Recently I have implemented another layer of protection for my clients websites, backing up everything with Amazon S3 Cloud storage. My hosting provider Namecheap has a 99.9% guaranteed uptime. The longest any of my websites has been down was roughly one hour over the past 5 years. In addition to this Namecheap has automated backups for all their customers data in nearly real-time. Although this is excellent I have to be prepared for the worst and can’t assume someone else will backup my customers data. In 2012 GoDaddy was attacked by hackers causing 52 million domains and 5 million websites to go down for over 12 hours. Fortunately GoDaddy was able to stop the attack and preserve their customers data, but it could have been much worse. To prevent loss of data I’ve implemented multiple layers of protection for all my clients websites.
Google Drive – First Layer of Protection
I have a Google Apps for Work account that gives me unlimited storage with Google Drive, which is another cloud backup platform. I use this to backup everything I have related to my clients websites, graphic design files, old website files, personal data and anything else they have ever sent me for their website. The problem is some websites are updated on a daily basis. Take an eCommerce website for example. They have orders, new products, price changes, and software updates constantly. This creates an issue if a website goes down and I don’t have a recent backup.
Server Backups – Second Layer of Protection
For quite a few years now I’ve been using a plugin for WordPress called UpDraftPlus. The great thing about UpDraftPlus is I can set automatic backups for my websites, as often as daily if needed. I used to store these files on the server I have with Namecheap. This allowed me to have a recent backup without having to lift a finger. For my static websites (not using a CMS platform like WordPress) I would manually backup the files using Google Drive. A potential issue could arise if Namecheap were to come under an attack, or somehow the files were compromised on the server. I could theoretically lose the website AND the backups. Not good. I needed a better solution.
Amazon S3 Cloud Storage – The Ultimate Layer of Protection
This is where Amazon S3 Cloud storage became essential. UpDraftPlus is able to automatically send backup files to my Amazon S3 Cloud server rather than saving them on my server. In a worst case scenario if all Namecheap servers went down for an extended period of time like GoDaddy did, I have everything ready to be transferred to another server immediately. Using two cloud backup solutions prepares me for that worst case scenario I discussed.
Is Your Website Safe, Secure and Backed Up?
I take pride in every website I develop or manage for my clients. My clients expect that their data is safe, secure and backed up. Some may call me paranoid, but I look at it more as prepared. My experience as a Firefighter and Paramedic has cemented this mentality. You should ask your web developer how often and where your files are backed up. Hopefully they’re prepared for the worst. If you need reliable hosting or a new website make sure to contact me today.
