Backup and Archive Requirements Checklist

What needs to be backed up

Intellectual property
This is the information about a company's core competency. In the case of a biotech firm, it is access to data captured in a discovery process; for a market research firm, it is access to database records.

Customer data
Examples range from scanned copies of patient x-rays to market research information and records about the buying patterns of particular market segments. It can also include information that can be used to conduct identity theft, such as a customer's address, birth date, or identification number.

Operational data
This last category includes every other kind of data in the organization. It can include data about where organizations purchase supplies to build products to information about who is responsible for the delivery of products to customers. It includes payroll and accounting information and any other type of information that isn't intellectual property or the personal information of customers.

What needs to be archived

Backward compatibility
Because tape and optical drives typically can't read media that is more than a generation or two old, organizations must give some thought to the long-term recovery of data that is archived to tape. Data can be migrated to new tape or optical platforms, but migration can present validation and authentication issues in some regulated industries.

Media longevity
If data is to be maintained for a long time on tape or optical media, steps must be taken to ensure media integrity. This includes maintaining proper environmental control and refreshing volumes as needed.

Readability/usability of the data after a restore
The archived data must be "portable." The archived data cannot depend on an obsolete version of an application or operating platform in order to be restored.

Source: Backup & Recovery By W. Preston 2006