Network-attached storage, or NAS, is the unsung saviour of many modern businesses. It’s used to centralise file storage, keep your team running smoothly, and support critical workflows. But all too often, companies fail to support this important storage system with comprehensive backups. Any additional copies that do exist are ad hoc, outdated, or dangerously incomplete.
It doesn’t matter how convenient or accessible your NAS storage is. Without backups, it is still a single point of failure with the power to shut down your entire business. Any glitch, error, attack, or outage could halt your operations and cause irreversible damage to your reputation.
The only way to prevent this is with a strong backup. But what does that mean? And how can you create backup NAS storage that will stand the test of time?
What is NAS Storage?
NAS is a dedicated file storage system that does not need to connect directly to an endpoint or physical device. Instead, it is accessed through your company network and stored in a centralised location. This allows multiple team members to work from the same files simultaneously, without needing to migrate workflows to the cloud. NAS is cost-effective, scalable, and easy to use.
But it is not invulnerable. A common mistake made by business leaders is confusing accessibility for resilience. The truth is that NAS systems are often easily compromised by:
- Ransomware attacks
- Misconfigurations
- Hardware failure
- Out-of-date NAS firmware
- Environmental damage
- Credential misuse and insider threats
Any one of these can temporarily or permanently erase the information stored on your NAS system, resulting in a host of negative consequences.
What Happens When NAS Storage is Compromised?
Regardless of whether it’s intentional or accidental, the end result is the same:
- Data Loss: When data storage is centralised to a single location, any loss can be disastrous. Thousands of critical files can be erased in one fell swoop, making important projects impossible to complete and potentially taking weeks to properly recover.
- Operational Disruption: While NAS storage enables more efficient work and smoother collaboration, it also puts you at risk of the exact opposite scenario. An outage or attack can render staff completely unable to complete tasks, resulting in hours of unplanned downtime.
- Compliance Issues: All data, regardless of storage location, is subject to increasingly strict protection laws. Failure to protect it properly may lead to audits, lawsuits, and heavy fines.
- Reputational Harm: A business that experiences chronic disruptions and cannot reliably fulfill its obligations will be seen less favourably by clients, partners, and stakeholders. Over time, this can damage your reputation and reduce profitability.
Unless you are following backup storage NAS best practices, any of these can become reality at a given moment.
Key Backup NAS Storage Best Practices for Businesses
Whether you use your NAS drive as a backup or your primary storage solution, you must follow these best practices to ensure business resilience:
Create a Backup Schedule
The most common backup mistake any organisation makes is inconsistency. Backups are sporadically created (often immediately after a frightening near-miss), but then not updated or tested correctly. By the time these backups are actually required, they’re often months or even years out-of-date and may as well be worthless.
It is essential that you implement policies outlining how often data should be backed up, and to which platforms. Ideally, this process should be automated entirely to prevent any mishaps. Humans ultimately will make mistakes, regardless of how often they are reminded not to, and automation reduces the likelihood of this occurring. If you must rely on manual backups, it’s crucial to set a daily schedule.
Choose the Right Destination
Where you backup data is just as important as how often. There are two paths, in this particular case: Either you are backing up data from your NAS storage onto a different platform, or you are copying it from your primary storage system onto your NAS drive. In other words, NAS is either the backup or the main storage, never both.
Using a NAS drive as your backup does hold some benefits. Namely, because it is already attached to your company network, it may be instantly accessible in the event of an emergency, similarly to the cloud. However, because NAS data is still stored on-site, this only applies in some cases. It is important to remember when using NAS as a backup that there are a number of incidents (such as cyber-attacks or natural disasters) which destroy these just as quickly as your main storage.
Because of this, you should use the same strategy employed when copying data off a NAS drive onto something else: always employ multiple backups at a given moment in time. Never assume that a single backup will protect your business. Maintain at least three copies of essential data at all times, and ensure that at least one of them is stored off-site. If you are using NAS as a backup, then it should only represent one of the three – not your entire strategy.
Implement Data Encryption and Security Measures
Realistically, your data is only as secure as its weakest link. This is particularly true of NAS drives which are on-site and connected to your network. Any attack that manages to breach your systems can easily access this crucial storage, along with any other backups attached to company networks.
After creating backups, your first act should be to encrypt them using AES-256 or higher. Keep backups segmented, so they can be easily disconnected from your network during an attack, and implement at least a basic level of malware protection. Additionally, keep a log of all access attempts and actions taken within your backups.
Finally, implement strong access controls and credential isolation. The fewer people who can reach your data backups, the safer they are. Credentials should never be shared between individuals or used across multiple accounts.
Test Backup Integrity and Recovery Procedures
A backup that hasn’t been tested doesn’t exist. You may have the illusion of protection, but there is no actual guarantee that your data is safe. If anything goes wrong during the transfer process, files stored within your backup could be incomplete or lost entirely.
Instead of assuming that your backups are functioning as intended, schedule periodic tests. During the testing process, verify that:
- All data is present
- Nothing has been corrupted or damaged
- Backups can be successfully restored using the planned process
If there are any issues, it is far better to discover them here. Take note of anything you find, and develop a plan to address it.
