If you aren’t correctly backing up your data (and testing it regularly), then you’re putting it at risk. Cybercrime, hardware damage, human error – the list of ways you can lose data goes on and on.
Data loss can happen without notice.
You could come into work and find that flooding has fried your systems. Or you could download the wrong attachment from a seemingly safe email, and find that your data is being held at ransom. Or you may just accidentally delete it – it happens to all of us.
But it’ll be OK, because all your data is backed up, right? Or, at least, it should be — discover why in our latest video:
Why Do You Need A Comprehensive Data Backup Plan?
The unfortunate reality is that without effective data backup capabilities, your business will suffer devastating consequences, including:
- Data loss with no chance of recovery, resulting in wasted work hours and employee wages.
- Data leaks due to malware attacks and phishing scams, which will threaten the privacy of your business’ data, as well as that of your clients.
- Reputational damage, resulting in your clients no longer trusting the security of your business dealings.
4 Reasons To Verify Your Data Backup Capabilities
- Data Retention Contingencies: At the rate that technology evolves (and how quickly your standard operations and concerned policies are required to keep up with it), it’s no surprise that some businesses find it difficult to keep up with. When policy development falls behind the pace of adopted technologies, it can often lead to gaps, which can affect data retention. The fact is that many applications only have limited backup and retention policies, equipped to handle situational data loss – not comprehensive.
- Cybercrime: Data loss is often the result of poor digital security; without the right defenses, cybercriminals can easily infect an IT system with ransomware or other types of malware and compromise company data. In a ransomware attack, a hacker gains access to an organization’s computer systems.
Typically, an unsuspecting employee clicks on an emailed attachment that appears to be a bill or other official document. In actuality, the attachment installs malware onto the computer system. Once embedded, the malware allows a hacker to access critical systems, often giving complete remote control data and access.
What’s more, in recent years, more advanced forms of ransomware have demonstrated the capability to encrypt backups as well. That means that offsite backups that are connected to onsite systems are just as at risk of data loss as those stored locally.
That’s why you should make an investment in a comprehensive backup data recovery solution (which includes digital air-gapped capabilities) so that you can restore your data at a moment’s notice when necessary.
- Maintaining Compliance: When it comes to modern compliance requirements, redundant data backups are critical. You’ll want to make sure you know what’s required of your industry’s compliance regulations, and make sure you have backup methods in place to meet those. The default backup capabilities offered by many applications may not suffice for the most stringent regulations.
- Human Error: A majority of cybersecurity services offered today include the best in vital technologies, from firewalls to anti-malware to data encryption and more. However, as important as this technology is, on its own, it simply isn’t enough. The key to truly comprehensive cybersecurity (and therefore, data protection and data backup) is simple, yet often overlooked: the user. Much of data protection is dependent on the user, and as such it’s vital that you properly educate your employees in safe conduct. The more your workforce knows about the security measures you have in place, the more confidently they can use the technology in a secure manner. Human error can be detrimental to data integrity. Without a viable backup, all it takes is one accidental click to delete a file, or one spilled coffee to fry a local hard drive.
What To Look For In A Data Backup Solution
The best way to enhance your data backup capabilities is to work with a capable IT company like Accelera IT. Be sure to work with one that can fulfill the following requirements:
- Comprehensive Backups: The backup solution should provide both local onsite backup for quick recovery in instances of data loss, as well as an offsite cloud-based backup for when your business is hit with a critical disaster. Furthermore, these offsite backups need to be protected by a digital air gap, ensuring they are not at risk of encryption in the event of a ransomware attack.
- Regularly Testing: Your IT company shouldn’t expect you to assume that your backups will just work when needed. They should regularly test your backups to verify their effectiveness in the event that something goes wrong with your onsite data.
- Convenient Restoration: Don’t settle for clumsy, all-or-nothing backups. You should be able to choose a point in time to restore in the event that the data has been deleted, corrupted, or there has been a malicious intrusion.
- Backup Best Practices: Industry leaders agree that backups should follow the “3-2-1” rule; that is, you should have 3 copies of your data (your production data and 2 backup copies) on two different media (disk and tape) with one copy off-site for disaster recovery.
The key is in finding the right third-party backup solution to keep your data protected against hardware failure, ransomware, human error, and whatever else may occur.
Get Expert Data Backup Support From Accelera IT Solutions
Data continuity is all about prevention. No matter what you do, you cannot start focusing on data backup after your systems have gone down. At that point, it is too late. Take the necessary steps now to protect your data down the road.
If you are unsure about implementing a reliable and comprehensive data backup, then you need to find an IT partner that can help you out — allow Accelera IT Solutions to assist.