Our Data – Importance of Fault Tolerance is found in computer environments that allow the systems to continue to operate in the event there is a failure. I like to think about the term even on the most basic level of our data usage.
Our Data – Importance of Fault Tolerance, to me, is not only having a system in place for just our computers but also for phones, stored data (local & cloud-based), business operations, SaaS services, and the like; it’s about having a procedure and policy to handle the disaster.
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I feel like it’s impossible to avoid and recover from every situation but 99% of the time it can be managed or avoided:
- Being proactive on keeping your system, policies, and procedures up-to-date
- Being reactive with the right tools, services, and expertise to get back up and running
The first in a growing list of proactive activities you should take to build a strong policy around handling your data and building fault tolerance should come from data backups.
Data backups, both local and to the cloud, should always be done in frequent intervals so there are fewer gaps between importance pieces of data. Personal information and security are other elements that should be provided by the service or device you choose to use.
Resource: Tips on How to Properly Manage and Store Data
Cyber security is the other fundamental in proactive activities due to it preventing the majority of would-be danger to your systems and data while also providing you with the knowledge on how to handle data corruption, breaches, and other malicious activities.
Cyber security is very broad and covers hundreds of different components but a focus on the basics such as using your firewall, creating policies to keep software and services patched and up-to-date, restriction to data based on permissions with accounts, and encryption, will have you more than prepared to take on malicious attacks and recover if they pass through.
Let’s now flip around and talk about the reactive actions you could take to manage your data and build fault tolerance into your system (and all other elements that are in play).
Data recovery can be a collection of tools & services used on your end, cloud-based, or handed off to those specialized in the services. Data recovery on a small scale can be done with a variety of tools, but when you’re talking business it’s best to go with professional data recovery due to the availability, expertise, certifications, and success rate.
Data from your computer systems are tightly synced to your phone and hard copy documents – sometimes you may forget this. One system fails and your apps may update across multiple devices and wipe out all access to your present (or past) work. This is the reason why we do backups but also why we need recovery services because a cyber attack (or physical damage) could have you scrambling to recover those all-important files.
Fault tolerance is, of course, on this list of being reactive because it’s much like a web of security; it accounts for all aspects of your data. Building a network and system with fault tolerance takes a little effort but is totally do-able by even the most casual of user – and this is based on policies and procedures.
With hardware and services in place for handling data backup, recovery, and security, it comes down to creating a habit and a set of checks-and-balances to ensure these items are being used. There should be a very intuitive, straight-forward procedure to it all which may look like:
- Remove any important personal information that’s not required
- Encrypt the data
- Backup data to local drives and secured cloud-based services
- Regularly check for software updates and changelogs
- Monitor data requests
- Pull data when needed and repeat the process
It may seem almost like paranoia but working with sensitive data is no laughing matter. Taking the precautions (and the few extra minutes to secure the data) will develop that fault tolerance.
In conclusion, we have to think about all the different points we use to access our data whether it’s our phones, computer workstations, SaaS, hard copy, and more. Proactive and reactive measures should always be in place to protect your data and keep it accessible. Fault tolerance is what I would suggest you strive to create – to create peace of mind that your data is always safe.