Leverage Veeam Backup NAS Storage
Veeam has become a popular choice for NAS data protection, and it’s not difficult to see why. This platform is known for strong security, high-speed incremental backups, and efficient compression that minimises impact on production systems. It also promises instant recovery and full immutability. These features make Veeam a valuable tool for businesses who want an easy cloud storage NAS backup solution.
However, care should be taken when using software platforms such as Veeam to backup NAS storage. While they contain many useful features, errors may still occur. These can prevent the recovery process from working as expected, potentially destroying your data. You can reduce the risk of this occurring by partnering with a backup expert who specialises in Veeam. They will be familiar with any potential issues you’re likely to encounter, and can help you prepare for them ahead of time.
Engage an Expert
Backup specialists can be useful for more than Veeam issues, and it’s always a good idea to keep one on-hand. They can help you:
- Create immutable copies of critical data
- Test backups to ensure that they can be restored
- Provide versioned restore points, in case you need to rollback
- Help you comply with data protection regulations
- Monitor and report on all backups
They will also assist with any unexpected challenges you might face along the way. For these reasons, you should consider working with a backup expert if you have the available resources to do so.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
NAS backups come with a variety of challenges, which can completely undermine even the best strategy when left unchecked. They can be mitigated, but only using the right approach. Some common examples include:
Backup Failures
The backup process can fail for many reasons, including permission errors, connectivity issues, random glitches, or insufficient space. Even if files appear to have transferred correctly, they may be corrupted or incomplete. Without careful oversight, this might go unnoticed until the backups are actually needed.
Solutions: Check backed up files regularly to ensure that all are present, accurate, and complete. Test the recovery process during normal circumstances, so that any issues are uncovered in a safe environment. The last thing you want is to discover during an emergency that months’ worth files cannot be restored, because they did not copy correctly.
Storage Limitations
Because NAS backups are stored on a physical device, they can run out of space. This is equally true of any data copied from NAS to a second physical location. Insufficient space can result in backup failures, and depending on the device used, you may not even be informed that this has occurred.
Solutions: Use at least one cloud storage NAS backup. These solutions allow you to purchase far more space for a much lower initial investment, making it harder to run out. It is also important to keep note of how much storage space your backups contain at a given moment, and compare this against your existing files. You should always have a little more backup space than the amount of data that currently exists.
Finally, implement retention policies. Data that you don’t actually need should always be deleted. This will save space, minimising storage costs and risk at the same time.
Human Error
Sometimes, your own staff can cause problems. Important files can be accidentally deleted, backups can be misconfigured, and disgruntled employees might intentionally act to damage stored data. Any of these can cause enormous problems.
Solutions: Apply role-based access controls (RBAC) to ensure that only authorised individuals can gain entry to backups. While anyone should be able to transfer data into a backup, not everyone needs to be able to access, delete, and restore them. Additionally, enable audit trails to monitor for unusual changes.
Cyber-Attacks
Modern threat actors are aware that businesses often use backups to circumvent them, and will go out of their way to search for them as a result. If backups are found, they can be under threat. This is of particularly high concern during ransomware attacks (which target data), and when using NAS backups that connect to the company network.
Solutions: Support your backups with strong security measures. Keep at least one copy of essential data separated from the company network at all times, as this will ensure that critical data remains accessible. Finally, develop an incident response plan. Explain how threats will be quarantined, when it is acceptable to restore from your backups, and how this process should take place.
Compliance Gaps
All data storage, including backups, must be compliant with relevant laws and industry standards. Some common examples include the Australian Privacy Principles and the General Data Protection Regulation (better known as the GDPR). In some cases, you may also be required to comply with frameworks such as the Essential Eight. Failure to obey these rules may lead to fines, audits, or even lawsuits.
Solutions: Document all backup processes for future reference. Perform regular audits to ensure your backups remain compliant, and make any required changes promptly. Strong data retention policies will also help, by limiting the amount of information at risk.
Solve NAS Backup Challenges With Ease
It can be tempting to treat NAS as set-and-forget storage, but this is a dangerous error. Strong backup practices are essential at all times to prevent data loss, compliance issues, reputational harm, and operational disruptions. Regardless of your business’ size, the basic principles remain the same: choose quality backup solutions, protect and test them, and never assume that things will just work out. These key strategies will help you build a more resilient business.
Nervous about backing up your data? Cybersecure is here to help. We tailor our solutions to your exact needs, keeping your data safe no matter what happens. Discover our expert NAS backup strategies today to learn more.
FAQs
What is the Best Way to Backup NAS Storage?
The best way to backup NAS storage is by using multiple methods at once. At least one of these should be cloud-based, for easy access and greater cost-efficiency. Tools such as Veeam can be useful here.
How Often Should We Backup NAS Data?
All data, including that stored in NAS systems, should be backed up according to your recovery point objective (RPO). In short, this reflects the amount of data your business can afford to lose. Generally, you should perform a backup at least once daily, but the exact frequency will depend on your needs.
How Do We Find the Best Cloud Storage for NAS Backup?
When choosing cloud storage for NAS backup, consider these key factors: immutability, security, accessibility, and ability to rollback if needed.
Is Veeam a Good Option for NAS Backup?
Veeam can be a good backup option for NAS storage, due to file-change tracking, policy-based retention, and high-speed recovery. However, it’s advisable to partner with an expert just in case anything goes wrong.