So we’ve established how important backups are, RTO, RPO, and how you can be a hero by having backups that align with business objectives. We just need to pick a good backup tool(s) to take backups of your MySQL database. Databases evolve, grow, and business needs change. That’s why it is important to constantly reevaluate your backup strategy, because what worked last year may not be appropriate this year in terms of RPO/RTO, retention, or costs.
“We don’t take backups, we use replication instead.” If you happen to agree with this statement, I urge you to continue reading. But even if you think you have a good backup plan, I still urge you to continue reading. Taking backups is usually not one of the most exciting parts of the job, but it might be the part that saves your company from a catastrophe. So, let’s make a plan!