A managed backup service is one where a provider sets up your backups, monitors them, maintains the configuration as your environment changes, and helps you recover when you need data back. With DataYard’s READY service, that means your backup jobs are monitored for successful completion rather than left for your team to check, and recovery support comes from engineers who know your infrastructure.

The 3-2-1 backup strategy calls for three copies of important data, stored on two different types of physical media, with at least one copy kept offsite. The approach reduces the risk that a single infrastructure or location failure makes every copy of your data unavailable. READY can be configured to meet it when that fits your requirements, and whether it is the right structure depends on where your production data lives and how much separation your recovery plan calls for.

An immutable backup is a backup copy that cannot be modified or deleted for a defined period, either accidentally by a team member or intentionally by a bad actor. Immutable storage can provide additional protection against risks such as ransomware and compromised administrative credentials. Immutable backups are on by default for every DataYard READY customer, with seven days of nightly backups held in an immutable repository as the standard configuration and a window that can be adjusted to your requirements.

Backups help when the attacker cannot reach them. Copies held away from production, immutable retention, and separation between production and backup credentials all reduce the chance that an attack affects both your live data and your recovery copies. A clean, verified copy can give an organization a path back to operation without relying on the attacker releasing the data.

Physical servers, virtual machines, VMware, Hyper-V, Linux, SQL or other databases, cloud servers, and more.

When a file, folder, server, or full environment needs to come back, you request a restore and work with engineers who know the infrastructure behind your backups. Recovery support covers the data and environments DataYard protects, so you are not starting over with someone unfamiliar with your setup.

DataYard can protect data from servers at your location, within DataYard’s cloud environment, or at a third-party host. The right architecture depends on where your production data lives and how much separation your backup strategy requires.

Not necessarily. Offsite backups describe the physical separation of a backup copy from the primary location. Cloud backups describe storing backup data using cloud infrastructure. A cloud-based backup can satisfy the offsite component of a strategy when it provides appropriate separation from production.

Yes. DataYard operates a data center in Dayton, Ohio, and can protect data for equipment hosted there, at your own facility, or with a third-party provider. Where the production hardware sits does not have to determine where the backup copies live.

The 3-2-1 strategy recommends three total copies: the production copy plus two backups. The right number and type depend on your infrastructure, risk tolerance, retention requirements, and recovery objectives.

There is no single retention period that fits every organization. Retention should reflect business requirements, recovery needs, contractual obligations, and how far back you may reasonably need to recover.

No. Data backups create protected recovery copies of your data. Disaster recovery addresses the broader process of restoring applications, systems, infrastructure, and operations after an interruption. Backups are usually a component of a disaster recovery strategy.