Issues related to backup procedures – The case of Flaxman Law Group
Businesses store customer-related information in backup media, and sudden incidents such as loss of data or any disaster might create havoc in the daily operations of the firm. It might be concerning for the organization because customer-related data are secure only on backup systems.
The case study of the Flaxman Law Group can be considered. The law firm has been facing major challenges and issues related to its backup systems. Major concerns are related to disruptions in the daily operations of the firm. The law firm has been growing gradually, and requirements related to customer services have been undergoing significant change. It has been noted that the organization is supposed to implement advanced infrastructure because the original computer systems have become unreliable. It is clear that the IT environment of the firm is not stable. An assessment of the issues has been conducted, and it showed that three different types of backup systems were running in the organization (Connections.com, 2020). However, none of those were functioning appropriately. Along with that, the company faced hardware-related issues. Lastly, the company has been bearing thousands of dollars, custom-built laptops were not backing up the data appropriately. These backup related issues have become a real concern for the business.
Ways of securing backup media
Backup media can be secured by implementing certain processes in the organization. The survival strategies have been outlined below-
- Usage of encryption- It can be regarded as a powerful tool because information can be codified, and access would be given to authorized users only. It is advisable to encrypt information using the 256-bit AES (Chervenak, Vellanki & Kurmas, 1998). It is another way of packaging data backups. Keys should be protected, and in case of loss of keys, it would be impossible to gain access to data. Hackers can be defended by using the encryption method. Password protection is one of the vital components of the method.
- Regular testing- It is a powerful way of testing vulnerabilities in the computer systems. Testing means identifying the normality or abnormality of the systems. In any emergency scenario, it would be effective for the organization. Testing on a daily basis would also ensure business continuity. Consistency in testing is required, and the organization can also adjust its backup strategy after identifying system vulnerabilities.
Outline of off-site backup storage
Storage of information or backing up data on a remote server is regarded as an off-site backup. It can help resolve the backup issues that organizations face. It can be done in two ways. Tape backup or cloud backup are the two essential forms. In the case of cloud backup, one copy of the information or data is sent on an off-site server using the network system (Rahumed et al., 2011). The server is hosted by a third-party provider of cloud services. In the case of tape backup, a tape cartridge is used to store the copied data. The organization can choose to transport the cartridge to a remote location.