3. The Importance of Backup & Disaster Recovery for Schools In its recent “ Technical Specification – Institutional Infrastructure ” document, Becta states: “ There are many reasons why data backup is a crucial requirement for every institution…. … Institutions depend on their computer systems more than ever…. … Loss of data is therefore more expensive than ever in terms of lost educational and administrative work and downtime. ”
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12. Becta’s Technical Specifications for School Backup Systems See 3.3.2-d. Users should only save work to local devices when that device is regularly synchronised or backed up via removable media. 3.3.2-e iStorPro backs up data held on laptops as well as data held centrally. This process is fully automated requiring no user input. Accordingly, schools do not need to educate individual users or buy removable media thereby saving valuable resources and money. The person responsible for back up shall be appropriately trained. Institutions should educate individual users on how to backup their own personal data that is not backed up centrally by the system. 3.3.2-d iStorPro is professional fully managed backup service – schools do not require any additional internal HR or technical support. The person responsible for back up shall be appropriately trained. 3.3.2-c
13. Becta’s Technical Specifications for School Backup Systems Users can restore any data at any time. Tests should be performed at regular intervals to verify that data can be recovered from the system backup media. 3.3.2-g iStorPro can be set on a daily basis. It then runs automatically without any user input necessary. User can log on and change settings at any time. System backup operations should be performed on a daily basis and should be transparent to users. 3.3.2-f
14. Becta’s Technical Specifications for School Backup Systems iStorPro backs up all of the data specified. It supports all systems including Microsoft, Apple, Linux, Novell, Solaris, Oracle, SAP whether held on a server or a laptop. It backs up data on an incremental basis (ie only data changes which have occurred since last backup) to save time and bandwith. Users can restore data from any of the previous 30 backups (eg. If data has been recently deleted or corrupted). Users can conduct a full system restore if required. Institutions should perform daily backups of new or changed data complemented by a full weekly backup of: - all institution administrative data, - all users' personal data stored in the network user folders, - all data stored in shared areas, - all changeable educational data stored on the network, - the mail server, or as a minimum, individual mailboxes, - operating system/system state data, - all activity and audit log files. 3.3.2-h
15. Becta’s Technical Specifications for School Backup Systems Yes A copy of all backup documentation should be kept off site. 3.3.2-j iStorPro avoids the need to removable media thereby reducing associated risks and the cost of purchasing and upgrading expensive hardware. iStorPro encrypts the backed up data and holds it securely offsite in state-of-the-art high security data centres Media containing daily backups should be stored in fireproof safes wherever possible, and full backups should be removed off site to a secure location for safekeeping. 3.3.2-i
Recent headlines concerning serious data loss and mishandling. NHS, RAF etc in last couple of weeks. Serious consequences under DPA. Government now responding with recent report on data handling procedures, and Becta has set out more specific guidance for schools The iStor service addresses all of these concerns and ensures school backup procedures comply with Data Protection Act, any relevant LA/LEA rules and Becta guidance
Accordingly it is vital that schools have a robust backup and disaster recovery strategy in place which can allow them to store and recover their data efficiently and securely at any time. This will keep school downtime to a minimum and avoid unnecessary disruption to administrators and teachers.
This is a list of threats to data set out by Becta in the same Technical Specifications document. All these scenarios could lead to a significant data loss for any school which could severely inhibit its ability to continue teaching. The threats are greater that ever before: floods (eg. Gloucestershire schools losing data as a result of 2007 floods), fires (according to Government statistics, over 1300 schools in the UK suffer fires which are large enough to be attended by the local fire service), theft (over 30 schools in Cheshire reported burglaries in the first 3 months of 2009), IT threats (software/system failure, malware, viruses etc), human error .
……… so schools need a robust and efficient backup system to keep their data secure…. … . Now I will give a brief outline of how iStorPro works….
Data Centres are located in Manchester and in South East to ensure disaster recovery.
At end of slide….So why is all of this so important…??? Now going to look at Becta’s requirements and how iStorPro meets and exceeds these requirements… … . And then the legal implications of an inadequate backup system.
… .Failure to implement an effective backup and disaster recovery strategy can result in damaging losses of data causing schools to waste time and resources as their staff have to redo all their work…. … . But there could also be severe legal consequences for schools which fail to backup their data securely….
We are now looking at how data protection laws apply to data backup and the implications of getting it wrong!!
Since November 2007, the ICO has dealt with more than 500 incidents involving local authorities and charities. In schools, Headteachers, Office Managers, IT Managers (and anyone else with responsibility for backup) could face sanctions. Schools and schools alone are responsible for their data…. As you can see, it also results in damaging PR/reputational damage for the organisation and individual.
An Enterprise Storage Group report cited a 60% failure rate for traditional tape media…. But many schools lack the time, expertise or inclination to test their backup systems. Other schools keep their backup tapes onsite – so if a school suffered a fire, flood or theft, all of their data would be lost. Once any file deletions/corruptions are backed up onto tape, there is no way of retrieving files as they were prior to deletion/corruption. Very likely that backup tapes and other media are in breach of Principle 7 because of the lack of protection/security/encryption. NB: some schools will have an offsite backup by the office manager putting the backup tape (unencrypted) in their bag and going home with it(!!) This is clearly inappropriate and almost certainly illegal and could attract criminal sanctions. … as in Leicestershire Nursery case.