A disaster can take many different forms – anything from human error to a flood of Calgarian proportions can put the brakes on your operations. Regardless of the cause, data disruption and loss is a significant threat to any business. Hardware can be re-purchased and operations can be moved to another facility, in the event of a disaster, but data is one of the few assets that can’t be replaced.
When we think of disasters, flash floods and tornadoes often come to mind but natural disasters aren’t the greatest threat. In fact, according to a report by Forrester Research, your business is more likely to be disrupted by equipment or system failures. Nearly 60% of companies in the State of Enterprise Disaster Recovery Preparedness (Q2 2011) report listed IT hardware, software, or network failure as the cause of a disaster or major business disruption.
There are many factors that can contribute to failures in your IT infrastructure. Darryl Heppner, Manager of Technical Services at Zantek, notes that outdated hardware and software are often at the root of the problem. “If your operating system is past its prime, you are increasing your risk of a software failure.” He adds, “Of course, older equipment can die at any time and no one can predict when a rodent will make a meal of your power cords, so the surest way to safeguard your data is to do regular back-ups and store data offsite.”
Back it up
Good news for small businesses – the days of backing up your files on discs and tapes are long gone. Today’s back-up solutions are easy to use, convenient, and they offer better protection.
5 tips for selecting a data back-up solution
- Recoverability – ensure that your data is quickly accessible when you need it (some products offer instant restore capabilities)
- Location – consider where your data is stored – experts agree that a combination of on-premise and cloud-based services offers the best total protection
- Ease of use – select a product that’s easy to deploy and manage, particularly if you don’t have dedicated IT resources
- Frequency – consider incremental back-ups (only changes and deletions are backed up, rather than the entire volume of data) since they are quick and can therefore be done more frequently
- Scalability – select a long-term back-up solution that can easily grow with your business so you don’t have to re-assess your options down the road
Loss or long-term unavailability of your business data can be devastating. The impact is often measured in terms of dollars, missed revenue opportunities, and customer retention – but some losses, such as reputation and morale – can be even more costly.
Takeaway: Data is the lifeblood of your business – protect it!
Simply put – if your data isn’t regularly backed-up and safely stored, your company is highly vulnerable. Your best first step is to talk to an IT provider that partners with several vendors so that you get an unbiased assessment of your needs and a back-up solution that delivers peace of mind.
Useful links related to this article
> Video (2:27): Intelligent Business Continuity Explained
> Slides: No Business in Immune to Downtime
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