Local Backup
Using Local Storage as a Backup Destination
Selecting the Most Cost-Effective NAS Backup Solution for MSPs and SMBs
Using Local Storage as a Backup Destination
Although we live in an era dominated by cloud technology, local storage remains crucial for data backup and recovery. This article aims to elucidate why local storage should be an integral component of your backup plan, highlight various local storage alternatives for backup purposes, and outline the best practices for backing up data to local storage.
Benefits of Utilizing Local Storage for Data Backup
In the present day, local storage may appear outdated. With the increasing migration of applications and workloads to the cloud in the past decade, it’s understandable to assume that the cloud is the sole storage destination required for backing up data.
However, that assumption is not entirely accurate. There are compelling reasons to incorporate local storage backup, including.
- Expensive: In specific scenarios, local storage can prove to be more cost-effective, particularly from the total cost of ownership (TCO) viewpoint. With cloud storage, you are required to pay continuously for data storage, whereas local storage involves primarily upfront capital expenses. After the initial setup, local storage can be utilized for an extended period while incurring only minor maintenance expenses.
- Access: Recovering data from local storage backup can often be faster compared to data backed up to the cloud. This is because you do not need to depend on the public Internet, which typically provides bandwidth rates of only around one gigabyte per second if you are lucky, to download the data. Instead, you can transfer the data through your local network or, even better, directly from storage media to your device. Local storage is particularly advantageous in meeting demanding RTO (Recovery Time Objective) requirements.
- Safety: While there are important security considerations to keep in mind for local storage, as we elaborate in the “best practices” section below, it is generally considered more secure than cloud storage in certain aspects. Local storage does not necessitate moving data into another party’s infrastructure, which minimizes exposure to the public Internet and possible security breaches.
- 3-2-1 backup: To comply with the best practice of a 3-2-1 backup strategy, it is advisable to maintain three separate copies of your data, with at least two copies stored on distinct media. Utilizing local storage as one of the storage locations can assist you in fulfilling this requirement.
It’s important to note that the advantages of local storage for backups do not necessarily make it superior to cloud-based storage. In most instances, utilizing both local and cloud-based storage concurrently is optimal for achieving the highest level of data availability. Therefore, it’s crucial not to perceive local storage versus cloud storage as a binary choice.
How to Implement Local Storage Infrastructure: A Guide for Businesses and IT Professionals
Multiple alternatives exist for constructing a local storage backup infrastructure. This section provides an outline of the primary methods, followed by a table that compares their advantages and disadvantages.
External Hard Drive
NAS devices provide a more advanced approach to building local backup infrastructure. With a NAS, you can configure multiple terabytes of storage in a single device that is connected to your local infrastructure through the network. It is also possible to set up different types of RAID arrays for data redundancy on a NAS. Although configuring a NAS requires some technical expertise and time, it is still easier than setting up a complete file server.
That being said, there are some drawbacks to using a NAS device for local storage backup. Firstly, they can be expensive, even more so than a self-configured file server. Additionally, NAS devices can limit your storage flexibility as you are typically restricted to the options supported by the vendor when expanding. Lastly, NAS typically runs on a proprietary operating system and has its own hardware, which some managed providers have found to be weak or bulky.
Network-Attached Storage (NAS) Device
A NAS provides an advanced method to establish a local backup system. By utilizing a network-connected device, you can easily configure a single storage device with a vast capacity of several terabytes. Additionally, various types of RAID configurations can be established on a NAS to ensure data redundancy. Despite requiring some level of proficiency and effort to set up, configuring a NAS is simpler than configuring a complete file server.
Conversely, a NAS device can be quite expensive, often exceeding the cost of a self-configured file server. Additionally, NAS devices may restrict your storage options to a certain extent, as you are usually limited to the expansion choices provided by the NAS vendor. Finally, a NAS is usually operated under a proprietary operating system and has its own hardware. This can be problematic for some managed service providers, who may find the hardware inadequate and the operating system cumbersome.
Server for Backup and Recovery
A third alternative is to construct a specialized server solely intended for file backup purposes.
There are two possible configurations for such a server. The first one is a replication server that holds pre-configured replicas of all production data and allows for an “automated failover” approach by instantly substituting your production devices in case of failure. This kind of server can be costly and challenging to install because it requires not only backup data but also all the application settings necessary to guarantee complete continuity in the event of a main server failure.
