Parachutists come in different types. Some go to a parachuting school and land facing the wind on both feet. Others do the same thing, but their parachute is full of holes. Third ones jump without a parachute at all. What do they hope for? Probably that wings will grow on their back during the flight, or they will be caught by a dragon or a giant eagle.
Somehow, when it comes to website backup (which is like a parachute), website owners turn into those third types: their backup system either "exists somehow" or doesn't exist at all. Meanwhile, statistics are relentless: from 25 to 45% of companies close down after a large-scale data loss (cmitsolutions.com).
We will tell you how not to be left without a website, money, and prospects because of your own carelessness or lack of knowledge.
We believe that there are only two rules for backup: they are very simple.
Rule #1. The backup system should be multi-level.
Rule #2. The more complex the project, the more complex the backup system should be.
Often website owners limit themselves to creating only one backup, which is stored on the server, or rely on the hosting backup system.
Why is this not a good idea? Let's tell 3 stories from real life.
The first story, tragic
One of our clients - a construction company - lost the password to the email that was registered for the website and hosting. They created a new email, changed the address in the website settings, and forgot about the hosting until one day the website went down. They only noticed the problem a month later (why so late - another question). They started investigating and found out that reminders from the hosting to pay for their services were being sent to the old email. There was no response, so the website was turned off and deleted, along with the backups - as expected, after 30 days. There were no other backups, and the website could not be restored.
The second story, instructive
Once, a government contract was awarded to an online store that sells commercial equipment. The work was for half a year. They were so happy about it that they forgot about the website, and when the work on the tender was finished, they naturally wanted to resume work on the online store. And that's when they found out that the hosting was blocked, the website was deleted, and there was no backup. The website owners didn't have a backup either.
Fortunately, when the website was installed, our specialists set up backup to the 1C-Bitrix cloud and the support service archives. The installation report, which contained the license key and backup encryption password, was also saved. The website was restored, and the client started thinking about a multi-level backup system.
The third story, sad
In 2014, a well-known Russian data center experienced a failure. When the servers were brought back up, it turned out that the file storage along with the backup copies had disappeared into thin air. Complaining was pointless.
What saved them was the 1C-Bitrix cloud, where an outdated version of the database, developer files, and dev server code were stored. The site was assembled piece by piece, and in the end, it was restored within 2-3 days. During all this time, the online store, of course, was not working, losing profit and visitor loyalty.
The moral of all three stories is one: if you don't have the right backup system, sooner or later a catastrophe will happen. You'll be left without a website, your business will lose money and customers.
So what should your backup system be like? It depends on your project. At "Aspro," we usually provide the following recommendations.
If you have a corporate website
We use a two-level backup system: 2-3 backup copies are stored on the server, and another 2-3 are stored in the 1C-Bitrix cloud.
How often to back up: daily or every 2-3 days, depending on how often you update your site.
If you have an online store
You will need a more complex backup system and daily backups, including in the cloud.
Recommended steps:
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Set up standard daily backup using 1C-Bitrix tools and transfer the archive to the cloud.
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Set up backup using hosting platform tools to a separate storage (e.g. remote FTP server).
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Ensure daily transfer of backup copies to the enterprise's local network, private clouds, or own backup server. If necessary, a specialized company can help you create such a service. The main thing is that the data should physically be on your territory!
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Develop a recovery plan and instructions in case of an emergency. It is essential to test the functionality of this instruction monthly. To do this, simply recover a copy on a test platform.
For large projects
By "large," we mean online stores with 50-100 orders per day and turnover of more than 1 million rubles per month. The general rules are the same as for online stores in the previous section. However,
What is additionally required in this case:
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Version control system as an additional source of backup for the software code (protection against human errors and programmer mistakes).
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Distributed database server with instant replication.
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Ready backup server - either with the developer or at the customer's site. It will help to redirect traffic in an emergency situation and prevent the site from going down. We recommend using a fault-tolerant cluster.
Emergency kit
When a site goes down, the most important data for its recovery becomes inaccessible as well. To prepare for emergency situations, we recommend keeping login and password information for hosting and the site, the encryption key for the backup copy stored in the cloud, and the 1C-Bitrix key number on hand. Fill out and print this table, keep it in a safe place (or the opposite) - this will be your emergency kit for emergency situations.
Download the table in .docx or .pdf format.