Best Practices for Data Management
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Data Backup
and Recovery
Best Practices for
Data Management
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Executive Summary
Did you know the US government estimates that
25% of businesses will not survive a disaster?
1
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
The amount of information your organization has to manage is growing at an
incredible pace, creating new challenges every day. On the one hand, you’re
tempted to retain as much data as possible for fear of losing critical information.
On the other, there’s the danger of maintaining expired information, which opens
you up to operational and financial risks.
Data Recovery
Events
To uncover the unique challenges you’re facing, we surveyed organizations just like
yours. Our hope is that you’ll use this report to see how your data management
practices match up. As you read it, don’t be afraid to ask yourself if you’re happy
with where you are — or if you could be better in specific areas.
next steps
Survey responders reported both successes and struggles. In the following pages,
we look at responses to each question and discuss trends and best practices for
individual data management topics.
We hope you’ll find this report helpful in validating your own data backup and
recovery practices — as well as in finding areas for improvement.
The Benchmark
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Yours truly,
Blaine Rigler
key findings
— Data recovery, data availability
and disaster recovery are the
top three data management
challenges
— 33% are routinely missing
their data backup windows
— 48% store their backup data
onsite
— Only 17% have a formal,
company-wide retention and
destruction policy
— 45% successfully navigated
their most recent data
recovery event
Blaine Rigler
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Data Backup and Recovery
Iron Mountain Incorporated
1
“How The Cloud Changes Disaster Recovery,” Industry Perspectives, Data Center Knowledge, July 2011
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges
Data recovery, data availability and disaster recovery are the top challenges when it comes to the backup and recovery of data
within survey responders’ organizations. It’s fitting that these three came out on top, since they all revolve around being able to
access critical information when and where it’s needed. Whether it’s recovering a single file or getting an entire database back
online after an outage, it’s clear that organizations put great value on their data recovery and availability practices.
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges related to the backup and recovery of data within
your organization (1 = least important; 5 = most important).
2%
3%
2%
4%
12%
2%
2% 7%
14%
Data Recovery
Events
21%
49%
54%
Next Steps
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Process
26%
34%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Availability
1
2
3
4
5
Disaster Recovery
68%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Recovery
(continued)
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Retention and
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges (cont.)
The top three challenges also share a
relationship with data storage growth and
data retention policies and practices. “Data
growth and retention pains can complicate
data recovery, data availability and disaster
recovery practices,” says Chris Turnley, VP,
Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain.
“This could be why they were ranked a bit
lower, as businesses may be apt to focus
more on the ‘effects’ than the ’causes’.”
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges
related to the backup and recovery of data within your organization
(1 = least important; 5 = most important).
2%
6%
8%
20%
23%
13%
30%
Data Recovery
Events
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Data storage growth was not ranked as a
major challenge, perhaps because storage
is cheap and easy to implement as volume
increases. However, companies should
consider the impact of growth on the
performance of their backup and recovery
processes — they will likely see an inverse
relationship there.
29%
32%
37%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Storage Growth
1
2
3
4
5
Data Retention Policies
(continued)
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Executive
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Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
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Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges (cont.)
Information accessibility for litigation
affects organizations differently depending
on their size and structure. Large enterprises
with established legal and compliance
departments are more proactive about
litigation preparedness because they have
the resources and are likely more exposed
to litigation. “Even so,” says Turnley, “that
shouldn’t stop small and medium-sized
businesses (SMBs) from aligning their
retention and destruction policies with
established guidelines and regulations to
avoid risk.”
Finally, rapid growth of mailbox storage
was only a moderate concern for responders.
Companies that limit the size of employees’
mailboxes will likely not rank this challenge
as important. Others who allow employees
to keep everything forever, may rank mailbox
storage growth low on the IT priority list and
allocate little to no budget for it.
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges
related to the backup and recovery of data within your organization
(1 = least important; 5 = most important).
12%
13%
20%
12%
16%
20%
23%
24%
27%
33%
1
2
3
4
5
Information Accessibility for Litigation
1
2
3
4
5
Rapid Growth of Mailbox Storage
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Data management
Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Summary
At first glance, many responders seem to have a good handle on their backup
windows, with 28% able to complete all backups without issue and 39%
completing backups within their allotted windows most of the time.
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
So with data growing as it is, how can nearly 70% of responders be having such
success with their data backup windows?
1
2
3
4
Survey question: What kinds of challenges are you experiencing with your
data backup windows?
11%
Data Recovery
Events
We are able to complete our backups
within our allotted backup windows
most of the time.
39%
Next Steps
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Data Backup
Windows
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Analysis
22%
None. We can complete all backups
without a problem.
