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Why you should be using backup monitoring software
To protect data, creating backups is not enough anymore. Backup monitoring software can help make sure those backups are ready to use, compliant with regulations and meeting SLAs.
In today's data-driven world, an organization's data has become one of its most valuable assets. Data backups are no longer just an IT issue; they are a tool for protecting a critical asset.
Backups are not as simple and straightforward as they once were. Modern backup systems must protect data in a variety of environments, including on-premises, in the cloud and within various SaaS applications. Organizations must adopt a backup strategy that can protect data wherever it lives and does so in a way that adheres to both operational and regulatory requirements.
Given the complexity of modern backup, organizations are increasingly relying on backup monitoring software as a proactive risk management tool. This software enables organizations to spot issues and take corrective action before they affect backups.
Why backup monitoring matters
There are several reasons why backup monitoring is important for modern enterprises. For starters, monitoring ensures backups are available and reliable. Data backups are an organization's safety net when things go wrong. Backup monitoring software helps to make sure that this safety net is in place when needed.
Another reason why backup monitoring software is so useful is that it can reduce downtime. There are typically tremendous costs associated with IT outages, and so it is in an organization's best interest to prevent them whenever possible.
Many modern backup systems are designed so that if a mission-critical system fails, the workload can be temporarily hosted on the backup system while IT works to repair the issue that caused the failure. Backup monitoring helps make sure that these types of failover capabilities will work when needed.
Backup monitoring can also help an organization meet compliance requirements. Regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS not only require organizations to protect their data but also to demonstrate compliance with the data protection requirements. Backup monitoring software can simplify the process of demonstrating compliance to auditors.
Backup monitoring can help organizations meet service-level agreements (SLAs). Larger organizations are almost always subject to SLAs governing recovery objectives, including the recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO). These metrics indicate the frequency with which backups must be created and the time required to recover from a disaster, respectively. Backup monitoring software can help make sure that these requirements are being met.
Backup monitoring best practices
One of the most important steps an organization can take after adopting backup monitoring software is to define key metrics. These metrics should reflect conditions that directly affect business outcomes. For example, you might track backup success rate, RPO and RTO compliance, or system recovery time. By defining KPIs, you can objectively assess how well your backup infrastructure meets business objectives.
Another best practice is to regularly review and refine your monitoring configuration. Backup infrastructure evolves over time, and backup environments change as new workloads are introduced. Your organization's backup monitoring configuration must adapt to meet these changes.
Perhaps the most critical best practice is to frequently test backups. Although backup monitoring software can help to detect and correct issues and confirm that backups are running as intended, monitoring was never intended to act as a replacement for backup testing.
How to choose backup monitoring software
Backup monitoring software features tend to vary from one vendor's product to the next. At a bare minimum, backup monitoring software must be able to monitor all of your backup jobs, regardless of the software used and where the data lives. Additionally, look for centralized monitoring and reporting capabilities, automated alerts and API access, which can enable the software to integrate with custom workflows.
Brien Posey is a former 22-time Microsoft MVP and a commercial astronaut candidate. In his more than 30 years in IT, he has served as a lead network engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America.
