A recent study conducted by The Diffusion Group found that 72% of businesses that suffer a major data loss close down within two years, or 24 months. Read that again.
Most of the businesses that experience major data losses never get to pick up the pieces. So the next time you want to bump data backup to the back burner, you might want to think again.
Regardless of what measures we take to protect our data against cyber attacks and hackers, we can never do much to protect it against unexpected disasters. The only surefire way to do so is by backing it up. It seems pretty obvious, but most business owners are yet to acknowledge the importance of backing up data.
In today’s post, we’ll be highlighting a few reasons why backing up data is super important for businesses and organizations.
Gives You Peace of Mind
Backing up data gives you unmatched peace of mind because you don’t have to worry about losing important data. No matter what happens, you know that you have a copy of all your data stored safely somewhere.
Think about it this way, if your office caught on fire and everything got destroyed, the only thing you’d have to worry about is finding a new office space. All your data would be intact because it’s backed up.
In the event of a data loss, you can quickly and easily retrieve your data without having to start from scratch. This way, you avoid the headache and stress that comes with data loss.
Protects Your Customers’ Data
If your business handles sensitive customer data, it’s your responsibility to protect it at all costs.
In the event of a data breach, your customers would hold you responsible for any damage suffered. This could cost you dearly in terms of legal fees and could also damage your reputation.
By backing up your data, you can be sure that even if there is a data breach, your customers’ data will be safe and sound. In fact, you can choose to wipe out all the data yourself and restore it once you address the security loophole.
In doing so, you avoid any legal issues that may arise from a data breach. You also get to maintain your credibility as a business that safeguards its customers’ data.
Safeguards Against Data Loss From Natural Calamities
Natural calamities such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes are unpredictable. They can strike without warning and cause massive damage in their wake.
If your office is located in an area that’s prone to such disasters, it’s even more important to back up your data.
That way, even if your office gets destroyed by a natural disaster, your data will be safe and sound. You can quickly retrieve it and get back to business as usual. Without data backup, you’ll be left to pick up the pieces and start from scratch.
Backing up data is the only way to protect it against natural calamities. As mentioned above, most businesses never recover following a major data loss from a major disaster.
Preventive Measures Aren’t Foolproof
Having a robust cyber security setup is great. It helps protect against malware and wards off hackers and cyber attackers. The only problem is that all these cybersecurity measures aren’t foolproof.
Cyber attacks are ever-evolving and becoming more rampant than ever. This means preventive action can only do so much to protect your data from cyber threats.
It’s good to have a strong firewall and multi-factor authentication, but it doesn’t make your data immune from breaching and data loss.
The only way to protect your data against such unforeseen threats is by backing it up. This way, even if your systems are breached, you can quickly retrieve your data and get back on track.
Don’t wait until it’s too late, backup your data now.
You Can’t Be Too Sure With Cloud Computing
One of the most significant benefits of cloud computing is that it provides a platform to back up your data automatically. You can then access this data from anywhere in the world, provided you have an internet connection.
Cloud computing has been a lifesaver for businesses of all sizes. However, it’s not a free pass not to back up your data.
While cloud service providers strive to provide the best data protection, they’re still not 100% foolproof. That’s why you should have extra data backup to be on the safe side.
Data Loss Is Bad for Your Brands Reputation
No business wants to suffer data loss, but it’s an even worse scenario if the data that’s lost is customer data. Not only will you have to deal with legal repercussions, but your brand’s reputation will also take a hit.
Customers are increasingly becoming aware of their rights when it comes to data privacy. If they feel that their data isn’t safe with you, they’re likely to take their business elsewhere.
It’s not just customers that you have to worry about, though. Data loss can also damage your relationship with suppliers and other business partners.
If they feel that their data isn’t safe with you, they may discontinue their partnership with you.
To Safeguard Against Insider Threats
Your employees are your biggest asset, but they can also pose the biggest threat to data security.
Data breaches caused by malicious insiders are on the rise, and they’re becoming more sophisticated and difficult to detect. A study by IDwatchdog found that a whopping 60% of all data breaches are caused by malicious insiders.
The only way to safeguard your data against such threats is by backing it up. That way, even if an employee does manage to breach your systems, you can quickly retrieve your data and minimize the damage.
Without proper backup, you’ll be playing right into the hands of these insider threats.
How to Backup Data for Businesses and Organizations
While it’s clear that backing up data is crucial for businesses, not many business owners adopt the right data backup strategies. This begs the question, how should businesses and organizations back up their data?