We are backing up inactive data that
should be archived or destroyed, and
that volume causes us to routinely
miss backup windows.
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28%
Our volume of active data has grown
to the point that we routinely miss
backup windows.
Highlights
—N
early 70% of responders are
having some success with their
data backup windows
— Incremental disk- and cloud-based
backups are lengthening backup
windows
—S
ome organizations sacrifice
system performance to meet
backup windows
—3
3% routinely miss their windows,
compromising their ability to
recover data when needed
—W
ith a strategic retention policy,
organizations can reduce the
amount of backup data
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
Report Survey
Process
Changes in technology and investments in cloud- and disk-based
backup solutions suggest that many organizations are trying to
get ahead of this problem. Whereas a few years ago, they may
have been doing full backups every night within extremely tight
windows, it’s possible that many are performing incremental disk
or cloud backups during the week and saving full tape backups
for the weekend — which would lengthen their windows and make
backups easier to complete.
Putting aside the 67% that reported success, that still
leaves 33% of responders who are routinely missing their
backup windows. In some cases, it could be the growth of
active data that presents a challenge, while in others, the
issue may revolve around backing up inactive data that
should be archived or destroyed. Whatever the cause, being
unable to regularly perform successful backups severely
compromises an organization’s ability to recover businesscritical data when needed.
According to Blaine Rigler, Iron Mountain’s Senior Vice President
and General Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, it’s also
possible that some of these companies have set low expectations
for themselves, and they’re basing their success on simply
meeting those expectations. For example, there may be 6 hours
during the week or 24 hours over the weekend when systems will
run slowly due to backup processes — it may not be optimal, but
it works for them.
Being unable to regularly
perform successful backups
severely compromises an
organization’s ability to recover
business-critical data when
needed.
“If a company has a 24-hour period when its systems are slow
during backups, then the problems haven’t gone away,” says
Rigler. “It has simply set a backup window it can meet and
managed expectations accordingly — but the process can clearly
be improved.”
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Recommendations
Organizations should think more strategically about their retention policies. By keeping only the information you need
and destroying what you don’t, the amount of data you have to back up shrinks and processes run more efficiently.
“When you have a retention strategy that balances the need for
readily accessible, legally required information against your own
resource and budget constraints, you’re able to reduce costs,
protect your organization from unnecessary legal risks and
increase overall confidence in your backup processes.”
— Blaine Rigler, Sr. VP, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
Next Steps
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Executive
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Windows
Storing and
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Backup Data
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
In regards to storing and securing backup data, responders were split evenly
between leveraging offsite services, such as cloud and tape, and keeping backup
data onsite.
Survey question: How do you currently store and secure your backup data?
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
4%
Onsite/on-premises utilizing
tape and/or disk offerings
20%
Data Recovery
Events
48%
Offsite using offline services
(e.g., tape vaulting)
Offsite utilizing cloud and/or
other online services
Next Steps
28%
Other
Highlights
—M
any organizations have concerns
about the security and scalability
of cloud backup
—4
8% store their backups onsite,
leaving them unprepared to
recover from disasters
—T
rigger events and regulations are
drivers to store tapes offsite with a
third party
—F
inding a partner you can trust is
key to successfully storing data
offsite
—T
he right partner can identify,
restore and deliver your
information when it’s needed
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
With all of the buzz lately around cloud computing and
outsourced services, 20% initially seems like a small number for
companies using that technology. With deeper analysis of the
statistics, we found that both companies with more than 1,000
employees and those with over 25 TB of data were less likely to
back up to the cloud. In addition, many companies, regardless
of size, still have concerns about the security, scalability and
throughput capabilities of cloud solutions.
On the other hand, companies in the 28% that use offsite, offline
services like tape vaulting, typically do so because they’ve gone
through a trigger event (e.g., outage, natural disaster, audit,
etc.) or they do business in a regulated industry (e.g., Finance,
Healthcare, etc.). “We also find that some companies move
their backups offsite with a third party because one of their IT
people did it at a previous job, and he or she now has a built-in
appreciation for the value of offsite tape vaulting,” says Sharpe.
Despite these concerns, organizations in that 20% likely have
peace of mind that, if a disaster event were to strike their
location, their backup data would be protected offsite — which
may not be the case for companies in the 48% that store their
backups onsite.
Some companies move their
backups offsite with a third
party because one of their IT
people did it in a past life, and
he or she now has a built-in
appreciation for the value of
offsite tape vaulting.
Next Steps
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According to John Sharpe, Iron Mountain’s Senior Product
Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, since it’s hard to show
immediate ROI when moving backups offsite with a third party,
many organizations choose to ignore this step in the backup
process — even if it creates exposure from a disaster recovery
perspective.
