOT COPY MANAGEMENT TOOLSBe wary of tools that 1) create data copies that stay on mounted disk volumes and 2) store data copies
or snapshots without proper format change . Any such approach cannot be considered a backup . Even
if analysts endorse these tools, they don’t provide reliable restore options nor the required data integrity
guarantee . They also can’t protect your data from being repurposed, stolen, or used against you .

Don’t Rely on Your System’s Backup Capabilities
It is a common misconception that some primary storage and system architectures don’t need additional
backup . Here’s why that’s not the case:■ Any binary clone on similar hardware will always leave you in doubt if the data is actually readable

and uncompromised .
■ Any replication or mirroring will require you to trust the implementation and risk losing the data entirely

if something goes wrong or the setup is compromised .
■ Any array or platform-specific replication or mirroring will require you to trust the implementation,

stay with specific building blocks, and may even lock you into pricing, shipment, replacement,
repair, and so on . You also risk losing the data entirely if something goes wrong or the setup getscompromised. For instance, if a firmware update fails, you will need a backup of the data.

Select the Backup Target Architecture
The most common approach to backup is the 3-2-1 rule. It requires you to have at least three backups ofa given data set . These three copies shall be distributed across at least two separate locations, with one
backup being offline. To follow this rule, backup target technologies must be able to handle volume andperformance requirements, with budget constraints considered .
Although the 3-2-1 rule is the most common approach, it has critical shortcomings that this paper willaddress later .

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

DISK-BASED TARGETS

Modern backup architectures usually incorporate disk-based targets, where multiple backups of a given
data set are stored. If the target device fails, the backup versions or copies stored there are impacted,
if not lost. So it is mandatory to keep another backup copy on a different target. This could be anotherdisk-based backup appliance that either uses some form of replication with the initial target or receives a
backup mirror or a dedicated backup copy .
The disk-based targets usually come with the benefit of easy random access for fast single-object restore.
And high deduplication rates allow for storing a lot more recovery points without wasting a lot of additional
resources .
From a risk and availability perspective, keep backup copies in different locations that are protected fromfire, unwanted access, and weather-related threats.
Whenever a disk-based backup target is selected, it should differ from a mounted volume. Preferably, it canhide behind an API so that backups cannot be compromised easily. Backup sets on mounted volumes are
the primary target for many ransomware and malware attacks . But they are also prone to be compromisedby other IT or human mischief.
Backup targets with a solid immutability feature provide enhanced security from unwanted altering .
DIRECT BACKUP, DISSIMILAR TARGETS, AND FORMAT CHANGE

While some data backup might require a backup proxy server or gateway server for security or connectivity
reasons, the most resource-efficient, secure backup will be a direct transfer from the original data source
to the backup target .
Often, solutions incapable of direct backup require “staging” or “parking” of the backup data on mounted
volumes, which puts your data and your RPO SLA at risk.
One standard approach is to store backups on dissimilar media from the original data source. In case there
is an issue with the primary media—such as firmware error, malware, controller error, and so on—you still
have uncompromised copies . Another advantage of storing backups on dissimilar hardware is that thedata is checked for readability and consistency, not just binary cloned.
Readable data allows you to add integrity checksums, change the data format to either target, and—even
better—change to a specific backup format that is independent of both source and target technologies.
Backup and recovery software that uses a specific backup data format instantly translates data that it
reads, transports it in that specific format, and stores it on target in the specific format.

6

While some data
backup might requirea backup proxy server
or gateway server for
security or connectivity
reasons, the mostresource-efficient,secure backup will bea direct transfer fromthe original data source
to the backup target.

The most important advantages of having a specific backup data format are:
Does the following
sound familiar?
“Backup softwareneeds integration
with XYZ and only
works with third-party
component ABC.”
It could be a mandatory
database you needto procure, manage,and troubleshoot ora selected backup
target technology
for best results.

