A well-planned Salesforce data recovery plan gives organizations the tools and guidance they need to quickly return to operations after a data outage and avoid costly downtime.
Why It Matters: There are far too many potential sources of data loss to completely guard against all of them. Those who fail to plan for worst-case scenarios are setting themselves up for loss of consumer trust, compliance failures, and massive amounts of lost money.
- In 2024, the average cost of a single minute of operational downtime reached $9,000.
- In 2024, 30.2% of businesses experienced data loss, up from 17.2% in 2023.
Here are six things you can do to optimize your Salesforce Data Recovery Plan:
1. Define RPO and RTO Requirements
You need to know what you hope to accomplish if you want to achieve consistent, optimal results. When it comes to Salesforce data recovery, recovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO) are the metrics that need to be defined.
Define your recovery goals in terms of how much data you are willing to lose and how quickly you need to return to operations.
These goals will determine how frequently you need to take backup snapshots as well as the breadth of these snapshots.
2. Archive Unused Data
Your Salesforce environment is likely your largest container of data. And when it comes to backing up (and recovering) this data, a large amount of data makes this process more costly, time consuming, and difficult.
Move unused but essential data off your Salesforce platform and into third-party storage to minimize the scope of backup snapshots and recovery needs.
Archiving data ensures this data is still on-hand should you need it while reducing storage costs. It also reduces the strain on Salesforce data recovery tools and enables streamlined backup processes.
3. Schedule Automated Backup Snapshots
The best way to have a smooth data recovery is to have a recent data backup to fall back upon. Recent datasets enable smooth recoveries because your team won’t need to scramble to figure out where they were at the time of the outdated snapshot.
Automate repeated backup snapshots that align with your RPO and RTO requirements to ensure your data is there when you need it.
Manual backups are prone to error. Team members get busy and forget. And when it comes to backing up critical system data, the possibility of making such an avoidable mistake is simply unacceptable for a Salesforce data recovery plan.
4. Simulate Recovery Scenarios
Every tool and process relating to Salesforce data security needs to be verified for accuracy and reliability. A Salesforce data recovery plan will help an organization reduce the financial hit of an outage while remaining compliant with data security regulations.
Run tests that simulate real-world scenarios to assess the efficacy of your Salesforce data recovery plan.
Issues found during these tests can be addressed and fixed so your system is ready to respond should a worst-case scenario occur.
5. Update Training
An optimized data recovery plan is one that is consistently revisited and updated to address emerging concerns. New tools, functionalities, and best practices are always emerging, which need to be communicated to team members.
Provide continuous training to Salesforce administrators and other relevant team members to ensure they are comfortable using data recovery tools and know the proper procedures to follow in case of a data loss event.
Updated training reduces confusion that can cause lag time when a quick response matters most.
6. Leverage a Complete DevSecOps Platform
A comprehensive data security strategy requires a holistic approach. Part of a successful data recovery plan is to build an infrastructure of security around your data to avoid data loss as much as possible.
A complete DevSecOps platform will help your team produce reliable and secure updates while also instituting multiple layers of protection around your Salesforce environment.
Static code analysis, CI/CD, automated testing, and other DevOps tools support a strong data backup and recovery strategy by strengthening your data governance measures across all aspects of your Salesforce environment.
Next Step…
An updated Salesforce data recovery plan will be a lifesaver in the event of an outage. But of course, it’s much better to avoid these circumstances altogether. A strong security strategy gives you the best chance of remaining secure and protecting your data from the start.
Check out our infographic, A Step-by-Step Guide to Salesforce Data Security, to learn how to put together a comprehensive Salesforce data security strategy.