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Executive
Summary
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
Organizations of all sizes and in all industries should find a partner they can trust to secure their critical backup data
offsite and provide the auditable chain-of-custody, environmentally controlled facilities and accelerated recovery capabilities
they require.
“When you rely on a trusted partner for offsite backup, you
gain confidence that you can quickly and effectively recover
from any event, at any time, regardless of location. You can also
protect your information in transit and at rest and benefit from a
streamlined process for identifying, restoring and delivering the
information you need.”
— John Sharpe, Senior Product Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
The Benchmark
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Storing and
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
In regards to data retention and destruction procedures, responders ran the gamut
from keeping everything forever (25%) to following a formal, company-wide
retention and destruction policy (17%).
Survey question: How does your organization determine what data to save
and what to destroy?
We have a retention policy, and some
areas of our organization use it as a
guide for data storage and deletion.
13%
29%
16%
We keep everything forever; it’s just
easier.
We have a formal, company-wide
retention and destruction policy that
classifies data, considers regulatory
and organizational requirements and
is applied to all department/locations
in the organization.
Next Steps
17%
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Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Analysis
25%
We informally delete information
when someone determines we don’t
need it any longer.
If we run out of storage space,
we delete information without a
formal policy.
Highlights
—O
rganizations that keep data
forever may not be aware of their
legal exposures
—R
ecovery objectives are
jeopardized when you have to
search through all data to recover
—R
eactively deleting data due to
storage constraints has business
and legal consequences
—T
he 46% with retention policies
need to make sure they are applied
across all data formats
—C
ompanies should develop a
universal records retention and
destruction policy
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Organizations that keep everything forever may not be aware
that, in addition to increasing data storage requirements,
some of that information may create exposures from a legal
perspective. For example, if a litigation event occurs and all
information is discoverable, lawyers can access records that
may put such organizations at risk of penalties or fines — which
can be prevented if the records are disposed of according to
accepted retention and destruction regulations.
While organizations in the combined 46% that have either
a formal or informal retention policy are on the right track,
they should ask themselves if their policies are consistently
applied across all formats. For example, if they employ a backup
process that includes disk and tape, are records deleted from
both formats when their retention schedules expire? If it’s only
removed from one, that information is still discoverable, and the
same exposures discussed previously come into play.
“When companies keep everything forever, they not only open
themselves up to legal discovery risk, they also hurt their ability
to recover information when they need it,” says Turnley. “When
you’re trying to recover a piece of information, you should only
be searching through data you need to have, so you can more
successfully meet recovery time objectives (RTOs).”
Reactive deleting is often done
in haste and without careful
consideration.
Another group with legal and business exposure is the 13% that
reactively deletes information when they reach storage capacity.
These companies run the risk of prematurely removing data
before its retention schedule has expired — which has its own
set of legal consequences — as well as inadvertently deleting
information that is vital to business operations. After all, reactive
deleting is often done in haste and without careful consideration.
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
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Organizations should develop a universal records retention and destruction policy that is applied across all business
units and addresses all of its records, regardless of media, that are created or received by the organization in the conduct
of business. This retention schedule should be updated every 12 to 18 months to reflect changes in regulations, industry and
the business.
“With a universal records retention and destruction policy, you’ll
be better able to identify, classify and prioritize information,
regardless of format or location. And by distinguishing more
clearly between data that needs to remain secure and readily
accessible and data that can be stored in lower tiers or even
destroyed, you’ll speed up your backups and increase your ability
to respond quickly to information requests.”
— Chris Turnley, Vice President, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
While backup procedures and retention policies are important in and of themselves, it
is their roles as data recovery engines that make them indispensable to any business
continuity strategy.
Survey question: What major challenges did you encounter during the last data
recovery event at your organization?
Highlights
—4
5% reported smooth
sailing, but the types of
recovery events were likely
a factor
45%
—D
isk backup supports RTOs,
but it can absorb glitches
and viruses in real time
28%
Data Recovery
Events
—2
2% were only able to
achieve a partial recovery,
if at all
15%
7%
5%
Next Steps
None. It’s been smooth sailing.
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Analysis
We recovered the files we needed, but we didn’t
meet our recovery time objective (RTO) because
it took too long to recover the files.
We achieved only a partial data recovery
because some necessary files weren’t backed up.
Our attempt at data recovery
failed because our files were not
adequately backed up.
We didn’t meet our recovery point
objective (RPO) because our
backups weren’t completed within
their scheduled time frame.
—O
rganizations should
define a disaster recovery
plan and test that it works
—A
s data continues to grow,
your recovery strategy
takes on more importance
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
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According to Sharpe, it is encouraging that 45% of responders
reported smooth sailing, but further research is needed to
determine what types of recovery events these organizations
experienced.