■ Independence from source and target platforms architectures■ Independence from past, current, and future technologies■ Enhanced integrity protection■ Protection of backup data from repurposing by other IT procedures (mandatory for GDPR)■ Protection from unallowed access and data theft■ Transportability independent from the data path, connection technology, and intermediate systems■ Additional features of the backup software itself or integrated APIs
■ Ability to search, browse, and restore backups after everything but the backup media is gone .
■ Protection from misuse—only the backup software can read the data

Dependencies
After selecting a backup and recovery software with a specific backup data format, the next step is to
avoid remaining dependencies .
These dependencies include:
LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Backup software is available only on one operating system and therefore is bound in its core processes
to the limitations and critical issues of that operating system .
VENDOR LOCK-IN

Most Backup software is designed to work with specific building blocks that lock you into one vendor or
specific architecture. Lock-in will limit your ability to work around issues or walk away without paying asteep price .
Given the sheer amount of backup data to hold, vendor independence and freedom of choice for backup
targets is key to keeping costs down, evolving with technology improvements, and selecting multiple target
architectures for their specific advantages.
INTEGRATION ISSUESDoes the following sound familiar? “Backup software needs integration with XYZ and only works with thirdparty component ABC.” It could be a mandatory database you need to procure, manage, and troubleshootor a selected backup target technology for best results .

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

SCALE

Backup software has limited scalability in its internal structure, processes, and database . Solving this issue requires multiple instances with substantial resource requirements, just for handling the data volume.
HARDWARE

In their marketing and advertisements, some vendors leave out one detail of their solutions: They require
a huge pile of hardware to be fully functional . The worst scenario is the requirement to keep backups on
mounted volumes . Even if it was for only 10 percent of your backup data, the cost to operate this environment will be huge, as will the carbon footprint .
Plus, any backup data parked solely on a mounted disk—even if only temporarily—is not truly backed up
and can’t ever satisfy an RPO. In other words, there is no reliable restore source, which leads to a high riskof being manipulated, deleted, or corrupted .
Backing up data on edge devices often comes with specific requirements that need expert management. As long as these devices are always on, have a stable connection, have sufficient bandwidth, canbe trusted, and can segregate relevant data from irrelevant data with few surprises and bearable redundancy—you can rely on the guidelines in this paper.

Performance
The right choice of backup devices should also consider performance . That’s both individual device performance and the way it handles parallel data streams. This is relevant to RTO since your SLAs are useless
if you can’t restore them in the required timeframe. Network-based backup and recovery are easy, but on
many occasions, they’re not fast enough . You may want to consider FC SAN since it’s usually available inlarger storage infrastructure and is more dedicated to high I/O transfers without many side effects. LANfree backup and recovery are more than just options. They may be the factor that determines a successful
recovery—or going out of business.

Online Backup, Offline Backup—So What?
Offline and online can have vastly different meanings in backup and restore. Here is some further clarification by definition:
ONLINE BACKUP

Online backup usually means that a backup can be performed while the system is still online and working,with little impact. In a situation where you’re backing up applications within a running VM or container asa snapshot, you should be aware that some data is in the app server’s RAM and not written to disk . This
portion of data might not get protected properly, and a restore may be partially unsuccessful .

8

The right choiceof backup devices
should also consider
performance. That’s
both individual device
performance and theway it handles parallel
data streams. This isrelevant to RTO since
your SLAs are useless
if you can’t restore
them in the required
timeframe.

Therefore, an online backup solution must keep applications consistently running and ensure application
users are not disrupted . An application integration agent would know the current state of the application,
initiate backup mode and redirect ongoing application changes to dedicated areas. Once the backup isdone, data is merged back into the usual data sets. In a recovery scenario, data is first placed back into
the app server. Then log files are restored and used to recover the app to a given point in time.
The German Bundesamt
für Sicherheit in derInformationstechnik (BSI)
describes the following
mandatory tasks within the
IT organization to protectfrom ransomware disasters:“The following measures
MUST be implemented
within an IT infrastructurefrom the BSI perspective…
Regularly perform multilevel data backups,
especially offline backups.
A backup always includes
the planning of the restartand a test of the restoreof data.”
Source: ACS - Maßnahmen
zum Schutz vor Emotet undanderen E-Mailangriffen(allianz-fuer-cybersicherheit.
de)Online backup integrations for a list of common applications or databases can include:■ The options to trigger both backup and recovery from within the application’s administration .
■ An easy way for the backup administrator to set up the backup■ An easy way for the backup administrator to recover the application back to a very specific transaction

or time stamp without requiring the application expert at all .
A different meaning for online backup is a backup of a given data set that is available for instant restore oran instant mount . After all, any backup on a mounted volume can be considered online .
OFFLINE BACKUP

