Data loss can be one of the most devastating things to happen to a business. A single overwritten file probably won’t make a huge dent in your week but a ransomware attack that makes all your data unreadable is a major crisis.
Companies can lose files in a number of ways:
- Hard drive crashes
- Malicious or accidental deletion
- Ransomware attack
- Viruses and other malware
- Data breach
- Natural or manmade disaster
While costs can vary according to the incident, the average cost for each lost file is $150. The downtime that accompanies a data loss incident is what costs companies the most in many cases.
The ironic thing is that so many businesses suffer from major data loss incidents even though the simple solution is to back up their data using a reliable backup and recovery system.
Avoid Backup Mistakes and Keep Your Files Protected
We often rush to the rescue of clients during a data loss incident to find that they thought they were properly backing up their data but had made a costly mistake.
Some of the typical backup mistakes are:
- Never checking a backup so they are unaware of it being stalled
- Not testing the data recovery part of the backup system
- Accidentally leaving out important folders when setting up a backup
- Keeping their only backup copy at their office
Backup mistakes are common but they can be avoided by adopting backup best practices. Here is what you need to do to back up properly and protect yourself from costly data loss.
Back Up at Least One Copy in the Cloud
There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep your data backup copy onsite. However, if that is your only copy, then you could be in trouble. If your backup and computers are in the same building all it takes is an unexpected event like a fire or flood to wipe it all out and leave you without a recoverable copy of your files.
Make sure that, in addition to an onsite backup, you are also backing up all your data in a cloud-based system. This will ensure it stays safe no matter what may happen to your office.
Cloud backups are also the easiest way to backup multiple devices that may not be located in the same building (i.e. remote employee devices).
Check Your Backup Regularly
Many people start a backup system for the first time, check to see that it is working and then never think much about it again until a crisis happens.
When your backup is not being monitored, you might think it is recording all your daily data but it is not.
Backups can stop for several reasons such as:
- Software glitch
- Runs out of space
- Employee accidentally turns it off
- It doesn’t come back on after a computer reboot
You need to ensure all device backups are being monitored regularly to make sure they are capturing your data and have not unexpectedly stalled.
Backup Your Cloud Services
A big mistake that many companies make is not backing up data that is in their cloud services separately. Data can be lost from cloud services like Microsoft 365 or G Suite due to things like overwriting or software problems.
In its Services Agreement, Microsoft states, “We recommend that you regularly backup Your Content and Data that you store on the Services or store using Third-Party Apps and Services.”
How many people actually fully read and understand all the nuances of their agreement? Not many. You are a busy professional and often things like this are not on the top of the priority list.
You need to ensure you are not leaving all that cloud data at risk by backing it up to a 3rd party cloud backup solution.
Don’t Forget Mobile Devices
Tablets and smartphones are being used more than ever in a typical employee’s workflow which means they often contain important company files and work products.
Think about all your different endpoints, including mobile devices, and ensure they are included in your overall backup and recovery strategy.
Test Data Recovery Regularly
You don’t want the very first time you are going through the data recovery process in your backup software to be in the middle of a ransomware attack.
Data recovery should be tested regularly to ensure there are no problems such as an operating system conflict that blocks recovery to a certain device.
Testing of your data recovery also familiarizes you and your team with the process so they can act much faster and with more confidence should a major data loss crisis occur.
Have a Smart Retention Strategy
A good backup retention strategy will include backup copies over a certain timeframe. For example, rather than just have a backup from yesterday available, you should be able to choose a backup from several dates over a longer timeframe in the event that you do need to do a restore.
This is important in the case of a malware attack that went undiscovered for a week. You would want to recover files from a backup that was before the attack happened.
Work with your IT provider to come up with the best retention strategy for your company.
Work with Sound Computers for Reliable Backup & Recovery
Don’t leave your files or business at risk. Ensure you have a reliable and monitored backup and recovery plan in place.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.