Pro Backup blog

Let's face it - losing your Trello board is like losing a piece of your project's soul. We've all been there - one minute, everything's organized, and the next, it's chaos. That's why backing up your Trello boards is crucial. Think of it as your digital safety net. 

Whether you're a freelancer juggling multiple clients or part of a team managing sprawling projects, keeping your Trello data safe should be a top priority in case data recovery is needed. There's a method for everyone, from manual approaches to third-party backup options. Below, we'll guide you through the ins and outs of Trello board backups so you can choose the best option for your needs. 

Why You Need to Back Up Your Trello Board

Imagine working on an intricate project in Trello, meticulously organizing every card and list, only to lose it all in a blink. This nightmare scenario is more plausible than you might think. The digital world is unpredictable, and Trello boards are no exception. Backing up your boards isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must-do to safeguard your hard work.

Backing up your Trello boards is crucial for several reasons, and understanding these can help you appreciate the importance of a good backup strategy. Here's why it's essential:

Protection Against Data Loss

The primary reason for backing up Trello boards is to protect against data loss. This can happen in various ways, such as accidental deletion of a board or critical information, software glitches, or cyberattacks. 

Losing critical project data can significantly setback your timelines, disrupt team workflow, and even impact client relationships. Backing up your boards ensures you don't lose your project information.

Guarding Against Unforeseen Events

Trello, while reliable, operates in the cloud, which is innately vulnerable to certain risks. Issues like server outages or data corruption, though rare, are possible. 

If an event like that were to happen, having a cloud backup means you can restore your project's data quickly, minimizing downtime and keeping your team's productivity on track. Backups are your safety net in these rare but possible scenarios.

Facilitating Data Migration and Archiving

Sometimes, your needs can change. If a platform like Trello isn't the best for your business model, you should be able to transfer your data. 

When transitioning to a new project management tool or archiving old projects, backups ensure your data is protected in the process.

Compliance and Regulatory Needs

Businesses have many laws, rules, and regulatory standards that must be adhered to when protecting data. These requirements may vary depending on the industry you work in and the type of data you store, but having a means of backing up your data is secure. 

Regular backups can be a part of meeting industry-specific data retention requirements, ensuring you stay compliant with industry regulations.

Manually Exporting Your Content

Exporting your Trello content manually is a simple, step-by-step process that ensures you have a backup of your board for data recovery, if necessary.

1. Access Your Trello Board: Start by opening the Trello board you want to back up.
2. Open the Board Menu: Look for the 'Show Menu' button on the right side of your board and click on it.
3. Find the 'More' Options: In the menu, there's an option labeled 'More.' Click on this to see additional settings.
4. Select 'Print and Export': Within the 'More' section, you'll find 'Print and Export'. This is where you can initiate the export process.
5. Choose Export Format: Trello allows you to export your board in JSON format. Select this option to capture all the details, like lists, cards, and comments.
6. Download and Save: Once you select JSON, your board data will be prepared for download. Save the file to a secure location on your computer.

While this method is straightforward and requires no special tools, it's important to remember that it's a manual process. You need to periodically repeat these steps for each board you wish to back up, making it ideal for those with fewer boards or for occasional backup needs. Regularly scheduling backups can help keep your data up-to-date.

Automated Backup with Third Party Solutions

Automated backup with third-party solutions and GitHub scripts provide efficient and diverse ways to safeguard your Trello boards. Each caters to different needs and levels of technical expertise. Some top third party options are: 

GitHub Scripts for Trello Backup: 

Ideal for those with technical know-how, GitHub scripts enable automated backups by interacting directly with the Trello API. 

Users can customize these scripts to schedule regular backups to their preferred storage solution. This method offers a lot of control and customization, but it requires a certain level of coding knowledge to set up and maintain.

Pro Backup

Pro Backup is designed for ease and efficiency, perfect for businesses looking for a straightforward backup solution. It connects seamlessly with your Trello account and automatically performs regular backups. 

The service ensures that your Trello data, including all boards, cards, and attachments, is securely stored and easily restorable.

