We would like to start by asking a question and that is a simple one “if you lost all of your data, would you be able to operate your business and what is your back up plan?’’
Many businesses store their data on things such as G-Suite, OneDrive, Dropbox or some other form of cloud-based storage solution. These solutions are fantastic as they enable you to share files between devices and access them remotely, however they have one major floor and that is in relation to backups.
Whilst you may believe that your files are stored safely, there is no guarantee that if a virus got into them, you accidently deleted them or even if the host lost them, you will be able to recover the data.
This is a big risk as the data that businesses store is often invaluable, and you would be surprised at the number of small, medium and even large businesses who do not have a reliable data backup system. Some statistics quote that this could be as high as 50%!
What is a backup & how does it work?
Simply put, a backup is a second copy of your data that is stored elsewhere and accessible should you experience any issues.
There are several different solutions that can work depending on your business needs. The majority of solutions incorporate a cloud backup which is where your data is stored in a physical or virtual file or database to a secondary, off-site location for preservation in case of equipment failure or catastrophe.
You may wish to have all of your files backed up in one go, or incrementally back up files which is where all files are backed up on a specified date and then where only new or updated data is backed up each time.
Disaster recovery
Disaster recovery is a solution that helps protect your organisation from the effects of significant negative effects, such as an on-site fire or other major disruption.
A disaster recovery plan is extremely important for organisations who solely rely on their IT systems for day-to-day operations. Whilst this is a large majority of companies, examples may be care homes, financial institutions and major supermarkets.
If you have an on-site server or hosted on-site software, a disaster recovery system will mean that you are able to be back up and running in a relatively short period of time in order to minimise disruption.
If you do not have a backup, then we strongly recommend that you get one set up and do not run the very real risk of losing your valuable data.
We have a range of backup and disaster recovery solutions to suit the needs of all sizes of businesses and ensure that they remain protected, safe and secure. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your IT needs, our team would be more than happy to help.