“For example, if the event involved just a corrupted or deleted
file, they would likely be able to recover it without difficulty,”
he says. “However, an environmental or weather-related
disaster would necessitate a more complex and challenging
recovery process.”
When grouped together, an additional 22% of responders were
only able to achieve a partial recovery, if at all. Organizations in
this group should ask themselves if they have a defined data/
disaster recovery plan in place and, if so, have they ever tested
it to make sure it works. In other words, they should know their
capabilities before a data recovery event occurs, rather than
learn about them on the fly.
The downside of online disk
backup is that it can absorb
glitches and viruses from the
production environment in real
time, which puts the integrity of
the backups at risk.
In today’s world, being able to get back up and running quickly
or recover a file in minutes versus hours is the rule rather than
the exception, so it’s no surprise that the next biggest group
(28%) reported having a hard time meeting their RTOs. This is
an area where the type of backup media has a large impact, since
recovery from disk is traditionally speedier than from tape. The
downside of online disk backup, however, is that it can absorb
glitches and viruses from the production environment in real
time, which puts the integrity of the backups at risk.
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Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
Organizations should perform an assessment of their entire environment and develop a classification and retention
plan that matches their backup and recovery procedures with the needs of the business. And, once this step is completed,
they should also conduct tests to confirm they can meet all defined service level agreements (SLAs) and recovery objectives.
“The ability to recover information quickly — whether you are
recovering an individual file, a whole laptop or server or a whole
site due to an outage or disaster — is critical for the continuity of
your business. With data continuing to grow at a blistering pace
and IT environments becoming more and more complex, it’s
essential to get your recovery strategy right.“
— John Sharpe, Senior Product Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Next Steps
Measuring your company’s concerns and information management strategy
against those of your peers’ can shed light on how you plan and prioritize data
management initiatives today and in the future.
At Iron Mountain, we understand the importance of secure, scalable and costeffective management of your organization’s critical data. As a trusted partner,
we’ve helped over 140,000 organizations streamline their processes by providing:
3 Practical advice, best practices and advanced data management technologies
3 Security measures to safeguard tape and other media in transit and at rest
3 Solutions and services that help control the costs and risks of managing data
Next Steps
For more information about Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery solutions,
please visit www.ironmountain.com.
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
The Benchmark Report Survey Process
At the beginning of the benchmark process, we started with two simple questions: How are current data management programs
performing relative to best practices, and what are the implications for backup and recovery practices going forward?
In order to find out, we designed and executed a large-scale survey on the current state of data management. This study
encompasses the responses of over 1,200 participants in a variety of organizations with employee-size ranges of less than 250
to more than 20,000. And, every responder either had a hand in the day-to-day management of data or was influential in making
strategic data management decisions.
Survey question: Roles and Responsibilities
Data Recovery
Events
26%
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I am involved in the dayto-day management of my
organization’s data.
I am responsible for making all
strategic decisions regarding
data management, and I
oversee a team of people who
manage my organization’s data.
43%
31%
I have influence in the
decision-making process, and
I am responsible for the
day-to-day management of
my organization’s data.
(continued)
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
The Benchmark Report Survey Process (cont.)
The size of a company and the amount of data it has to back up are two factors that greatly impact the types of data management
practices it will employ. So to get an accurate picture of just what these impacts are, we surveyed small, medium and large
organizations in equal measure. In fact, companies with fewer than 250 employees accounted for 49% of responders, and those with
more than 250 represented 51%. As for the amount of data to be backed up, 5 TB represents the midpoint, with 48% of responders
backing up less than 5 TB and 52% needing to back up 6 TB or more.
Survey question: Number of Employees
Survey question: How much data do you need to back up?
49%
30%
Data Recovery
Events
24%
26%
18%
25%
Conclusion
14%
14%
26 TB to
100 TB
More than
100 TB
The Benchmark
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1 – 250
251 – 5,000
5,001 – 20,001+
Less than
1 TB
1 TB to
5 TB
6 TB to
25 TB
20
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ironmountain.com
About Iron Mountain. Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organizations
lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of
information assets, including backup and archival data, electronic records, document imaging, business records, secure shredding, and
more, for organizations around the world. Visit the company Web site at www.ironmountain.com for more information.
US-MV-BR-072911-001
© 2011 Iron Mountain Incorporated. All rights reserved. Iron Mountain and the design of the mountain are registered trademarks of Iron Mountain Incorporated
in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
and Recovery
Best Practices for
Data Management
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Executive Summary
Did you know the US government estimates that
25% of businesses will not survive a disaster?
1
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
The amount of information your organization has to manage is growing at an
incredible pace, creating new challenges every day. On the one hand, you’re
tempted to retain as much data as possible for fear of losing critical information.
