Why Backup Solutions for Small Business Are Critical for BCDR
Backup solutions for small business are a crucial security tool to protect your organization from hackers and natural disasters, Even if you think you are backing up your data, are you sure it’s really protected? One common data loss scenario is when a business thinks they’re backing up data properly, month after month, without really checking their backup. Then, a ransomware attack or server crash happens, and they find out they don’t have a full data backup after all.
Backup failures can occur for all kinds of reasons, from mechanical issues to user error. But the end result is just as devastating no matter the reason.
77% of companies that actually test their tape backups find failures have occurred.
Many companies see backups as part of a business IT and continuity plan to help keep their data protected in the case of a fire or natural disaster. But a backup and recovery strategy can not only be a protection against a physical event, but also as a level of protection in case of a security or virus threat.
For example, one reason that data backup is so critical is to help protect against ransomware attacks, which have been growing in both volume and cost over the last few years.
51% of organizations were hit with ransomware attacks last year, and in 73% of those attacks, data was encrypted and made unusable.
Small businesses are often a prime target, and if they don’t have a recoverable copy of all their data to restore, it can mean they have no choice but to pay an attacker and hope they give them the key to decrypt their data. This strategy is not always effective (and sometimes illegal). One of the best wats to reduce this risk is to engage IT experts that offer managed backup solutions for small business needs.
How Can Data Loss Occur?
Data loss can occur at any time and from a wide range of events. Here are some of the most common causes of data loss:
- Accidental deletion
- Being overwritten
- Company doesn’t understand a SaaS app data retention policy
- Natural or man-made disaster doing physical damage
- Malware, ransomware, virus
- Syncing issue with a cloud tool
- Data migration mishap
- Hard drive crash
- Smart Backup Best Practices to Adopt
Data backup tends to be one of those things that’s left on the back burner until something happens and you need data restored. But it really should be front and center of any company’s technology strategy.
Here are some of the best practices to use when planning a backup and recovery strategy to ensure you’re not left without a full copy of all your business information.
Use Managed Backup Solutions for Small Business
Data loss disasters often occur because companies start a backup and then never check on it again until they need their data. Unmanaged backups can hit problems due to software glitches, users accidentally turning them off, or space issues.
Our managed backup solutions for small business are custom designed plans from a trusted IT service provider that ensures your backups are consistently being monitored by a professional and verified to be capturing your data properly.
Cleartech offers two options for managed backups:
- Cloud Backup
- Backup/Disaster Recovery Device
Consider Multiple Copies of Your Backup
You realize how precious your business data is when something happens, and you don’t have it readily available anymore. To ensure you’ve got all your bases you should make sure you have:
- Two copies of your data are stored on different media (e.g. the cloud and a hard drive), and
- Keep one copy of your data stored offsite, such as in a cloud service
Consider Recovery as Well as Backup
A backup is only as good as your ability to restore the data if you need it.
Some companies that are hit with ransomware and that have a backup end up paying the ransom anyhow because their backup would take too long to restore, and they need to get back up and running as soon as possible.
Make sure that when you review backup strategies, you’ll also putting importance on the ability of a solution to restore your data quickly and completely. This ensures that you’re fully covered in the case of a disaster and can mitigate downtime. Our expert team can create a customized plan that incorporates today’s best practices for backup solutions for small business needs.
Verify Backups Regularly
You don’t want the first time your team restores data from a backup to be during an emergency. It’s important to go through backup and restore verification regularly for a couple of reasons.
- One is to train your team so they’re familiar with the proper way to restore data quickly when needed.
- The second is to ensure that your data is backing up as expected and that it can be as easily restored as you expect.
Have Your Backup & Recovery Handled Easily!
Cleartech Group can help your Central Massachusetts business with the best backup and recovery solution for your needs that is flexible, affordable, and reliable.
Contact us today to discuss your options! Call us to chat at 978-466-1938 or reach out online.