It might not be the sexiest topic in the world to talk about, but it’s absolutely necessary: backups. If you don’t think you really need one, or it seems like an added hassle you could do without, read on for four reasons why you should be making it a priority.
Prevent data loss
This might seem incredibly obvious for a first point, but I think a lot of people would be surprised at the sheer number of businesses we see who only look for proper backup solutions once something bad has already happened to them, and they’ve faced a considerable number of horrible problems.
Whether it’s due to a ransomware attack where the cybercriminal demands payment in cryptocurrency in exchange for your data, a hardware failure or a system crash – the consequences of not having a robust backup solution ultimately end up the same. It could cost you a lot of money in attempted data recovery (expensive, and there are no guarantees), the restoration of your systems, and the cost in man hours of your team having to repeat work that’s been lost.
Have a backup, backup plan
We’ve talked before about how layering protective security measures leads to a much stronger and more effective security strategy as opposed to relying on one line of defense, e.g. antivirus to keep your business safe from security threats. Backups are no different.
If you currently have physical, onsite backups in the form of one or more servers, then you might also want to consider a hybrid backup solution which includes backing up some or all of your data to the cloud, too. We often talk about the risks of cyber crime which are a technical threat, but if your only backup is held physically on the premises, they are vulnerable to both natural and man-made disasters, like fire, flood, theft, or other human errors which could compromise your data.
Minimise disruption after a disaster
There’s a reason you’ll hear techies talking about ‘disaster recovery’ a lot. If the worst happens and your entire system needs to be restored after a disaster, it’s not just your data that needs to be restored. It’s all the programmes and software you use. If you’ve only backed up your critical data, you’re still going to be left with a situation where your IT provider has to spend a lot of time restoring your system.
If you have a backup which takes a full image of your system, the disaster recovery process will take a lot less time – we’re talking about the difference between several hours of downtime, and at least several days of downtime. Neither scenario is ideal, but one is significantly worse than the other.
Give you and your clients peace of mind
Our hearts skip a beat whenever we read stories of businesses who have fallen foul of ransomware scams. Aside from the technical side being complex, the panic, disruption, and loss is truly horrible. It’s somehow even worse, if that’s even possible, if you have to then tell the clients you work with that their financial data has been compromised, or that the passwords you hold for their accounts are no longer safe.
The ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude is pretty common, but there are so many ‘what ifs’ when it comes to data breaches or corrupted backups, preparing for what you would do if the worst happened isn’t being dramatic, it’s being sensible.
The best time to make sure you had a robust backup system in place was yesterday, the second-best time is right now. Get in touch, and we can discuss with you what data you hold, and backup solution options that will best suit you and your business. Just book a call in with us below:
Want to find out how we can brighten your day? Get in touch.
You’re a busy person.
We’re here to do the IT so you don’t have to. If you request a call, there’s no pressure to become a customer – we can just have an informal chat about what you’re looking for and go from there.