On the other, there’s the danger of maintaining expired information, which opens
you up to operational and financial risks.
Data Recovery
Events
To uncover the unique challenges you’re facing, we surveyed organizations just like
yours. Our hope is that you’ll use this report to see how your data management
practices match up. As you read it, don’t be afraid to ask yourself if you’re happy
with where you are — or if you could be better in specific areas.
next steps
Survey responders reported both successes and struggles. In the following pages,
we look at responses to each question and discuss trends and best practices for
individual data management topics.
We hope you’ll find this report helpful in validating your own data backup and
recovery practices — as well as in finding areas for improvement.
The Benchmark
Report Survey
Process
Yours truly,
Blaine Rigler
key findings
— Data recovery, data availability
and disaster recovery are the
top three data management
challenges
— 33% are routinely missing
their data backup windows
— 48% store their backup data
onsite
— Only 17% have a formal,
company-wide retention and
destruction policy
— 45% successfully navigated
their most recent data
recovery event
Blaine Rigler
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Data Backup and Recovery
Iron Mountain Incorporated
1
“How The Cloud Changes Disaster Recovery,” Industry Perspectives, Data Center Knowledge, July 2011
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges
Data recovery, data availability and disaster recovery are the top challenges when it comes to the backup and recovery of data
within survey responders’ organizations. It’s fitting that these three came out on top, since they all revolve around being able to
access critical information when and where it’s needed. Whether it’s recovering a single file or getting an entire database back
online after an outage, it’s clear that organizations put great value on their data recovery and availability practices.
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges related to the backup and recovery of data within
your organization (1 = least important; 5 = most important).
2%
3%
2%
4%
12%
2%
2% 7%
14%
Data Recovery
Events
21%
49%
54%
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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26%
34%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Availability
1
2
3
4
5
Disaster Recovery
68%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Recovery
(continued)
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Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
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Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges (cont.)
The top three challenges also share a
relationship with data storage growth and
data retention policies and practices. “Data
growth and retention pains can complicate
data recovery, data availability and disaster
recovery practices,” says Chris Turnley, VP,
Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain.
“This could be why they were ranked a bit
lower, as businesses may be apt to focus
more on the ‘effects’ than the ’causes’.”
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges
related to the backup and recovery of data within your organization
(1 = least important; 5 = most important).
2%
6%
8%
20%
23%
13%
30%
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Process
Data storage growth was not ranked as a
major challenge, perhaps because storage
is cheap and easy to implement as volume
increases. However, companies should
consider the impact of growth on the
performance of their backup and recovery
processes — they will likely see an inverse
relationship there.
29%
32%
37%
1
2
3
4
5
Data Storage Growth
1
2
3
4
5
Data Retention Policies
(continued)
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Windows
Storing and
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Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Data Backup and Recovery Challenges (cont.)
Information accessibility for litigation
affects organizations differently depending
on their size and structure. Large enterprises
with established legal and compliance
departments are more proactive about
litigation preparedness because they have
the resources and are likely more exposed
to litigation. “Even so,” says Turnley, “that
shouldn’t stop small and medium-sized
businesses (SMBs) from aligning their
retention and destruction policies with
established guidelines and regulations to
avoid risk.”
Finally, rapid growth of mailbox storage
was only a moderate concern for responders.
Companies that limit the size of employees’
mailboxes will likely not rank this challenge
as important. Others who allow employees
to keep everything forever, may rank mailbox
storage growth low on the IT priority list and
allocate little to no budget for it.
Survey question: Please rank the importance of the following challenges
related to the backup and recovery of data within your organization
(1 = least important; 5 = most important).
12%
13%
20%
12%
16%
20%
23%
24%
27%
33%
1
2
3
4
5
Information Accessibility for Litigation
1
2
3
4
5
Rapid Growth of Mailbox Storage
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Summary
At first glance, many responders seem to have a good handle on their backup
windows, with 28% able to complete all backups without issue and 39%
completing backups within their allotted windows most of the time.
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
So with data growing as it is, how can nearly 70% of responders be having such
success with their data backup windows?
1
2
3
4
Survey question: What kinds of challenges are you experiencing with your
data backup windows?
11%
Data Recovery
Events
We are able to complete our backups
within our allotted backup windows
most of the time.
39%
Next Steps
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Data Backup
Windows
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Analysis
22%
None. We can complete all backups
without a problem.
We are backing up inactive data that
should be archived or destroyed, and
that volume causes us to routinely
miss backup windows.
The Benchmark
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28%
Our volume of active data has grown
to the point that we routinely miss
backup windows.
