1. Information Technology
  2. Policies and Procedures
  3. Backup and Restore Policies

Backup and Restore Policies

Download the Backup and Restore policy or review the policy below.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this document is to describe the current data backup policy at the Graduate Center (GC/Fifth) and the ASRC (GC/ASRC) locations in the event of system failure, accidental deletion, corruption, or disaster. If such events occur, timely information restoration and business processes are required.

This policy applies to user data on production servers at GC/Fifth administered by Information Technology. This policy does not apply to user data on non-IT servers, desktop computers, or test/dev servers hosted by IT.

The retention periods of information contained within a system-level backup are designed for recoverability and provide a point-in-time snapshot of information as it existed during the period defined by the system backup policy.
 

Application Servers/Databases                                                    28 days

Windows File Shares/Other Data                                                 28 days                                                                             

Linux User files                                                                                30 days
 

Data Backup

  • Data stored in production MS/SQL Server databases (SharePoint, EventPro, Track-It! etc.) is continuously backed up at GC/Fifth and recoverable for 28 days at the GC.  These backups are copied offsite to GC/ASRC nightly and kept for seven days.  Also, S: drive and private folders on the file server and MS/SQL Server data are replicated throughout the day from GC/Fifth to GC/ASRC. Microsoft SQL server is backed up twice a day.
  • Windows Servers with frequently changing data are backed up daily at GC/Fifth, and these backups are retained for 28 days; these backups are copied offsite to GC/ASRC nightly and kept for seven days. This includes Departmental shares (S: drive, private folders, etc.). 
  • Windows Servers with “static” data are backed up weekly and retained for four weeks at the GC; weekly backups are copied offsite to GC/ASRC and kept for two weeks. Retention of offsite backup copies is constrained by limited backup capacity at GC/ASRC.
  • Transaction logs of production MS/SQL servers are backed up every 180 minutes and kept for 28 days.
  • Windows Servers (in DMZ): Daily if the data changes frequently or weekly if the data changes infrequently.

  • Linux servers with frequently changing data are backed up twice every night using different techniques at GC/Fifth, and these backups are retained for 28 days; these backups are copied offsite to GC/ASRC nightly and kept for seven days.

  • Linux servers with static data are backed up weekly using two different techniques at GC/Fifth, and these backups are retained for four weeks; these backups are copied offsite to GC/ASRC and kept for two weeks.
  • User files on Linux Servers are backed up daily and kept at the GC/Fifth for 30 days.
  • The telephone system configuration is backed up daily.
  • Backups of surveillance videos are not required.
     

Data Recovery:

  • Users may self-restore recent files (including prior versions) on department shares (Groupwork — S: drive) for up to one month and recover email in the deleted folder up to one week after deletion. IT can restore files, emails, and other data from backups within 28 days of deletion upon request.  Users can self-restore files from SharePoint for 30 days, and IT can restore SharePoint for 60 days upon request.
  • Backup of videos from Security video cameras is made and retained on a “best efforts” basis and is not copied to GC/ASRC. 
  • IT does not back up data on PC, MAC desktops, or GC-owned laptops with a GC property tag.  IT does not backup data in computers located in research labs.  IT does not back up any cloud-hosted data.