Module 1: Foundations of Data Protection and the 3-2-1 Rule

• Defining key terminology: RPO, RTO, RSL (Recovery Service Level)
• The fundamental 3-2-1 Backup Rule and its strategic implementation
• Identifying critical data, assessing risk, and classifying data tiers
• Calculating the true cost of downtime and data loss
• Creating and defining Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for data protection

Practical session: Calculating the maximum tolerable data loss (RPO) and downtime (RTO) for three different organizational data categories (e.g., transaction logs, email, historical reports).

Module 2: Backup Strategies and Implementation Methods

• Full, incremental, differential, and synthetic full backup methods: pros and cons
• Understanding Continuous Data Protection (CDP) vs. traditional backup scheduling
• Planning and managing backup windows to minimize operational impact
• Developing a robust backup rotation scheme (e.g., Grandfather-Father-Son - GFS)
• Snapshot technology for rapid virtual machine backup and recovery

Practical session: Designing a GFS backup rotation schedule for a critical database server and justifying the choice of incremental vs. differential backups.

Module 3: Storage Technologies for Backup and Recovery

• Comparing DAS, NAS, and SAN for backup targets
• Utilizing deduplication and compression technologies to optimize storage consumption
• Introduction to Tape Libraries and the role of physical media in long-term retention
• Understanding object storage (S3, Blob) and its benefits for cloud backups
• Choosing storage tiers based on access frequency and recovery speed requirements

Practical session: Analyzing a dataset of backup jobs to determine the optimal deduplication ratio and calculating potential storage cost savings.

Module 4: Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) and Business Continuity

• Components of a complete Disaster Recovery Plan document
• Conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to prioritize systems
• Defining the roles, responsibilities, and communication protocol during a disaster
• Comparing Cold, Warm, and Hot DR sites and their cost/benefit profiles
• Introduction to automated failover and failback processes

Practical session: Drafting the executive summary and activation procedures section of a Disaster Recovery Plan for a localized service outage.

Module 5: Data Recovery Procedures and Testing

• Performing file-level, application-aware, and bare-metal recoveries
• The importance of Verified Recovery and regularly testing backup integrity
• Planning and executing a full DR drill or simulation exercise
• Techniques for recovering from corrupted backups and malicious data deletion
• Documentation and reporting of recovery test results and lessons learned

Practical session: Simulating a full system recovery of a virtual machine from a known good backup, followed by testing the functionality of the restored application.

Module 6: Data Archiving, Retention, and Compliance

• Distinguishing between backup, vaulting, and archiving
• Establishing and managing data retention policies based on legal and regulatory needs
• Implementing Legal Hold procedures for e-discovery and investigations
• Choosing the right archival storage: low-cost cloud tiers (e.g., Glacier) vs. tape
• The process of secure data destruction and media sanitization

Practical session: Analyzing three common regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) and defining corresponding data retention periods and archival methods.

Module 7: Cloud-Based Backup and Recovery Solutions

• Strategies for migrating on-premise backups to the public cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Utilizing cloud-native backup services and comparing vendor offerings
• Understanding cloud replication and geo-redundancy for offsite protection
• Managing egress costs and network bandwidth for cloud backups and recoveries
• Implementing cross-region and cross-account data protection strategies

Practical session: Configuring a cloud storage bucket with lifecycle policies to automatically move backup data from high-cost, frequent access storage to low-cost, infrequent access storage.

Module 8: Security and Encryption in Backup Processes

• Implementing Immutable Backups to protect against ransomware and malicious insiders
• Managing encryption keys and best practices for securing encryption at rest and in transit
• Using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to limit access to backup data and consoles
• Network segmentation and isolation of backup infrastructure
• Integrating backup systems with MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) and SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)

Practical session: Implementing and validating end-to-end encryption on a backup job and demonstrating the immutability feature of a storage target.

Module 9: Backup System Management and Monitoring

• Centralized monitoring and alerting for job failures and performance issues
• Capacity planning and forecasting storage growth needs
• Troubleshooting common backup failures and performance bottlenecks
• Developing dashboards and reports for management review of RPO/RTO adherence
• Performing regular audits of backup configurations and policy compliance

Practical session: Creating a monitoring dashboard that tracks success rates, size changes, and the time taken for the top five critical backup jobs.

Module 10: Advanced Recovery Scenarios and Automation

• Orchestration tools for automating Disaster Recovery failover and testing
• Recovering complex, multi-tiered applications (e.g., Web Server  Application Server  Database)
• Using runbooks and scripting to ensure consistent recovery steps
• Introduction to Database Log Shipping and replication for near-zero RPO
• Implementing recovery for containerized applications (e.g., Kubernetes)

Practical session: Developing a simple runbook detailing the automated steps required to failover a three-tier application to a recovery environment.

Requirements:

·       Participants should be reasonably proficient in English.

·       Applicants must live up to Armstrong Global Institute admission criteria.

Terms and Conditions

1. Discounts: Organizations sponsoring Four Participants will have the 5th attend Free

2. What is catered for by the Course Fees: Fees cater for all requirements for the training – Learning materials, Lunches, Teas, Snacks and Certification. All participants will additionally cater for their travel and accommodation expenses, visa application, insurance, and other personal expenses.

3. Certificate Awarded: Participants are awarded Certificates of Participation at the end of the training.

4. The program content shown here is for guidance purposes only. Our continuous course improvement process may lead to changes in topics and course structure.

5. Approval of Course: Our Programs are NITA Approved. Participating organizations can therefore claim reimbursement on fees paid in accordance with NITA Rules.

Booking for Training

Simply send an email to the Training Officer on training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com and we will send you a registration form. We advise you to book early to avoid missing a seat to this training.

Or call us on +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588

Payment Options

We provide 3 payment options, choose one for your convenience, and kindly make payments at least 5 days before the Training start date to reserve your seat:

1. Groups of 5 People and Above – Cheque Payments to: Armstrong Global Training & Development Center Limited should be paid in advance, 5 days to the training.

2. Invoice: We can send a bill directly to you or your company.

3. Deposit directly into Bank Account (Account details provided upon request)

Cancellation Policy

1. Payment for all courses includes a registration fee, which is non-refundable, and equals 15% of the total sum of the course fee.

2. Participants may cancel attendance 14 days or more prior to the training commencement date.

3. No refunds will be made 14 days or less before the training commencement date. However, participants who are unable to attend may opt to attend a similar training course at a later date or send a substitute participant provided the participation criteria have been met.

Tailor Made Courses

This training course can also be customized for your institution upon request for a minimum of 5 participants. You can have it conducted at our Training Centre or at a convenient location. For further inquiries, please contact us on Tel: +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588 or Email training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com

Accommodation and Airport Transfer

Accommodation and Airport Transfer is arranged upon request and at extra cost. For reservations contact the Training Officer on Email: training@armstrongglobalinstitute.com or on Tel: +254720272325 / +254725012095 / +254724452588