Offline backup technically describes a backup that is performed while the service holding the data is notavailable, like an application being shut down and all outstanding I/O has been written to disk. In that case, astandard file system backup can take away that data and store it on whatever device is available or selected.
In current discussions, the term refers to a backup of a given data set that is unavailable, at least fromoutside the backup application. In other words, it can’t be accessed as easily as a mounted volume.
In common sense, any backup behind an API—like a deduplication API—qualifies for an initial level of“offline-ness,” as long as the actual bits on disks are protected from manipulation. A disk media that getsunmounted and powered off would be a further improvement. But it’s seldom used, due to the many disadvantages of such technology .
Any backup copy in the cloud is not considered offline. Such cloud backups are a common target for
malware and ransomware .
A backup on tape is a good example of a high level of “offline-ness,” as tapes usually get unmounted fast
to make way for writing and reading other tapes by the tape drive. The levels of “offline-ness” for tapes
further increase by features of the tape robot to vault such media or, even better, to entirely eject the tapes
and allow for storing them in an actual vault in a different location.
In the past, a tape target or WORM media provided many means of dissimilarity. But this caused otherinconveniences: e .g ., tape providing very limited random read access . Today these technologies havefurther evolved and provide benefits such as speed, cost-effectiveness, and advanced offline features.

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

More Backup Considerations
There’s more to think about than backup targets . You’ll also want to take the following into account:
LICENSING MODELYour backup software will have great insight into the characteristics of your environment and data . Sooner
or later, the backup software vendor might want to capitalize on this insight by imposing costly licensingchanges .
While several vendors provide a simple licensing model according to the volume of protected data, others
have not . Some backup software vendors even change their licensing model every few years, requiring
you to pay extra .
Choose a vendor with a stable, simple licensing model. Find one that offers multiple licensing models andthe freedom to choose the less expensive option for your setup .
USER MANAGEMENT

Effective user management for the backup and recovery tool, as well as the backup target devices, ismandatory .
Expert knowledge is required to perform the common tasks around safeguarding your data for the worstof all circumstances . Limit user privileges to the very few experts that fully understand the implications
and dependencies of I/O intense backup and restore operations in environments of limited capacity,
concurrency, and bandwidth .
As restores have to work in panic mode, with parts of your IT being down, you should avoid additional
dependencies that might get in your way before a restore operation can be triggered .
Don’t be surprised by the privileges required on systems for the actual backup and restore operations.
Reading and writing data, along with access rights and metadata, including OS restores or application
recovery, require extended levels of privilege .
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPONENTS

All components of the backup software must have a trusted relationship . They need to know each otherand instantly identify rogue components that might interfere with your backups and restores . This is usually
done by exchanging and checking certificates before granting any access. Hackers know that backups
are a honey pot for them . So, you need to keep them out .

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Expert knowledge isrequired to performthe common tasks
around safeguarding
your data for the worstof all circumstances.
Limit user privileges tothe very few expertsthat fully understandthe implications anddependencies of I/O
intense backup andrestore operations inenvironments of limited
capacity, concurrency,
and bandwidth.

ENCRYPTION

Beyond encrypted
control communications,
you don’t want anyone
to read your backup
or restore data
being transferred.
Some backup tools
repackage the data
stream into their
specific backup data
format to make it
unreadable, but others
do not. Either way,
you need the option
to securely encrypt
the backup data at
the source before
transmission or enroute before it leaves
the protected wires.

You don’t want anyone listening to what’s going on in the backup and recovery environment, to avoid
sharing any sensitive data like credentials, backup targets configured, and so on. Therefore, any control
communication within the backup environment has to be secure and encrypted .
Beyond encrypted control communications, you don’t want anyone to read your backup or restore
data being transferred. Some backup tools repackage the data stream into their specific backup data
format to make it unreadable, but others do not . Either way, you need the option to securely encrypt
the backup data at the source before transmission or en route before it leaves the protected wires .
Encrypting backup data comes at the price of poor deduplication and compression as well as compute
power overhead . Use it very carefully, only where it is unconditionally required .
Most backup target devices allow for encryption at rest—which the backup application should support. It
comes in handy for external safe storage of backup data, as long as you keep full control over the encryption keys and prepare them to be available after disaster strikes .
ACCOUNT FOR ARCHITECTURE CHANGESOne of the most important considerations is that your IT architecture is and will be in constant change.
Local as well as widespread outages, or at least service level derogations, will impact IT processes that require lots of I/O bandwidth on different paths, along with CPU intense operations—namely, your backup andrecovery operations . So your backup application must allow for temporary or persistent changes again andagain, without extensive readjustments and without impacting restore capabilities for previous data sets.
Similarly, the backup application should allow for easy troubleshooting or tuning options to adhere to RPO
and RTO goals. It should also avoid the need to throw more and more hardware on a bottleneck.
DOCUMENTATION

Documentation is key. Recovery plans define what services need to be alive (and how to achieve that)
before restores can be initiated. You need to preserve configuration details to rebuild the backup infrastructure after a substantial disaster .