Each method makes it so your Trello boards are backed up regularly and securely. They cater to different preferences, whether you're seeking a quick way to secure your Trello boards or want to have access to the detailed versions of all your data types (such as field configurations, files & comments).

Trying Pro Backup for Trello Boards

Pro Backup offers a seamless and reliable solution for safeguarding your Trello boards. Its user-friendly approach, automatic backups, and comprehensive coverage of all your Trello data make it an invaluable tool for any business looking to secure their project management data. 

Instead of struggling and spending time with manual backups, embrace the ease and security of Pro Backup. Visit Pro Backup today and start your journey towards effortless and secure data backup. Your peace of mind is just a few clicks away.

Since the introduction of GDPR, backups have been a hotly debated topic. Many organizations tried to figure out what is required of their GDPR and backup strategy to ensure compliance.

Previously we addressed some of the key implications of GDPR on your cloud backups. In this blog post we will address 2 issues that are at play with backups and the right to be forgotten.

Does a deletion request include removing data from backups?

GDPR allows an EU citizen to ask an organization to remove any record of personal data.

In the last year, several EU supervising authorities have released recommendations on how to address this issue of GDPR and backup. The Danish authority, the Data Inspectorate, states deletion of record data from backups is mandatory “if this is technically possible.” holds that record data does not need to be deleted from a backup.

Additionally, according to a Quantum blog, the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) said “organizations will have to clearly explain to the data subject (using clear and plain language) that his or her personal data has been removed from production systems, but a backup copy may remain, but will expire after a certain amount of time.” We recommend our Pro Backup clients to communicate this as clearly as possible to their customers. Additionally they should also clearly specify the retention time in your communication with the data subject.

What if a deleted record is restored through an old backup?

The second issue around GDPR and backup is that, should an organization delete a record and then recover from an older backup (containing the now-deleted record), the deleted record will be reanimated and put back into production, making the organization noncompliant.

Therefore we advise our clients to maintain an index of requested deletes – using non-identifiable markers, such as a database row number rather than personal detail – that correspond to a given backup’s retention time. This way, should recovery require the use of an older backup containing now-deleted records, the organization can re-delete the records again.

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On May 25th 2018 the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into application. It’s a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy in the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). Given that the parent company of Pro Backup – B4B IT – is located in Belgium, we need to be compliant with this legislation.

In this blog post we will first address 3 key implications of GDPR on your cloud backups.

Backup and disaster recovery is essential under GDPR

The following comes directly from Article 32 of the GDPR act: Security of Processing

• (c) the ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident;
• (d) a process for regularly testing, assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of technical and organisational measures for ensuring the security of the processing.

From this, we can see that organisations are held responsible for their ability to recover lost personal data that they hold in a timely manner. In order to remain compliant, they must have the necessary backup and disaster recovery strategies in place and actively take the time to regularly test the integrity and the effectiveness of the solution.

Otherwise, your organisation could face heavy fines for failing to protect the data that you hold and monitor. In recent years we are now seeing more and more organisations falling victim to sophisticated ransomware and cyber attacks because they do not have the necessary backup and disaster recovery solutions in place. We therefore recommend you to read up on how to protect your company against ransomware.

Data backups need to be regular

GDPR requires the data to be available at all times to the subject; therefore you need to be ensuring that the data is backed up to reflect the live data.

You therefore need to ask yourself how often you or your provider backup your data. If your backups are not automated then you will have to consider increasing the number of times your backups are conducted to keep in line with your live data.

Your third-party providers need to be compliant

To decide to outsource your backup and disaster recovery solution is a good first step, but you are only part of the way to becoming compliant. Now you need to ensure that your chosen provider is also following GDPR compliance.

Since they will be handling, managing, and backing up all your data, they fall under the title of ‘data processor’ and therefore must follow the same data handling and protection rules as you do.

At Pro Backup we work together with Dirk De Bot, a Belgian Data privacy specialist, to ensure that we are GDPR compliant. You can find more info on this on the footer of our website.

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