Learn about the tools you need to build a bulletproof, 3-2-1 backup solution.

Trying times and data recognition

While COVID-19 has had an undeniable impact on the global economy, it has especially affected small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The pandemic has led many SMBs to rethink the value of their data and look for opportunities to build more robust backup and recovery efforts in the future. A new Seagate research report¹ reveals 65% of SMB decision-makers polled across various countries globally are looking to efficient data management to aid their COVID-19 recovery.

Pre-pandemic, businesses often limited how they used data. They now recognise its value and see that during uncertainty their stored data will be crucial to future success.

Since the onset of the pandemic, 49% of SMB decision-makers say they have increased communications to staff around the importance of data storage, backup, and security, and have made it easier for employees to access data remotely.

Although most SMBs have been resilient during COVID when it comes to their data, they clearly see the importance of protecting it, and 50% have stated they plan to invest in data backup and recovery services in the future. And while no backup plan is perfect, a 3-2-1 backup strategy is a great investment. Keep 3 copies of important files, keep the files on at least 2 types of storage media, and store 1 copy off-site. QNAP's Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS 3) provides you all the tools you need to build your 3-2-1 backup strategy and recovery plan.

A flexible backup plan

HBS 3 allows you to back up data from a QNAP NAS to several local, remote, and cloud storage spaces, making it extremely flexible for all business sizes and letting you choose the best solution for each. HBS also allows for multi-version backups, so that businesses can easily track changes and revert to a previous version of a file if needed.

Restoring files with HBS either locally or from a remote NAS is easy, and you can restore from cloud storage in case of data loss. In return, this provides you with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan to immediately restore important files with minimum downtime.

Stay up to date with one - or two-way sync

Another great technology HBS allows for is one-way sync, which allows you to sync to your local NAS, external devices, cloud services, or remote servers using RTRR, Rsync, FTP, or CIFS/SMB. Two-way sync can also be used for files between your QNAP NAS and the remote NAS/cloud services you use.

QNAP and Seagate — combine your solution with a NAS drive with CMR technology and peace of mind

To get the best user experience in terms of reliability and peace of mind, we recommend you use purpose-built Seagate^® IronWolf^™ and IronWolf Pro NAS drives. With built-in CMR technology, IronWolf drives can handle the multiuser environment NAS boxes are usually placed in for SMBs. Even at home, CMR will come in handy in terms of performance, especially when there is high demand for data, such as for media streaming or editing high-resolution images on the NAS box.

The drives come with IronWolf Health Management, which is embedded into the QNAP software that allows prevention, intervention and recovery. This is all accessed through the QNAP QTS and is plug and play. To top it off, all IronWolf drives also come with 3-year data recovery services plan in case of any accidents, such as water and fire damage.

1 This research was commissioned by Seagate Technology and carried out by FleishmanHillard's TRUE Global Intelligence and online market research firm Dynata. Countries surveyed are USA, China, UK, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan.