In high-stakes business environments, data backup and recovery systems are indispensable. 

The increasing reliance on digital platforms has heightened the risks associated with data loss, making robust solutions essential for ensuring business continuity. Recent findings from IBM reveal that the global average cost of a data breach has climbed to $4.45 million, a 15% increase over the past three years. Adding to this urgency, a study shows that 93% of businesses experiencing significant data loss without a disaster recovery plan close their doors within a year.

In this landscape, virtual data rooms (VDRs) are becoming essential tools for managing sensitive documents and preventing risks like data corruption, human error, and large-scale disasters.

This article explores advanced backup and data recovery strategies along with best practices for utilizing VDRs to manage critical data effectively.

What are data backup and data recovery?

To start with, let’s explore what is the difference between recovery and backup.

Backup vs recovery

Data backup refers to the practice of creating backup copies of primary data, ensuring that stored data is restored after a data loss event. Backups protect against damaged or lost data caused by accidental deletion or database failure. Meanwhile, data recovery is the process of restoring archived redo logs, control files, or an entire database to operational use after an incident.

In VDRs, the combination of backup and recovery operations ensures that even during system failure, logical backups help restore data seamlessly. For example, incremental backups and differential backups minimize the required storage space while providing layers of protection against data loss events.

Manual vs. automated backups

  • Manual backups: These require users to perform backup tasks manually, which increases the likelihood of data lost due to oversight.
  • Automated backups: Automated systems perform backup processes without user intervention, creating a more reliable backup and recovery environment. This includes cloud backups, which provide additional protection by replicating stored data to offsite cloud storage.

Recovery solutions address a wide range of scenarios, including:

  • Human error: Mistaken deletions result in data files or even historical data being lost.
  • Cyberattacks: Ransomware attacks targeting organizational data can be mitigated with robust backup and recovery software.
  • System failures: Failures of the operating system or virtual machine disk require swift recovery operations to maintain business operations.

Project archiving as a data backup option

While backups and recovery systems focus on protecting active files and ensuring quick restoration, project archiving offers a complementary, long-term solution for managing completed projects within VDRs. 

As a practical application of backup and recovery functions, project archiving securely preserves finalized work, ensuring it remains accessible and protected even after the active lifecycle of the data concludes.

What is project archiving?

Project archiving in VDRs involves securely storing production data and finalized projects for long-term retention. Unlike routine backups, which focus on day-to-day recovery needs, archiving ensures that completed projects are preserved in a secure, dormant state. This method serves both as a specialized form of data backup and a safeguard for regulatory compliance, particularly in industries with stringent document retention requirements.

Project archiving acts as both a backup data method and a key component of disaster recovery plans. For industries with mandatory data retention policies, archiving ensures that data sources typically required for audits remain secure and accessible.

Benefits of project archiving

  1. Compliance: Archived data, including logical backups, ensures businesses meet legal obligations for stored data retention.
  2. Cost-efficiency: Leveraging cloud storage for archived projects optimizes storage space usage while minimizing operational expenses.
  3. Enhanced security: Archived database backups are often protected with restricted access, reducing exposure to data corruption.

Organizations using providers like Ideals benefit from integrated archived redo logs and recovery software, which simplify the retrieval of historical data and ensure that vital information is preserved for long-term needs. 

However, while project archiving is ideal for securely storing completed projects and retaining data for compliance, emergencies like natural disasters, large-scale database failures, or cyberattacks require a more immediate and comprehensive approach to safeguard ongoing operations. This is where disaster recovery functionality becomes crucial.

Disaster recovery functionality

As another essential security feature in VDRs, disaster recovery ensures that critical data can be quickly retrieved and systems restored, even in the most severe scenarios. Unlike standard backups or archiving, which focus on regular data preservation and long-term storage, this type of recovery is designed to maintain continuity and enable rapid recovery when disruptions strike.

The difference between backup and disaster recovery

Disaster recovery goes beyond simple restoration; it encompasses strategies and systems designed to maintain continuity and reduce downtime during crises. By integrating robust disaster recovery protocols, organizations can safeguard their essential data and prevent catastrophic losses that might otherwise derail their operations.

A key element in disaster recovery planning is defining recovery point objectives (RPO) — the maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. By establishing RPOs, businesses determine how frequently backups should occur and what data needs priority recovery to ensure minimal impact on operations.

Steps in disaster recovery

  1. Data replication: Continuous replication of backup data to offsite locations, including cloud backups, ensures redundancy.
  2. Failover systems: Automatic redirection to backup servers enables rapid recovery time objective (RTO) and minimizes downtime.
  3. Testing: Routine testing validates the recovery strategy, ensuring systems recover all the data as needed.
  4. Backup verification: Regularly verify that backups are complete, accessible, and not corrupted.
  5. Data encryption: Ensure all backup data is encrypted both in transit and at rest to prevent unauthorized access.
  6. Disaster recovery documentation: Maintain up-to-date recovery plans detailing roles, responsibilities, and recovery procedures.
  7. Staff training: Conduct regular training sessions for team members on disaster recovery protocols and their responsibilities during an emergency.

For example, by leveraging recovery point objectives, businesses can determine how much data to restore after a data disaster. Comprehensive backup and recovery protocols ensure that backup storage is utilized efficiently to recover from primary data or logical data failures.

The most secure virtual data rooms

The most secure VDRs incorporate advanced backup and recovery features to protect sensitive data and ensure business continuity. Key features related to these capabilities include:

  1. Real-time data backup: Continuous backup processes ensure that changes to files are saved in real time, minimizing the risk of data loss during unexpected events.
  2. Incremental backups: These backups save only changes to the data since the last backup, reducing storage requirements and enabling faster recovery times.
  3. Differential backups: This method stores all changes made since the last full backup, providing an additional recovery layer while maintaining manageable storage demands.
  4. Disaster recovery protocols: Comprehensive plans and protocols address large-scale disruptions, such as natural disasters or cyberattacks. These include automated failover systems and  RPOs to define acceptable data loss in terms of time.
  5. Project archiving: Archiving allows users to securely store completed projects and sensitive documents for long-term retention. This is particularly valuable for meeting regulatory and compliance requirements.
  6. Version control and restoration: Virtual data rooms with versioning capabilities allow users to restore previous file versions, offering additional flexibility in data recovery scenarios.
  7. Encrypted backup storage: Backups are stored in encrypted formats to prevent unauthorized access during recovery operations or while archived.
  8. Audit logs for recovery actions: Comprehensive logging of recovery-related actions provides transparency and accountability, ensuring that recovery operations meet compliance standards.

Leading providers

Selecting a virtual data room with robust security measures is crucial for safeguarding sensitive information. Leading providers like Ideals, Datasite, and Intralinks offer comprehensive security features, including advanced backup and recovery capabilities, to ensure data integrity and availability.

  • Ideals is recognized for its exceptional security protocols. The platform provides real-time data backup and recovery solutions, enabling swift restoration of documents in case of data loss or corruption. Security features such as built-in redaction, fence view, and remote shred functionalities protect sensitive information from unauthorized access. Ideals complies with global data privacy standards, including ISO 27001 and SOC 2, and adheres to regulations like HIPAA and GDPR, ensuring the highest levels of data protection.
  • Known for its archiving solutions, Datasite offers efficient storage space management with database backup features. The platform ensures data redundancy through continuous replication and secure backup storage, minimizing the risk of data loss. Advanced encryption protocols and granular access controls safeguard confidential information throughout transactions. Datasite’s commitment to security is demonstrated by its SOC 2 Type 2 certification, affirming adherence to stringent data security and privacy standards.
  • Intralinks provides a secure platform with comprehensive backup and recovery capabilities. The VDR offers real-time data backup to minimize downtime during data loss incidents. Intralinks employs advanced encryption standards, including FIPS 197 with multi-tier AES-256 key management, and features like dynamic watermarking to protect sensitive documents. Furthermore, the platform is the first VDR provider to achieve ISO 27701 certification, the highest global standard in data privacy, and also complies with ISO 27001 and GDPR, ensuring robust information security management.

When selecting a VDR, it’s essential to assess the provider’s backup and recovery capabilities, security features, and compliance with industry standards to ensure the utmost protection of sensitive data.

By choosing platforms with comprehensive recovery plans and backup solutions, organizations confidently protect critical data and maintain business continuity.

Conclusion

Virtual data rooms require robust data backup and recovery systems to safeguard sensitive information against significant data loss and ensure seamless business operations. Whether utilizing incremental backups for daily tasks or deploying disaster recovery backup systems for catastrophic events, these tools are indispensable for protecting organizational data.

For professionals managing high-stakes environments, selecting a VDR with proven backup processes, effective recovery solutions, and scalable cloud storage options is crucial to operational success.