Highlights
—N
early 70% of responders are
having some success with their
data backup windows
— Incremental disk- and cloud-based
backups are lengthening backup
windows
—S
ome organizations sacrifice
system performance to meet
backup windows
—3
3% routinely miss their windows,
compromising their ability to
recover data when needed
—W
ith a strategic retention policy,
organizations can reduce the
amount of backup data
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Executive
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Data Backup
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Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
Report Survey
Process
Changes in technology and investments in cloud- and disk-based
backup solutions suggest that many organizations are trying to
get ahead of this problem. Whereas a few years ago, they may
have been doing full backups every night within extremely tight
windows, it’s possible that many are performing incremental disk
or cloud backups during the week and saving full tape backups
for the weekend — which would lengthen their windows and make
backups easier to complete.
Putting aside the 67% that reported success, that still
leaves 33% of responders who are routinely missing their
backup windows. In some cases, it could be the growth of
active data that presents a challenge, while in others, the
issue may revolve around backing up inactive data that
should be archived or destroyed. Whatever the cause, being
unable to regularly perform successful backups severely
compromises an organization’s ability to recover businesscritical data when needed.
According to Blaine Rigler, Iron Mountain’s Senior Vice President
and General Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, it’s also
possible that some of these companies have set low expectations
for themselves, and they’re basing their success on simply
meeting those expectations. For example, there may be 6 hours
during the week or 24 hours over the weekend when systems will
run slowly due to backup processes — it may not be optimal, but
it works for them.
Being unable to regularly
perform successful backups
severely compromises an
organization’s ability to recover
business-critical data when
needed.
“If a company has a 24-hour period when its systems are slow
during backups, then the problems haven’t gone away,” says
Rigler. “It has simply set a backup window it can meet and
managed expectations accordingly — but the process can clearly
be improved.”
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Executive
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Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
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Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Backup Windows
Recommendations
Organizations should think more strategically about their retention policies. By keeping only the information you need
and destroying what you don’t, the amount of data you have to back up shrinks and processes run more efficiently.
“When you have a retention strategy that balances the need for
readily accessible, legally required information against your own
resource and budget constraints, you’re able to reduce costs,
protect your organization from unnecessary legal risks and
increase overall confidence in your backup processes.”
— Blaine Rigler, Sr. VP, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Process
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Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
In regards to storing and securing backup data, responders were split evenly
between leveraging offsite services, such as cloud and tape, and keeping backup
data onsite.
Survey question: How do you currently store and secure your backup data?
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
4%
Onsite/on-premises utilizing
tape and/or disk offerings
20%
Data Recovery
Events
48%
Offsite using offline services
(e.g., tape vaulting)
Offsite utilizing cloud and/or
other online services
Next Steps
28%
Other
Highlights
—M
any organizations have concerns
about the security and scalability
of cloud backup
—4
8% store their backups onsite,
leaving them unprepared to
recover from disasters
—T
rigger events and regulations are
drivers to store tapes offsite with a
third party
—F
inding a partner you can trust is
key to successfully storing data
offsite
—T
he right partner can identify,
restore and deliver your
information when it’s needed
The Benchmark
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Executive
Summary
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Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
With all of the buzz lately around cloud computing and
outsourced services, 20% initially seems like a small number for
companies using that technology. With deeper analysis of the
statistics, we found that both companies with more than 1,000
employees and those with over 25 TB of data were less likely to
back up to the cloud. In addition, many companies, regardless
of size, still have concerns about the security, scalability and
throughput capabilities of cloud solutions.
On the other hand, companies in the 28% that use offsite, offline
services like tape vaulting, typically do so because they’ve gone
through a trigger event (e.g., outage, natural disaster, audit,
etc.) or they do business in a regulated industry (e.g., Finance,
Healthcare, etc.). “We also find that some companies move
their backups offsite with a third party because one of their IT
people did it at a previous job, and he or she now has a built-in
appreciation for the value of offsite tape vaulting,” says Sharpe.
Despite these concerns, organizations in that 20% likely have
peace of mind that, if a disaster event were to strike their
location, their backup data would be protected offsite — which
may not be the case for companies in the 48% that store their
backups onsite.
Some companies move their
backups offsite with a third
party because one of their IT
people did it in a past life, and
he or she now has a built-in
appreciation for the value of
offsite tape vaulting.
Next Steps
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According to John Sharpe, Iron Mountain’s Senior Product
Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, since it’s hard to show
immediate ROI when moving backups offsite with a third party,
many organizations choose to ignore this step in the backup
process — even if it creates exposure from a disaster recovery
perspective.
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Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Storing and Securing Backup Data
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
Organizations of all sizes and in all industries should find a partner they can trust to secure their critical backup data
offsite and provide the auditable chain-of-custody, environmentally controlled facilities and accelerated recovery capabilities
they require.
