The Importance of an Active Directory Backup Strategy to Prevent Disruption and Downtime

Your active directory is arguably the most important element of your network.

It can power a huge array of organizational operations, so it’s vitally important to your business. But, unfortunately, your active directory isn’t invincible.

The fact is, your network is vulnerable to multiple threats. Viruses, ransomware, and all manner of cybercriminal tactics can wreck your active directory. Once your data has gone, it can’t be retrieved.

Unless, of course, you’ve created an active directory backup. Today, we’ll discuss the importance of backing up your directory and why not doing so is dangerous.

Is it always necessary to back up your active directory?

You might think that you’ve other systems in place to keep your directory safe. For example, you might already have multiple domain controllers (DCs). But while there’s no denying that it’s advantageous to have multiple DCs, if one fails, you need to rely on backups.

DCs help reduce the risk of cyberattacks. But they don’t prevent them entirely. It only takes one skilled hacker to breach your network. Depending on the scale of damage, you may struggle to salvage your important resources.

Of course, backing up your data isn’t the only thing you should be doing to protect your data and a little research can go a long way. When choosing a password you should consider looking into what the National Institution for Standards in Technology (NIST) have to say on the matter. To learn more, see this article: NIST Password Guidelines from Auditboard to keep the hackers at bay.

And hackers aren’t the only danger to your active directory. Natural disasters can be equally damaging. Fires, floods, and other acts of god can’t be anticipated.

The only surefire way of mitigating these problems is to create an active directory backup.

What are the different types of active directory backups?

Before performing any backups, decide exactly what you want to back up. There are different backup options available, including:

Full server backup

This involves backing up everything on a server-the operating system, files, and applications. Having a full server backup is essential in the event of complete data loss. Of course, a full server backup also takes a long time to complete. It will probably also require lots of storage space.

You’ll be able to use this backup to restore the active directory on a separate physical server. This is true regardless of whether a server runs on different hardware.

System state backup

This form of backup focuses on backing up the most essential aspects of an active directory. This includes aspects like the raw database, group policy, and DNS information. This option is much less extensive. However, it’s also quicker and requires less space.

How to back up your active directory

If you haven’t already, now is a good time to back up your directory. There are multiple ways you can create a backup. Let’s explore one of the cheaper options.

This option involves using the Windows server backup. This is a feature that lets you carry out manual, automatic, and custom backups of your active directory. This process involves five simple steps:

1. Begin by installing the Windows server backup software. This can be found by accessing the server manager dashboard.
2. Once installed, open the Windows server backup program. Now, select “local backup” from the menu on the left of your screen.
3. The local backup wizard should now open, and then you’ll be given different options for backing up data. In this instance, we’ll choose the “full server” option.
4. Now, choose the destination for the backup. You can choose either a local drive or a remote shared folder.
5. You’ll now be shown a confirmation screen. If all the information is correct, you can continue.

And there you have it. You’ve created an active directory backup. There’s no reason to avoid this process. It’s quick and easy, and it will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.   

Active directory backup best practices

• Update regularly – backing up only once will provide little help. Your active directory will change over time. It’s important that backups reflect the most recent version of your server. Aim to create a backup every 60 days or less.
• Have granular options – you won’t always want to back up everything in your active directory. Ensure that you have granular options for when you want to back up specific files.
• Backup domain controllers – as mentioned previously, domain controllers are important for keeping your network safe. Ensuring that they’re backed up is important in the event of hardware or software failure.

Wrapping up

There are certain aspects of business that simply should be treated as common sense. For instance, if you’re setting up a website, you’d browse the best registrar for domain names.

Your URL is an integral part of your online discoverability. Backing up your active directory should be given the same level of importance. After all, it provides a variety of vital functions, ranging from allowing staff to log in to retrieving assets when developing monolithic applications.

Without your active directory, you’ve no way of retrieving important files on your network. Luckily, as explained here, backing up your directory can be simple. Just remember that you should bear some points in mind. Back up your server regularly and use various backup options. Also, remember to back up your domain controllers to ensure security.

By bearing these points in mind, you can keep your files safe. Why not begin exploring backup options today?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Baltes –  Marketing, OnlyDomains

Lisa is a part of the marketing team in OnlyDomains, an ICANN accredited registrar that provides top-of-the-line domain management solutions for business owners to establish their online presence with capabilities that lets them buy domain hk names for their site. She’s the definition of a jack of all trades. Lisa enjoys content writing, social media marketing and is always looking for opportunities to learn. Based in Sankt Ingbert, Germany she enjoys hiking in her free time. She has also written for other domains such as WebSitePulse. Here is her LinkedIn.