The second type of server is a basic file server that stores backup data. In the case of a disaster, the data would need to go through a recovery process before it can be utilized in production. However, this kind of server is less complex and less expensive to establish because its primary needs are only an operating system and storage infrastructure.
Creating a specialized backup server will grant you the most flexibility in configuring your local storage infrastructure. However, depending on the type of server you construct, it may demand substantial effort and maintenance to keep it operational.
The expense of constructing a dedicated backup server will also fluctuate. If you repurpose an old PC and use some low-cost hard disks to create a file server, the cost will be relatively low. However, if you require a high-end server and RAID arrays to attain data replication, the expenses can be quite significant.
Best Practices for Local Backup Infrastructure
Here, are some recommendations to maximize the efficiency of your local backup infrastructure.
Regular Testing of Recovery Procedures
This quote, often referred to as “Schrodinger’s Backup,” highlights the uncertainty of the backup’s reliability until an actual restoration attempt is made.
Just like with any backup infrastructure, it is crucial to periodically test your local storage to guarantee that it can satisfy your RTO and RPO recovery requirements in the event of a disaster. To ensure your local backup infrastructure functions correctly, we suggest following these best practices:
- Perform a trial restore of a file or directory from your local backups at least once a month.
- Trial complete restore of an entire system from your local infrastructure once every quarter.
- Conduct a complete failover of the entire data center once every six months. If your disaster recovery strategy involves restoring to virtual machines in the cloud, ensure that you also test this approach.
When conducting trial recoveries, ensure that you can restore data within your required RTO timeframe and that you have sufficiently recent backups to meet your RPO requirements.
Monitoring of Data Connections
Depending on the configuration of your local infrastructure, it may use network connections, disk connections, or a combination of both to connect to production systems. It is critical to monitor these connections to prevent backup failures caused by local network issues. Furthermore, you do not want to be unable to recover data after a disaster because of previously unknown networking problems.
Infrastructure Replacement Planning
Maintaining records of when you establish your local infrastructure is beneficial. This enables you to monitor the lifespan of disks, NAS devices, or backup servers, and replace them before they reach their end-of-life period. When setting up a local storage backup device, consider configuring an automated alert or calendar notification to remind you of its anticipated end-of-life, even if it is several years away.
Security for Local Storage Backup
Implement strong access controls: Limit access to your backup infrastructure to only those individuals who need it.
- Regardless of the type of storage infrastructure utilized, it is imperative to encrypt all data stored.
- To ensure the security of your backup infrastructure, it is recommended to establish an “air gap” between it and your production infrastructure. This can be achieved by removing any permanent network connections between them. In cases where network connectivity is required to perform backups, it is advisable to disable the connection once the backup process is completed.
- Restrict direct user access to backup infrastructure to ensure its security and integrity.
- Create backups in the cloud to maintain multiple copies of backup data.
MSP360 Managed Backup and the 3-2-1 Backup Strategy
MSP360 Managed Backup is compatible with various local storage backup devices and cloud infrastructure. It allows for configuring a backup routine that backs up all data to chosen storage locations, including local and cloud storage simultaneously. MSP360 also provides the flexibility to switch between backup infrastructures as necessary and enables easy file recovery testing to ensure backup data reliability during disaster scenarios.
Selecting a NAS Backup Solution for SMBs and MSPs
Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from Network-Attached Storage (NAS) as a practical and budget-friendly storage solution. With NAS devices, it becomes effortless to increase the storage capacity for workstations and servers while keeping the data within the company’s infrastructure and local network. Additionally, NAS devices often allow for straightforward setup of redundant storage through RAID arrays or comparable techniques.
Choosing the right NAS backup solution for small and medium-sized businesses can be challenging given the vast array of options available in the market. In this article, we aim to provide guidance based on feedback from our customers. Although MSP360 is not a NAS vendor, many of the managed services providers that use our data backup and restore solutions rely on NAS products.
To create this guide on NAS storage for small and medium-sized businesses, we have gathered feedback from our customers. The guide provides a step-by-step approach to help SMBs in selecting the most suitable NAS backup solution. If you are uncertain about whether you require a NAS device, but your client needs a local storage solution, you can refer to our guide on using Local Storage as a Backup Destination.
Fundamentals of Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
MSPs should evaluate NAS solutions based on storage capacity, performance, scalability, security, compatibility, and ease of management.
What is Network-Attached Storage (NAS)?
In addition to storage, NAS devices also allow for easy sharing of data across a network. Multiple users and devices can access the same files and data stored on the NAS, making it a convenient solution for collaborative work environments. Some NAS devices also offer remote access capabilities, allowing users to access files and data from outside the office, which can be particularly useful for remote workers or those who need to work on-the-go.
