Systems fail, users accidentally delete files, natural disasters occur, and mistakes happen. Throughout, businesses are exposed to data loss. One of the most important questions IT management needs to ask is, “What is my data recovery plan?” Third-party software combined with StoreVault storage appliances can provide a comprehensive set of backup and recovery options to ensure data is recov¬erable and usable, and to help reduce or eliminate the amount of downtime experienced in a crisis. This paper describes basic backup technologies, including how unified data management techniques leveraging StoreVault storage and complementary software from its technology partners can enhance data protection strategies within typical networked storage architectures.