“When you rely on a trusted partner for offsite backup, you
gain confidence that you can quickly and effectively recover
from any event, at any time, regardless of location. You can also
protect your information in transit and at rest and benefit from a
streamlined process for identifying, restoring and delivering the
information you need.”
— John Sharpe, Senior Product Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
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Windows
Storing and
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
In regards to data retention and destruction procedures, responders ran the gamut
from keeping everything forever (25%) to following a formal, company-wide
retention and destruction policy (17%).
Survey question: How does your organization determine what data to save
and what to destroy?
We have a retention policy, and some
areas of our organization use it as a
guide for data storage and deletion.
13%
29%
16%
We keep everything forever; it’s just
easier.
We have a formal, company-wide
retention and destruction policy that
classifies data, considers regulatory
and organizational requirements and
is applied to all department/locations
in the organization.
Next Steps
17%
The Benchmark
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Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Analysis
25%
We informally delete information
when someone determines we don’t
need it any longer.
If we run out of storage space,
we delete information without a
formal policy.
Highlights
—O
rganizations that keep data
forever may not be aware of their
legal exposures
—R
ecovery objectives are
jeopardized when you have to
search through all data to recover
—R
eactively deleting data due to
storage constraints has business
and legal consequences
—T
he 46% with retention policies
need to make sure they are applied
across all data formats
—C
ompanies should develop a
universal records retention and
destruction policy
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Data Backup
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Organizations that keep everything forever may not be aware
that, in addition to increasing data storage requirements,
some of that information may create exposures from a legal
perspective. For example, if a litigation event occurs and all
information is discoverable, lawyers can access records that
may put such organizations at risk of penalties or fines — which
can be prevented if the records are disposed of according to
accepted retention and destruction regulations.
While organizations in the combined 46% that have either
a formal or informal retention policy are on the right track,
they should ask themselves if their policies are consistently
applied across all formats. For example, if they employ a backup
process that includes disk and tape, are records deleted from
both formats when their retention schedules expire? If it’s only
removed from one, that information is still discoverable, and the
same exposures discussed previously come into play.
“When companies keep everything forever, they not only open
themselves up to legal discovery risk, they also hurt their ability
to recover information when they need it,” says Turnley. “When
you’re trying to recover a piece of information, you should only
be searching through data you need to have, so you can more
successfully meet recovery time objectives (RTOs).”
Reactive deleting is often done
in haste and without careful
consideration.
Another group with legal and business exposure is the 13% that
reactively deletes information when they reach storage capacity.
These companies run the risk of prematurely removing data
before its retention schedule has expired — which has its own
set of legal consequences — as well as inadvertently deleting
information that is vital to business operations. After all, reactive
deleting is often done in haste and without careful consideration.
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Data Backup
Windows
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Retention and Destruction Policies
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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Process
Organizations should develop a universal records retention and destruction policy that is applied across all business
units and addresses all of its records, regardless of media, that are created or received by the organization in the conduct
of business. This retention schedule should be updated every 12 to 18 months to reflect changes in regulations, industry and
the business.
“With a universal records retention and destruction policy, you’ll
be better able to identify, classify and prioritize information,
regardless of format or location. And by distinguishing more
clearly between data that needs to remain secure and readily
accessible and data that can be stored in lower tiers or even
destroyed, you’ll speed up your backups and increase your ability
to respond quickly to information requests.”
— Chris Turnley, Vice President, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Summary
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
While backup procedures and retention policies are important in and of themselves, it
is their roles as data recovery engines that make them indispensable to any business
continuity strategy.
Survey question: What major challenges did you encounter during the last data
recovery event at your organization?
Highlights
—4
5% reported smooth
sailing, but the types of
recovery events were likely
a factor
45%
—D
isk backup supports RTOs,
but it can absorb glitches
and viruses in real time
28%
Data Recovery
Events
—2
2% were only able to
achieve a partial recovery,
if at all
15%
7%
5%
Next Steps
None. It’s been smooth sailing.
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Analysis
We recovered the files we needed, but we didn’t
meet our recovery time objective (RTO) because
it took too long to recover the files.
We achieved only a partial data recovery
because some necessary files weren’t backed up.
Our attempt at data recovery
failed because our files were not
adequately backed up.
We didn’t meet our recovery point
objective (RPO) because our
backups weren’t completed within
their scheduled time frame.
—O
rganizations should
define a disaster recovery
plan and test that it works
—A
s data continues to grow,
your recovery strategy
takes on more importance
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Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
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Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
Analysis
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
The Benchmark
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According to Sharpe, it is encouraging that 45% of responders
reported smooth sailing, but further research is needed to
determine what types of recovery events these organizations
experienced.
