Data loss is a major concern for businesses that rely on technology. Rarely does a week go by without a cybersecurity disaster hitting the headlines. In fact, many companies have suffered some form of data loss, either due to malware, security breaches, natural disasters, human error, or failing hardware.
While most business leaders appreciate the importance of keeping data safe, there’s a lot more to backup and disaster recovery than manually copying everything over to a remote server or removable device at regular intervals. With that in mind, here are five reasons why a remote, preferably cloud-hosted backup solution is so important for small businesses:
Stay Compliant with Industry Regulations
Industry regulations make it a legal requirement to keep archives of certain data. For example, the IRS requires businesses to keep financial records for at least six years for taxation purposes. Unexpected data loss typically isn’t an adequate excuse for failing to provide records that you’re legally obliged to hold onto, so it’s up to you to make sure important information is safely backed up in an off-site location.
Minimize the Impact of Unscheduled Downtime
Reliance on modern technology has made unscheduled downtime one of the biggest enemies of productivity, profitability, and brand reputation. Data loss inevitably leads to downtime, but if you have an up-to-date backup on hand, the effects should be minimal.
Many business owners place importance in backing up data without considering the actual recovery process. When implementing a backup solution, you should always determine how much data you can afford to lose and the maximum amount of time it should take to recover everything should the worst happen.
Enhance Productivity in the Workplace
Knowing that your data is safely backed up will give you peace of mind. Your employees will be less anxious about making minor mistakes, which will, in turn, reduce stress and help increase productivity. What’s more, you’ll be able to keep multiple backups from different sessions to increase the quality of your data archives and ensure that nothing is forgotten. That’s worth a lot in a world where one misplaced click could lead to a technology meltdown.
Guard Against Unexpected Failure
Data loss caused by cyberattacks isn’t the only thing you have to worry about. No matter how much hardware vendors harp on about the reliability of their products, computers can fail at any time and without any notice.
For example, a natural disaster, a severe power surge, or even a short circuit due to dust buildup, can quickly render a storage device unworkable. On top of that, solid state drives, which are now standard in most computers, have a limited number of read and write cycles before they suddenly fail without warning.
Avoid Crippling Ransomware Attacks
When the WannaCry ransomware struck organizations all over the world in May 2017, many victims were woefully unprepared. Some were left with the choice of paying a ransom and hoping for the best or losing vast amounts of mission-critical data. If they had kept up-to-date backups of everything, however, they’d have been able to simply wipe the infected machines and recover clean copies of their files.
Ransomware and other data-destroying malware can strike at any time, and while the need to regularly back up your data should be obvious, some organizations still fail in this respect.
At Zeta Sky, we understand that data is a lifeline of your business, and that’s why we take every possible measure to safeguard it from all threats — natural or man-made. Call us today to start protecting your business’s future.
