Importance of Data Backup

Introduction 

When was the last time you backed up your data? Today? Yesterday? A week ago? A month ago? So long that you’ve forgotten? As a business, it’s important to back up your data to prevent data loss and make recovery quicker. In fact, experts recommend the average mid-size company should backup data every 24 hours.

If you think you will never be a victim of data loss, think again. In the past year, 45% of U.S. companies have experienced a data breach resulting in data loss. If common data loss events like theft, human error, viruses or malware are not the culprit, a simple power outage might be. Realistically, your data is very important to your business so why chance losing it all?

What is Data Backup?

Data backup is the process of copying a computer’s data from its original location to a secondary location. By doing this, data can be restored from a non-compromised device in the event of data loss. Data backup can be scheduled with pre-determined frequencies, locations and at different capacities. For small-medium businesses to benefit from data backups, they should perform full backups every 24 hours with 6-hour incremental backups.

Oftentimes, businesses don’t expect themselves to be victims of data breaches or spontaneous computer outages and, as a result, do not backup data to protect information. Thus, important information gets lost indefinitely or costs up to $7,500 USD per professional device to recover. Financial and informational loss are only two examples of why backing up data is important for your business.

Why Data Backup Is Important For Business

Let’s start with an example. Two accountants have been working tirelessly on a project and are days away from the submitting for the deadline. On a late night in the office, the computer systems randomly shut down and there is a brief power outage. When resolved, both accountants log back on to resume filing. Accountant one is content because they backed up their data earlier that evening and it has been restored. On the other hand, accountant two is fearful because they have not backed up their data in three days. Now, all the progress is lost from the days since that backup. From a business perspective, who do you want on your team?

Data loss occurs when data has been compromised, destroyed or made unreadable for computer software. Information such as budgets, financial records, personally identifiable information (PII) can be erased and no longer accessible to a company. The impacts? Informational loss, financial loss, and sometimes reputational damage. Backing up data can save your business from these consequences.

Many cases of data loss are a result of breaches. However, data loss does not have to be at the hands of a cybercriminal. In fact, many incidents of data loss are attributed to human error. A study conducted by Standard University suggests that human error accounts for 88% of data loss. Accidents happen- whether it’s spilling a coffee on your computer or forgetting to press “save” on a large file. Mitigate the consequences of human error and backup your data.

How to Backup Data

There are several data backup and recovery strategies your business can implement to easily prevent data loss or recover from it. The best practice for data backup is the 3-2-1 rule. Experts recommend that a business backup 3 copies of data- 2 local devices and 1 off-site. Specifically, businesses should backup data on the original device, an external hard drive, and the cloud.

By backing up data on the original device, professionals can easily access important documents while ensuring they are properly stored on the device. In the event that a user’s mobile or computer malfunctions, data can be easily restored from the most recent backup.

External hard drives, such as Apple’s 2TB external hard drive USB-C, allow businesses easy access to information due to their portability. In addition, hard drives are less vulnerable to data breaches compared to computers. However, human error can be at play with hard drives and can be lost or misplaced. For security purposes, make sure external hard drives are stored in a secure location.

For cloud storage, data is protected to the greatest extent. In the event of a power outage, system failure, or natural disaster, cloud storage stays untouched. Cloud data storage works by copying server data and duplicating it into a non-physical location. Unlike on-premise storage, the cloud is a much easier and cost-effective backup method…

Conclusion

Many businesses cannot afford to lose their data. So why risk it? Data backup is the easiest way to prevent data loss and aid in recovery. Luckily, the 3-2-1 rule and other recovery strategies, makes it easy. Backup your businesses data every 24 hours on separate devices to minimize the damages in the event of primary data failure. Thank us later.

 

Blog by: Priyanka Rana