“For example, if the event involved just a corrupted or deleted
file, they would likely be able to recover it without difficulty,”
he says. “However, an environmental or weather-related
disaster would necessitate a more complex and challenging
recovery process.”
When grouped together, an additional 22% of responders were
only able to achieve a partial recovery, if at all. Organizations in
this group should ask themselves if they have a defined data/
disaster recovery plan in place and, if so, have they ever tested
it to make sure it works. In other words, they should know their
capabilities before a data recovery event occurs, rather than
learn about them on the fly.
The downside of online disk
backup is that it can absorb
glitches and viruses from the
production environment in real
time, which puts the integrity of
the backups at risk.
In today’s world, being able to get back up and running quickly
or recover a file in minutes versus hours is the rule rather than
the exception, so it’s no surprise that the next biggest group
(28%) reported having a hard time meeting their RTOs. This is
an area where the type of backup media has a large impact, since
recovery from disk is traditionally speedier than from tape. The
downside of online disk backup, however, is that it can absorb
glitches and viruses from the production environment in real
time, which puts the integrity of the backups at risk.
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Summary
Analysis
Recommendations
Data Recovery Events
Recommendations
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Next Steps
Organizations should perform an assessment of their entire environment and develop a classification and retention
plan that matches their backup and recovery procedures with the needs of the business. And, once this step is completed,
they should also conduct tests to confirm they can meet all defined service level agreements (SLAs) and recovery objectives.
“The ability to recover information quickly — whether you are
recovering an individual file, a whole laptop or server or a whole
site due to an outage or disaster — is critical for the continuity of
your business. With data continuing to grow at a blistering pace
and IT environments becoming more and more complex, it’s
essential to get your recovery strategy right.“
— John Sharpe, Senior Product Manager, Data Backup and Recovery, Iron Mountain
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Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
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Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Data Recovery
Events
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
Next Steps
Measuring your company’s concerns and information management strategy
against those of your peers’ can shed light on how you plan and prioritize data
management initiatives today and in the future.
At Iron Mountain, we understand the importance of secure, scalable and costeffective management of your organization’s critical data. As a trusted partner,
we’ve helped over 140,000 organizations streamline their processes by providing:
3 Practical advice, best practices and advanced data management technologies
3 Security measures to safeguard tape and other media in transit and at rest
3 Solutions and services that help control the costs and risks of managing data
Next Steps
For more information about Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery solutions,
please visit www.ironmountain.com.
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Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
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Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
The Benchmark Report Survey Process
At the beginning of the benchmark process, we started with two simple questions: How are current data management programs
performing relative to best practices, and what are the implications for backup and recovery practices going forward?
In order to find out, we designed and executed a large-scale survey on the current state of data management. This study
encompasses the responses of over 1,200 participants in a variety of organizations with employee-size ranges of less than 250
to more than 20,000. And, every responder either had a hand in the day-to-day management of data or was influential in making
strategic data management decisions.
Survey question: Roles and Responsibilities
Data Recovery
Events
26%
Next Steps
The Benchmark
Report Survey
Process
I am involved in the dayto-day management of my
organization’s data.
I am responsible for making all
strategic decisions regarding
data management, and I
oversee a team of people who
manage my organization’s data.
43%
31%
I have influence in the
decision-making process, and
I am responsible for the
day-to-day management of
my organization’s data.
(continued)
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Executive
Summary
Data Backup
and Recovery
Challenges
Data Backup
Windows
Storing and
Securing
Backup Data
Retention and
Destruction
Policies
Iron Mountain Data Backup and Recovery Benchmark Report
Best Practices for
Data management
The Benchmark Report Survey Process (cont.)
The size of a company and the amount of data it has to back up are two factors that greatly impact the types of data management
practices it will employ. So to get an accurate picture of just what these impacts are, we surveyed small, medium and large
organizations in equal measure. In fact, companies with fewer than 250 employees accounted for 49% of responders, and those with
more than 250 represented 51%. As for the amount of data to be backed up, 5 TB represents the midpoint, with 48% of responders
backing up less than 5 TB and 52% needing to back up 6 TB or more.
Survey question: Number of Employees
Survey question: How much data do you need to back up?
49%
30%
Data Recovery
Events
24%
26%
18%
25%
Conclusion
14%
14%
26 TB to
100 TB
More than
100 TB
The Benchmark
Report Survey
Process
1 – 250
251 – 5,000
5,001 – 20,001+
Less than
1 TB
1 TB to
5 TB
6 TB to
25 TB
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About Iron Mountain. Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information management services that help organizations
lower the costs, risks and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages billions of
information assets, including backup and archival data, electronic records, document imaging, business records, secure shredding, and
more, for organizations around the world. Visit the company Web site at www.ironmountain.com for more information.
US-MV-BR-072911-001
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in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