Reasons to Use Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
NAS devices serve two main purposes: data storage and expansion of storage space for businesses. With a NAS setup, additional storage capacity can be added to the existing infrastructure.
While expanding storage capacity is a significant benefit of NAS devices, it’s not the only reason to use them. Although an external hard drive with USB 3.0 may offer faster input/output operations, NAS devices can be accessed by multiple users over a local network, which is a crucial advantage in collaborative work environments.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often use NAS devices as local backup solutions. In this scenario, a NAS provides storage space for data backups and enables faster data reads and writes, resulting in quicker backup and restore processes.
Understanding NAS Bays
When choosing a NAS, the number of bays is a crucial factor to consider. More bays mean the ability to add more drives, resulting in increased storage capacity and flexibility in configuring the NAS. It’s important to note that not all NAS devices support expansion units, so it’s advisable to check before making a purchase.
Understanding RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
NAS devices are typically configured as RAID arrays, which replicate data across multiple disks.While there are various RAID techniques, RAID 1 is not recommended due to limited data redundancy. Instead, RAID 5, 6, or 10 configurations are better because they distribute data across multiple disks and can maintain data integrity even if multiple disks fail.
RAID is not a complete data backup strategy and should be used in combination with other measures. RAID arrays can still fail, especially if multiple disks fail simultaneously, or if the NAS is damaged due to a natural disaster. While a NAS with a RAID array can serve as one backup, it’s recommended to follow the 3-2-1 backup approach, which includes remote storage, for enhanced data protection.
RAID can be implemented through hardware or software. Certain NAS devices come with preinstalled software RAID systems.
Overview of Hard Drives
Consumer-grade drives are not recommended for use in a NAS due to their lack of support and higher failure rates. Instead, it’s better to use enterprise-grade hard drives. Backblaze’s hard drive reliability data can also help you determine which brands and models of hard drives are more reliable.
There are a lot of hard drive options on the market. One general guideline is to avoid using consumer-grade drives, as they lack good support and are prone to failing sooner. Instead, use enterprise-grade hard drives.
We also recommend referring to Backblaze’s hard drive reliability data for helping to determine which brands and models of hard drives deliver the best performance. But remember that there is only a margin of difference of around 10 percent in the failure rates of almost all hard drives, so your decision will also have to be based largely on which types of disks your NAS supports.
Checklist for Selecting a NAS Backup Solution
Consider both your current and future storage needs, and factor in growth projections for your business.
- Features and Specifications: When selecting a NAS vendor, it’s important to consider factors such as product quality, customer support, and software features. Both Synology and QNAP offer a wide range of devices with various features and capacities, so it’s important to carefully evaluate your specific needs and compare the available options from each vendor to find the best fit for your business.
- USB flash drives: In addition, you should consider your Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) requirements. RPO refers to how much data loss your business can tolerate, while RTO refers to how quickly you need to be able to recover your data in the event of a failure. More demanding RPO and RTO rates will require larger storage capacities and faster restore times, which may require additional drives in your NAS to achieve.
- UNRAID: To add to the above, RAID 5 offers a good balance between storage capacity, performance, and data protection, whereas RAID 6 offers an additional level of data redundancy with the ability to sustain the loss of two drives. However, RAID 6 comes at a cost of reduced write performance and increased storage overhead. Ultimately, the choice of RAID configuration will depend on your specific needs and budget.
- Synology DiskStation: In addition to storage and RAID considerations, there are other factors to keep in mind when selecting a specific NAS model. These include the number of expansion units supported, the type of processor and amount of RAM, and the availability of features such as built-in backup software, remote access, and integration with cloud services. Depending on your specific needs and use case, some of these features may be more or less important to you.
- Western Digital Red Pro: It’s also important to note that some NAS models require specific types of hard drives, so it’s important to check the compatibility list provided by the NAS manufacturer before making a purchase. Additionally, some NAS devices may have limitations on the maximum capacity of each drive that can be installed, so it’s important to consider this as well when selecting your drives.
Conclusion
When selecting a NAS device, it’s important to consider factors such as the number of drive bays, the RAID configuration options, expandability, and compatibility with various types of hard drives. Additionally, it’s important to consider your specific storage needs, such as the amount of storage space required and the level of data protection and performance required for your business. With careful consideration of these factors, you can choose the right NAS device to meet your business’s storage needs.