Business Backup
- Retail

The retail business poses significant general I.T. Challenges, particularly in sectors managing a large volume of low value transactions. Any issues with P.O.S. systems no matter the cause, will risk downtime and consequential loss of business. Indeed, point of sale difficulties result in a faster effect on bottom line than almost any other system. In some cases this can actually be visible as clients leave slow moving queues while tellers try to manage manually in the absence of required automation.

Another key challenge for I.T. In the retail environment is the lengthy opening hours. This leaves minimal (or non for a 24 hour outlet) total system availability for data backup, computer house keeping and system service.

It is common for P.O.S. systems to use SQL at back end level. The shear size of files coupled with ongoing activity result in a large data backup requirement and a very small daily backup time span.

Most online backup providers do not target the retail market because of the above complications. Many others will unwittingly offer trials to this sector literally in the hope that it will work out. When it doesn't, it may result in far more than some wasted effort. P.O.S. system networks should never be amended without a very specific plan and the involvement of the engineers who configured the network.

All this said, online backup for retail offers automation of a critical task in an environment which may not possess qualified technicians throughout all opening hours. The paradox of online backup for retail environments is that despite the challenges, when implemented correctly it offers greater security than any other system.

So, how do you identify an online backup provider as suitable for providing services to the retail environment? Here is a list of eleven items to watch out for when selecting an online backup provider for retail systems.

1. Verifiable retail client references.
   You need to absolutely avoid being in the vanguard here. Any proposed online backup provider should have existing retail client references.
2. Familiarity with your system.
   Ideally, your online backup provider should be familiar with the P.O.S. system you use and should have experience providing online backup elsewhere for this retail solution. If your solution is an unusual one and you can not find any provider with experience of it, then at the very minimum, the backup technician should speak to the engineers who installed your system prior to installing any backup software.
3. Prior discussion with on site support
   All interested parties, not just your retail solutions provider should be involved at the outset. New to the scene technicians can gain an important insight in to any areas of weakness or non uniformity by talking to general I.T. support. You could also save management and general I.T. support significant headache by allowing them to take part in the vetting process.
4. Early benchmarking.
   Your intended provider should be able to benchmark the viability of their service working on your system given variables such as broadband speeds and limits, size of backup, frequency of backup, type of files, opening hours etc. Keep in mind that the original backup window will be significant and subsequent backups should be far quicker.
5. Data type support on native software.
   If you use a retail system, it likely encompasses SQL. Some providers will not be able to support this. Others will advise that they are going to install an “SQL backup agent” or “SQL backup plug-in” to accommodate the service. This invariably means that the proposed software was not designed for your environment and you should decline.
6. Managed service
   All providers will offer some level of reporting ranging from a status email to detailed reports. The decision here is how far above this basic plateau you want to rise. It is advisable that you acquire online backup as a managed service where the provider monitors backup status and responds to irregularities. These watched for irregularities and provider committed responses should be listed to you in advance so you all parties are aware of their responsibilities.
7. Data outage support.
   On-line backup should be quite straightforward when set-up and functional. Do not underestimate the requirement for prompt support in a data outage situation. Data outages situations (even of the recoverable variety) are both costly and public in the retail environment. Ensure you acquire service level agreements from your provider in advance of signing for the service.
8. Ongoing non crisis support.
   As your retail solutions provider, on-site technicians and other interested parties make required amendments and upgrades to your system over time, the data areas, types and quantities for online backup will change. Ensure you are entitled to an element of non incident support from your data backup provider and that you can purchase same as required.
9. Monthly rolling contract.
   Your intended provider should know from the outset that your account will be profitable if it works effectively and non paying if non viable. Signing an annual contract is not conducive to detailed analysis and ongoing support if your provider is challenged by your network. Insistence on a no commitment free trial and monthly rolling contract post successful trial should dissuade unsuitable providers.
10. Annual online backup data audit.
    Regardless of the extent of the managed service, an online backup provider can at most see the following; when you connect, how long you are connected, the quantity (post compression) of data transferred and variances in all of the above. In house I.T. should be capable of making at least moderate amendments as necessary with provider support and the provider should audit your online backup with remote access or call out at least annually.
11. Compatibility with existing embedded backup systems.
    P.O.S. systems in the retail environment will commonly have their own built in local backup systems. These will typically run an automated backup to a local drive or a scheduled one after completion of end of day P.O.S. management. Ensure that your P.O.S. system and online backup system complement rather than compete in this area. If they complement each other, the results of the local backup should be backed up online on completion. Competing backup systems will make files unavailable to each other or worse still mark files as backed up so the latter system ignored them.

Conclusion
Retail environments, as with all business data environments have a pressing need for adequate data backup. In addition to this, retail environments suffer great and immediate effect from downtime even if no data is actually lost. Any addition to a retail environment needs to be planned and managed carefully with the best available industry partnerships. On-line backup is fast becoming the norm. Avoiding the addition of any industry wide fail safe mechanism (especially those pertaining to data backup) purely on the basis of concern over downtime will only allow a lack of confidence based on non online backup experience to prevent your business the critical benefits of said systems.

Talk to backupanytime in strict confidence and we will liaise with your in-house and external I.T. providers to assess the suitability or otherwise of your system to online backup.