Well, here are a few excellent ways they can do just that:
External Hard Drives
One of the most popular ways to backup data is by using external hard drives. This storage solution is relatively inexpensive and easy to use. All you need to do is connect the external hard drive to your computer and drag and drop the files you want to backup.
It’s a simple way to backup your data, especially for small businesses. However, external hard drives are not without their drawbacks. They’re susceptible to physical damage and data loss, so you’ll need to be careful with them.
Additionally, they’re not the most secure option as they can be easily stolen or misplaced.
If you do decide to use external hard drives, make sure to encrypt your data and store the drives in a safe location. Remember, anyone that gets hold of your hard drive can have immediate access to all the data inside it. That’s unless you encrypt the data in question.
Cloud Backup
Cloud backup services work by copying your data to a remote server and then storing it there. That way, even if your computer is lost or stolen, your data will still be safe and sound.
What’s more, cloud backup services are often much cheaper than their physical counterparts. They also tend to offer more features, such as the ability to share files and collaboration tools. All you have to do is pay a subscription fee that you renew every month/year.
The downside to cloud backup services is that they’re reliant on a good internet connection. If you don’t have a reliable internet connection, then backing up your data can be quite difficult.
Some people are concerned about the security of their data when it’s stored on a remote server. However, most reputable cloud backup services use state-of-the-art security measures to protect their customers’ data. That’s why you need to settle for a reputable cloud service provider to ensure optimum data security.
If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable way to backup your data, you should consider using cloud backup services. Just make sure to do your homework and choose a reputable provider.
LAN Storage
Local Area Network (LAN) storage, also known as network-attached storage (NAS) solution, offers many of the same benefits as cloud backup services. The only difference is that your data is stored on a local server instead of a remote one.
One of the main advantages of LAN storage is that it’s not reliant on a good internet connection. That’s because the data is stored locally, so you can access it even if your internet is down.
It’s also a lot faster than cloud backup services. That’s because there’s no need to upload or download data from a remote server. All you need to do is connect to the LAN storage server and you’ll have access to all your data.
What’s more, LAN storage is a lot more secure than cloud backup services because only authorized users can access the data stored on the server. Additionally, most LAN storage servers come with robust security features, such as firewalls and data encryption.
The disadvantage of LAN storage is that it’s more expensive than cloud backup services. That’s because you need to buy the server and set it up yourself.
You’ll also need to pay for maintenance and support, and you don’t get the flexibility you get with cloud storage.
If you have the budget for it, LAN storage is a great option for businesses that need to store large amounts of data. Just make sure to do your research and choose a reputable provider.
Tape Storage
Before you brush us off, tape storage is still an ideal storage option for businesses and organizations nowadays. This is especially true for businesses with large amounts of data to backup.
Tape storage is a lot cheaper than both cloud backup services and LAN storage. That’s because you don’t need to buy any expensive hardware or set anything up. All you need is a tape drive and some tapes, and you’re good to go.
Tape storage is also more secure than other storage options because it’s offline. That means that your data can’t be hacked or accessed by unauthorized users. Additionally, tapes are also very durable and can last for up to 30 years.
The downside to tape storage is that it’s not as fast as other storage options. That’s because you need to physically insert the tape into the drive to access the data. What’s more, you can only store a limited amount of data on each tape.
If you’re looking for a cheap and secure way to backup your data, then you should consider using tape storage. Just make sure to get IT support solutions capable of handling tape storage hardware.
Disk Image Backup
Disk image backup is a type of backup that creates an exact copy of your entire computer. That means that you can use it to restore your system to the way it was before any data loss occurred.
One of the main advantages of disk image backup is that it’s very fast and easy to use. All you need to do is insert the disk or drive into your computer and the backup will start automatically.
You can also use disk image backup to create a bootable drive that you can use to start up your computer if it crashes.
Another advantage of disk image backup is that it’s very versatile. You can use it to restore your system to an earlier date, or you can use it to create a complete copy of your system. You can also use it to restore specific files or folders.
The disadvantage of disk image backup is that it’s not as secure as other storage options. That’s because anyone with physical access to your computer can access the data stored on the disk or drive.
If your computer is lost or stolen, then the data stored on the disk or drive will be lost as well.
Data Backup Is Not Optional
So there you have it! Those are just a few of the many reasons why data backup is crucial for your organization.
By backing up your data, you can safeguard against insider threats, data loss, and much more. So, what are you waiting for? Pick a data backup and recovery method and start backing up your data today.