Operating Centralized Backup
By now it is clear that a central backup for all your valuable data is one of the most complex, I/O- andcompute-intense processes in your IT. Even still, it’s typically the best detector for any planned or unplanned changes and service interruptions .

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Here are three tips for running a centralized backup:
1. Implement real-time operational intelligence, which shows you what’s going on and at what

success rate. Use tools such as customizable dashboards and reports, root-cause analysis,
scenario-based modeling, and predictive analytics for balancing resources and identifying andresolving potential conflicts.
2. Don’t rely on your backup application to detect threats. While a backup solution will most likely

notice suspicious changes in your data and your IT landscape, this detection would come too late.
By relying on your backup application to detect any manipulations, you would make your last line ofdefense your only line of defense, all while putting it at risk. Detecting intrusions or manipulations
should be your second line of defense, integrating pattern analysis from both core and edge before
data is altered . Educating employees and business partners along with proper identity and accessmanagement should be the first line.
3. Spend your budget wisely. You will need every dollar for proper core backup and recovery

architecture and operations. Only pay for true backup with secure restorability, and nothing else.
Backup and Recovery
Maturity Level

Description

Worst■ Backup and recovery are left to third parties .
■ There is no true backup, only mirroring, data copies, and replications .
■ An island approach to data protection introduces vulnerabilities .
■ The backup tool runs on the Windows platform, which is the primary target for hackers andransomware gangs

Baseline■ Business-critical data is regularly backed up.
■ Testing ensures the RTO and RPO of the restore.
■ Backup copies exist in two or more locations, with at least one backup copy being offline.

Better■ One set of backups is stored in a disaster-proof environment yet is accessible by experts.
■ There are secure communications and a trusted relationship between critical employees

and all backup infrastructure components .

■ Full backups and one-stop restores exist.

Best■ Backups of all relevant data assets are done as often as possible with hardened corecomponents .

■ Backups are stored in a secure, immutable, and transportable format .
■ Restores can be performed without restoring the malware too .

Table 2. Backup and recovery maturity levels

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Spend your budget
wisely. You will needevery dollar for propercore backup andrecovery architecture
and operations. Only
pay for true backup withsecure restorability,and nothing else.

How Are Restore andRecovery Different?
Restore refers to theprocess of returninga saved data set toan accessible datastore. This should
be independent of
backup media or
platforms involved in
the backup process.
Recovery restores
lost data by following
processes up to thestage where it canbe used again in its
intended way—usuallyin its original state.
This is the moment
when data is placedback into applications,and they can startwith the given point
in time desired.

Follow Recovery Best Practices
Now with secure, reliable backups established, the last chapter will focus on the even more unpleasantpart: the recovery .
Imagine that everything is gone. Or even worse, you can’t trust critical parts of your infrastructure—yourdata integrity is compromised .
Should you restore your backup application from scratch or not? Keep in mind any virtualization layer you
rely on for core components, or any authentication tool required to log on again for restore operations .
Let’s assume your application is up and running, with recent backup catalog information providing accessto at least some backup copies . Any required de/encryption keys are available .
There will be high pressure to restore and recover as soon as possible while avoiding reinfection andselecting the most recent and correct backup .

Recovery Operations
When disaster strikes, you need to live with what you have and act fast. Regular testing should havevalidated the steps of restore and recovery . And thorough documentation should be on hand to guide
your team .
The recovery operations will most likely have to be performed with limited people resources . Even witheveryone on deck and external assistance, there will be many tasks to perform at once. With so manydecisions to make, you can’t afford unnecessary complexity.
Be sure to avoid:■ Multistep approaches that waste time and add dependencies .
■ Tools that require more components, more people skills, time, and money .
■ Search-and-guess approaches that risk resetting your progress.
CENTRAL CONSOLE

A central console offers all potential restore options—from storage hardware snapshots, recent primary
backup, replicas, and copies of backups to any older backup set that is available—along with proper
filtering and search options. The console should include detailed records on eventually vaulted and offsite-stored backups.

