The Real Cost of DevOps Backup Scripts

Backups can act as a safety net for DevOps. They help to keep important data safe and ensure smooth workflow and business resilience in the midst of a disaster.

However, which backup method is the most efficient one? There are different options for backing up your DevOps stack which range from basic scripts put together by internal IT teams to advanced solutions provided by professional backup vendors. 

Why are backups important in DevOps?

Imagine that your critical data (e.g. code repositories, configurations, and deployment pipelines) became corrupted or inaccessible. If your data wasn’t backed up, the consequences could include disrupted operations, missed deadlines, damaged reputations, and financial losses. 

Thus, among the reasons to back up your DevOps data, we can name:

• the possibility of eliminating data loss due to ransomware attacks, accidental deletion, etc.
• the option to ensure business continuity in any event of failure, like a service outage, infrastructure downtime, etc.
• the necessity to meet strict security and compliance requirements and legislations, like SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIS 2, NIST, the EU Cyberresilence Act, and others, 
• the assurance in meeting the shared responsibility models that every service provider operates with; to make a long story short – a service provider is responsible for its service and infrastructure and resilience, and a customer is responsible for the security and recoverability of his account data.

Risks of using backup scripts, are there any? 

Before starting to develop your backup strategy, it is worth analyzing all the possible options.

But first, let’s remember some numbers: 

• the global average cost of a data breach is $4.88M (according to the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024), 
• the average cost of downtime can reach as high as $9K per minute,
• and, what about failing to meet security standards? Here the fines may vary up to $14M.   

All of these means that our backup strategy should be secure and reliable. Moreover, it should ensure Disaster Recovery and guarantee fast restore of the critical business operations.  

Well, DIY backup scripts may first attract IT teams. They might find them simple and cost-effective, but is it so? Let’s have a closer look…

Constant updates & human intervention 

The maintenance of backup scripts requires time and effort from DevOps teams and pulls them and the resources away from their daily tasks and primary goals. In addition, the scripts aren’t automated and often require manual intervention to fix potential vulnerabilities, adjust setups, finish updates, and generally keep the script effective and up to date.

So, it is not only the amount of work that the team has to take care of (which will increase in a long-term perspective with the growth of data) but also the risk of potential data loss due to human intervention. 

Incomplete backups 

One of the weaknesses that stands out in terms of backup scripts is their tendency to make incomplete backups. Even though main data, such as source code and configurations, are captured, they frequently miss critical metadata which is a must for full recovery. For example, issues, pull requests, and records of collaboration that are necessary for understanding project context may be overlooked.

Thus, it can put at risk the integrity and utility of your backups, which makes them ineffective for complete recovery operations. 

Poor monitoring 

To quickly spot and fix any problems with your backup – if the copy was made successful or failed – you need to have some mechanisms that can help you with it.

When it comes to backup scripts, the monitoring rests fully on your IT team. They need to check those backup copies manually, perform test restores, etc. It may take a lot of time and attention from their side, as well as increase the occurrence of human error. Thus, if the copy is incomplete or corrupted, for example, it eliminates the possibility of restoring it, leading to data loss. 

Compliance risks 

Depending on the area your company operates in, you may need to meet different strict compliance requirements. The majority of them, require organizations to have backup, Disaster Recovery, or resilience mechanisms. Example? Here is a quote from the EU CRA, the legislation that is obligatory for digital organizations operating in the European Union region:

“On the basis of the cybersecurity risk assessment referred to in Article 13(2) and where applicable, products with digital elements shall: […]

(k) be designed, developed and produced to reduce the impact of an incident using appropriate exploitation mitigation mechanisms and techniques; […]

(h) protect the availability of essential and basic functions, also after an incident, including through resilience and mitigation measures against denial-of-service attacks;”

Source: the CRA’s Annexes

This “availability” “after an incident” requires assurance that critical data and business operations are restored fast. 

Unfortunately, backup scripts can fail, and the urgent writing of recovery scripts may leave the organization vulnerable to data loss or downtime, as they give no guarantee that data is recovered fully and fast. 

Actual cost of backup scripts

On average, DevOps may spend on backup processes 250+ hours a year. Then, you need a DevOps engineer, whose average salary may be $63 per hour in the USA. So, that equals around $ 15 750 a year for backup… And let’s not forget, on top of this, your team is spending time on backup instead of their core duties.

Thus, your DIY backup solution might cost:

Your DIY backup “solution” cost = $15 750 + backup maintenance manhour x manhours + alternative cost + cost of downtime (let’s take an average $9K/minute)

Are there any alternatives to backup scripts?

Surprisingly, backup scripts are a popular choice for DevOps, but they are by no means the only option available. Let’s explore some common alternatives along with their limitations:

Git clone 

Developers can use the Git clone command to copy a repository from one location to another. Although it can be used as a temporary solution to make a copy of your repo, it does not cover all data and shouldn’t be a substitute for backup!

Limitations:

• Even though Git clone replicates the code repository, it does not cover important metadata and configurations such as issues, pull requests, repository settings, webhooks, access controls, and collaboration records, like comments regarding code reviews etc. Without these crucial components, the backup could lose its context and elongate or even disrupt recovery or restore efforts. 
• In addition, Git clone requires manual execution, which makes this method unsuitable if you need regular and automated backups. DevOps teams have to remember that the command should be executed on a regular basis, which increases the risk of human error, oversight, and possible data loss. 

Third-party tools

Third-party backup vendors provide you with data protection solutions that significantly exceed the capabilities of backup scripts. Let’s show on the example of GitProtect backup and Disaster Recovery software for DevOps stack, how third-party backup tools can help organizations ensure data integrity, availability, and quick recovery in the event of failure.

Advantages of using third-party backup solutions

For starters, professional backup solutions provide automated backup processes and eliminates the need for manual, human intervention. Therefore, your DevOps teams can focus on their primary tasks (rather than maintaining, scheduling, or writing backup scripts). They also reduce the risk of human error, whilst guaranteeing data integrity, availability, and recoverability.

Restore and DR capabilities are included in professional backup services. It is crucial to have a disaster recovery strategy to be able to restore data fast should the disaster strike. Make sure that your backup and DR software ensures:

• granular restore of only selected data
• point-in-time restore from any moment you need
• cross-over restore (platform outage? No problem, just migrate your work to another git hosting service and continue working)
• full data restore (restore multiple repos at the same time for better time management and simplicity)

We’ve already mentioned that monitoring of backup performance is a must-have option. It helps to reduce vulnerabilities during the backup processes.

For example, GitProtect provides its users with a central management console. The backup tool’s dashboard shows summaries of tasks (if they were performed successfully, with errors, or failed), compliance-related information, SLA, and recent notifications – all of those can help you have a full picture of your backup processes and if there is a need to interfere fast. Moreover, with the backup solution, you can get Slack and email notifications that allow you to monitor backup procedures without leaving your infrastructure. 

Thus, your IT team responsible for performing backup can concentrate on their core duties, as if something goes wrong, they will be immediately notified.

Advanced security measures are another advantage of professional backup solutions. Make sure that the backup tool you use provides you with AES encryption, preferably with your own encryption key, ransomware protection mechanisms, long-term retention, the possibility to add multiple storage destinations (for fulfilling the 3-2-1 backup rule), and replication between them. 

Thus, backup software will help you ensure full DevOps data protection and recoverability, minimizing your IT team’s responsibilities for backups and allowing them to fully concentrate on their duties. Moreover, third-party backup tools will help you meet strict compliance protocols, as your backup, Disaster Recovery, and resilience procedures will be built within the security and backup best practices. 

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