With ServiceNow being so integral to everyday operations, it’s important that the data within your ServiceNow instance remains secure and protected. Whether it’s related to IT incidents, employee requests, customer cases, configuration items in your CMDB, or any other critical process, protecting your data is essential to avoiding business disruption and minimizing risk. And like with most SaaS platforms, the responsibility of protecting your ServiceNow data falls squarely on your shoulders.
While understanding your data protection responsibilities is step one, putting a plan in place to actually protect your data is another. So how do you select from the many backup options available?
Whether you are looking to switch providers or are exploring your options for the first time, there are several key considerations you should be aware of to help you choose the right solution.
Independent access to your backups
Just like you wouldn’t store your spare car keys in your glove compartment, accessing your data backups through the same platform where you store your primary data is NOT a best practice. In fact, it’s not even a real backup.
Look for a backup and recovery solution that stores your backups outside of ServiceNow so that your important data will still be available in the event of an outage.
Recovery capabilities
When considering a vendor, you need to make sure you’re getting both a backup AND recovery solution for your ServiceNow data. Having a way to back up your data is important, but the real challenge is the ability to restore the data back into ServiceNow exactly how and when you need to.
Some DIY backup methods are serviceable as backup tools but leave much to be desired when it comes to recovery. Even 3rd-party solutions differ considerably in terms of their restore capabilities. It’s important to look beyond backup when choosing a solution.
Compliance and retention
If you store customer data in ServiceNow, you can rest assured that ServiceNow is taking necessary measures to meet compliance regulations as it relates to its infrastructure. However, unless you take the appropriate steps, these measures often do not extend to any backups you maintain externally to the ServiceNow platform.
ServiceNow’s default retention period for backups is up to 14 days. This is suitable for many customers. However, if you need to retain data for longer due to compliance, regulatory, or even security reasons, you will need a solution that will allow you to access backup data for much longer.
What else should you consider?
These are just a glimpse into the things you should consider when choosing a backup and recovery solution. When it comes to something as important as protecting your company’s ServiceNow data, make sure you consider everything to help choose the right partner. For the complete list of factors to assess, check out Own’s comprehensive guide: The Buyers Guide For Backup and Recovery for ServiceNow.