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Backup and Recovery Considerations in 2023

ENTERPRISE-LEVEL BACKUPAn enterprise backup and recovery software suite should provide a vast list of application backup andhypervisor integrations and comprehensive capabilities for understanding the applications, hypervisor
resources, clusters, and database setups. Enterprise-level software enables simplified restores when
every minute counts. It should offer down-to-the-second recovery by automated transaction log backup
and truncation, reducing the impact of the disaster to an absolute minimum. Ideally, application owners andbackup administrators can initiate such restores with proper guidance in the GUI so that no applicationspecific expert is required.
For critical data with a short RTO, it helps if the backup and recovery application supports hardware- orarray-snapshot-based restores for situations where these systems are not compromised and would allow
for reliable restore .
While it is useful to restore subsets of data only, the option to skip certain files has become an even more
important feature. By skipping objects on restore, you can massively reduce the risk of reinfection insteadof hoping for post-restore scanning processes, saving precious time and resources and improving RTO.
If you set RPO SLAs, restore operations will require backups to be performed on a schedule (the recovery
point being actively targeted) . The last thing you want is a bottleneck that causes delays and misses thetarget regularly, which then requires more resources .

Conclusion: Find True Backup and Recovery
If you search the word backup, you will come across many different ideas and solutions from vendors.
However, several of these tools don’t live up to the definition of true backup. And many will try and lockyou in .
If a backup and recovery product or service catches your eye, consider the following:■ How would it help and in what scenario?
■ Is there a way to achieve similar or better results without vendor or solution lock-in?
■ Are any of the features too good to be true?
■ Will it cause more problems than it’s worth?

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If you search the word
backup, you will comeacross many different
ideas and solutions
from vendors. However,
several of these tools
don’t live up to thedefinition of true backup.
And many will try andlock you in.

To conclude, we leave you with a list of questions based on these guidelines:
If you need to improveyour backup andrecovery approach,please contact us.
We will help you
evolve with as little
overhead work as
possible when elevating
your data security
to the next level.

■ Are the backups stored securely, or are they at risk on mounted volumes?
■ Is the backup stored in a protected format so that it can’t be read or manipulated by someone

unauthorized?
■ Does your backup and recovery solution consume lots of disk and compute power beyond today’s

requirements?
■ Do restore plans exist? Are they tested and revised regularly?
■ Is restore panic-mode ready?

If you need to improve your backup and recovery approach, please contact us. We will help you evolve withas little overhead work as possible when elevating your data security to the next level .

Appendix A: Backup and Recovery Scorecards
Backup Maturity Levels
Organization:
Data protection regulations apply: yes/no
Estimated volume of data to be protected: TB on premise / . . TB at service provider /  . .TB in cloud
Which backup and recovery tools are in use:
What further tools are in use for imaging, disaster recovery:
Backup and Recovery
Maturity Level

Description

Worst■ Backup and recovery are left to third parties .
■ There is no true backup, only mirroring, data copies, and replications .
■ An island approach to data protection introduces vulnerabilities .
■ The backup tool runs on the Windows platform, which is the primary target for hackers andransomware gangs

Baseline■ Business-critical data is regularly backed up.
■ Testing ensures the RTO and RPO of the restore.
■ Backup copies exist in two or more locations, with at least one backup copy being offline.

Better■ One set of backups is stored in a disaster-proof environment yet is accessible by experts.
■ There are secure communications and a trusted relationship between critical employees

and all backup infrastructure components .

■ Full backups and one-stop restores exist.

Best■ Backups of all relevant data assets are done as often as possible with hardened corecomponents .

■ Backups are stored in a secure, immutable, and transportable format .
■ Restores can be performed without restoring the malware too .

Table 3. Selecting the backup target architecture

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Appendix B: True Backup at a Glance
True Backup
The word backup can mean different things to different people—and vendors. But a true backup must:■ Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule
■ Obey the policy for different media in two categories:– Logical: Use of backup software with its own transportable, uncompromisable data format– Physical: Backup to dissimilar media—for instance, tape or to the cloud.
■ Ensure that copies are distributed across at least two secure, separate locations . Storing tapes

externally is also an option .
Snapshots don’t count!
Neither do data copy and snapshot copy management tools!
Be wary of tools that:
1. create data copies that stay on mounted disk volumes and2. store data copies or snapshots without proper format change .

Any such approach cannot be considered a backup . Even if analysts endorse these tools, they don’t provide reliable restore options nor the required data integrity guarantee . They also can’t protect your datafrom being repurposed, stolen, or used against you .
Learn more at
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16

Be wary of tools that:
1. create data copies
that stay on mounted
disk volumes and2. store data copies orsnapshots without
proper format change.

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