Perform data backup automatically

Automating data backups is critical for ensuring data safety and achieving target recovery time and point objectives. This approach eliminates human error and guarantees that backups are completed consistently, thereby safeguarding against data loss.

Best Practices

Automated Backup Configuration

• Utilize AWS Backup to define backup plans that automatically back up your data based on your RPO requirements.
• Incorporate lifecycle policies to transition older backups to lower-cost storage services like Amazon S3 Glacier.
• Implement versioning on Amazon S3 buckets for critical datasets to retain multiple copies across different periods.
• Schedule backups during off-peak hours to minimize impact on performance and costs.
• Regularly test your backup process to ensure that data can be restored quickly and completely in line with your RTO and RPO.

Questions to ask your team

• What automated backup solutions are currently in use?
• How frequently are backups scheduled based on your Recovery Point Objective (RPO)?
• Are there any critical datasets that require more frequent backups?
• Do you have monitoring and alerts in place to notify you of backup successes or failures?
• How do you handle backup verification to ensure data integrity?
• Are backups being stored in multiple locations to increase reliability?
• What is the process for restoring data from backups, and how often is it tested?

Who should be doing this?

Backup Administrator

• Configure and schedule automated backups based on RPO requirements.
• Monitor backup processes to ensure completion and success.
• Adjust backup frequency and retention policies based on data criticality.
• Perform regular tests of backup restorations to validate recovery capabilities.
• Document backup procedures and update them as requirements change.

System Architect

• Assess the criticality of datasets to define appropriate RPOs.
• Work with the Backup Administrator to design backup solutions that align with architectural best practices.
• Oversee the integration of backup solutions with applications and data storage.
• Support the ongoing evaluation of backup technologies and strategies.

Data Owner

• Define and communicate the importance of data to inform backup strategy.
• Review and approve backup schedules based on business needs and acceptable data loss levels.
• Provide input on changes in data that may affect backup frequency.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and organizational data management policies.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Automated Backup Policy Template: A standardized policy template outlining the requirements for automated data backups, including RTO and RPO commitments, and defining backup frequency and retention based on data criticality.
• Backup Automation Strategy Guide: A comprehensive guide detailing the steps and best practices for configuring automated backups for various AWS services, ensuring alignment with organizational RPO and RTO standards.
• Backup Schedule Dashboard: A visual dashboard representing the automated backup schedules for critical datasets, showcasing the frequency of backups and compliance with RPO objectives.
• Backup Recovery Plan: A detailed plan that outlines recovery procedures for data restoration from automated backups, including testing protocols to ensure RTO and RPO are met.
• Backup Compliance Checklist: A checklist that ensures all backup operations are compliant with company policies, focusing on automation settings, schedule adherence, and monitoring measures.

Cloud Services

AWS

• Amazon S3: Amazon S3 provides secure and durable storage for backups, allowing users to set lifecycle policies for automated backups based on RPO requirements.
• AWS Backup: AWS Backup automates and centrally manages backups across AWS services, with customizable schedules that meet RPO needs.
• Amazon RDS: Amazon RDS can automatically back up your databases, allowing you to restore to any point in time within a specified retention period.

Azure

• Azure Backup: Azure Backup provides simple and reliable backup of Azure resources, enabling automated backups with policies aligned to RPO.
• Azure Blob Storage: Azure Blob Storage can store backup data and offers lifecycle management features for automated back up of data.
• Azure SQL Database: Azure SQL Database provides automated backups that ensure your data can be restored in line with your RPO.

Google Cloud Platform

• Google Cloud Storage: Google Cloud Storage offers durable and highly available storage solutions for backups with features for lifecycle management.
• Google Cloud Backup and DR: Google Cloud Backup and DR automates backups for your applications across Google Cloud services, helping you manage RPO effectively.
• Cloud SQL: Cloud SQL provides automated backups that allow you to restore databases quickly to a specific point in time, supporting RPO requirements.

Question: How do you back up data?
Pillar: Reliability (Code: REL)