Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/4636
www.iltanet.org Infrastructure Technologies 41 sites that enable almost instantaneous recovery after a disaster. However, such solutions are costly and thus impractical for many businesses. The cloud- and-virtualization technology is leveling the playing field, making disaster recovery services that protect both systems and data a viable and affordable option for law firms of all sizes. When internal resources or expertise are limited, using a cloud-based, online service is a cost-effective approach requiring no expenditure on infrastructure. • Ensure End-to-End Security Check to see if the solution supports payload encryption, which prevents unauthorized individuals from accessing the data in storage, and over-the-wire encryption if you use the Internet to transmit your data to storage. • Employ Fully Integrated Data Reduction and Data Deduplication Technologies Select a vendor that deduplicates data at the source by only sending changes within a file to storage. In addition, look for vendors that allow you to deduplicate redundant blocks of data. • Support 24/7 Operations Check to see if the backup solution provides scheduled bandwidth throttling and hot backups to ensure that backups do not interfere with day-to-day firm operations. • Provide Multiple Options for Recovery Make sure that your site, systems and data are easy to restore. Disk-based backups eliminate the hassles of locating the correct backup tape, loading it and then finding the appropriate backup set. A disk-based backup vendor should allow you to select the backup set you need and have technology to rebuild your restores quickly without having to perform multiple restores from incremental backups. You should be able to easily recover an entire system and not just the data by selecting a solution that provides bare- metal restore to a new system or a virtual one. That gives you flexibility to resume operations if the hardware is completely unrecoverable. Your solution should address site recovery by saving or replicating backup data to a third-party service provider. Select a solution that allows you to recover your key systems from your backup data and leverage its data center so you can resume operations if your main site is unavailable. • Insist on the Ability to Support Heterogeneous Platforms Make sure you find one solution that supports all the various platforms and applications in your physical and virtual environment. • Think Globally, Act Locally Select a vendor that provides the best of both worlds: integrated system and data protection with LAN-speed backups and restores as well as offsite cloud-based storage and services for disaster recovery. Establish both system and data protection at remote offices in addition to utilizing offsite, centralized cloud-based storage and services for disaster recovery. Following these best practices will save your firm time, and provide partners, attorneys, support staff and clients with peace of mind by knowing that the entire firm's systems and data are protected. ILTA