How many backups of your business data does your company have? Do you think one is enough? You might be surprised to find out that you need more than a single backup copy of your data if you want to avoid the high costs of a ransomware attack, hard drive crash or other data loss incident.
The threat landscape has become significantly worse for small, mid-sized and large businesses. Ransomware has become rampant, cloud attacks are on the rise and firmware attacks have also been increasing.
Some recent statistics illustrate how dangerous not having a backup can be:
- Ransomware attacks increased 485% in 2020.
- 83% of businesses have had firmware attacks in the last two years.
- Attacks on cloud accounts increased 630% in 2020.
Cyberattacks are just one reason that a company needs to have a restorable backup of all their business data. Another reason is a natural or manmade disaster. A flood, fire or storm could damage an office and all of the electronics that are inside.
A third reason to ensure that you have a reliable backup is hard drive failure or device loss/theft. More data is being stored on mobile devices today and that means that it is more susceptible to being dropped, damaged and stolen.
In order to be fully protected from devastating downtime due to a data loss incident, it is vital to have a backup of all your data from all devices as well as to ensure that you have enough copies (and that those copies are stored in the right place).
Follow the 3-2-1 Backup Rule
There is a rule in the technology world that answers the questions of how many copies to keep of your data and where to keep them. This is called the 3-2-1 backup rule.
Let's explore how following this rule can benefit your company and ensure that you’re not left at risk in the event of a data loss incident like a ransomware attack or hard drive crash.
3: Keep Three Copies of All Your Data
The first part of the rule tells you how many copies of your data that you should keep to ensure that you are properly protected from data loss. You should keep three copies of all of your data which would be one copy on the device that you’re working with and two separate backup copies.
Why keep two backup copies? Backups can run into multiple issues which causes a backup to be incomplete or corrupted. Some of these include:
- Running out of space
- Backup being turned off accidentally
- Software glitch
- Database corruption
- Folders missed during backup setup
A study of company backup practices found that 60% of all backups are incomplete.
If you have two separate backups, you reduce your risk that your backup will be missing the valuable data that you need and give your company a better chance at a full system restoration.
2: Keep Your Two Backups On Separate Storage Media
You don’t want both of your backups to be on the same storage media. For example, if you’re using an external hard drive, you don’t want to just use two different drives for your two copies.
If you are using a cloud backup for one of your backup copies, you should use another storage method for the other.
Utilizing two different ways to back up your data reduces the risk of a problem.
For example, you may be doing a local backup to an external hard drive that you keep on site. That backup software has a glitch that corrupts your backup. If you are using the same tool and same software for both backups, both will be corrupted.
There is a much lower risk of this happening when you use two different storage methods.
1: Keep One of Your Backups in the Cloud
One of your backup methods should be a cloud backup. Storing one copy of your data in the cloud is vital for business continuity. This is because it ensures that if something happens to your office that destroys both your computer and local backup drive, you have a copy stored safely off site in a cloud data center.
Cloud backups can also be restored to any internet-connected device and are typically the most convenient to do because they are done wirelessly through Wi-Fi.
Some of the benefits of using cloud backup and storage through Sound Computers include:
- Flexible storage so you only pay for what you need
- Real-time mobile access to synced files
- Fast restoration of backed up file (including file revisions)
- Integrated Exchange email archiving
- Fully managed backups that ensure your backups are verified
Improve Your Business Continuity With a Managed Backup Plan Today!
Sound Computers can help your Connecticut business improve business continuity and bounce back fast from a data loss incident. Our cloud backup solution gives you security and peace of mind.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Call 860-577-8060 or reach us online.