A Good Data Backup Can Save Your Bacon

Data backup. It’s something that all businesses need, but not all businesses know how to approach the implementation of it. This is largely due to the tendency to underestimate how disastrous data loss scenarios can be for their business. You know how it goes; it’s impossible, until it happens. Thankfully, you can significantly reduce the damage done by data loss incidents with a little bit of preventative, proactive thought and a comprehensive backup system.

The unfortunate truth is that not accepting that your organization is at risk for a data loss incident could result in colossal trouble. So many problems can come about as a result of data loss, especially in the face of issues that you can’t control, like power surges, fires, floods, and even user error. Here are three indicators that you’ll need to take a second look at your current data backup and disaster recovery system.

You Rely on Contact Information and Other Data
If your operations rely on keeping important contacts and other important data safe, you’ll be sad to see the day a data loss incident eliminates this data. A quality backup and disaster recovery system is imperative in these situations, as without them, nobody can do their jobs. You should do everything in your power to safeguard this data, as the livelihood of your business depends on it.

You Need Access to Historical Files or Records
If your industry has specific regulations that must be met, you may need to ensure that you keep historical files and records to achieve compliance. What happens when these files are lost? Well… you lose compliance. Other requirements may also be necessary, including data encryption or off-site storage.

People Make Mistakes
You need data backup and disaster recovery in case one of your employees makes a mistake. What if one of them saves over an important template after making extensive changes to it, resulting in it being changed for good? Being able to simply pull the single file from your backup can save you significant amounts of time. More than anything else, it’s important to remember that a majority of businesses that experience a major data loss incident will go bankrupt within six months if they fail to recover from a disaster. That’s not to mention that 70 percent of employees experience data loss first-hand; a figure that, over time, could add up.

Your Technology Breaks Down Too Often
When your technology isn’t as reliable as it needs to be, you should consider a full data backup and disaster recovery solution. Hardware failure is one of the more common causes of data loss, and if you don’t maintain your hardware as well as you should, you might experience it at an inopportune moment. If you look for warning signs, such as strange noises, operational issues, and general slowdowns, data backup will be a valuable investment.

If You Don’t Have Backup At All
There’s only one word for not using any data backup and disaster recovery solution: risky. It’s a great way to keep damage done by unforeseen circumstances to a minimum. While not the most preferable setup, even an on-site backup solution is better than not having one at all. If you want the best, most reliable solution on the market, Washington Works can outfit your organization with a cloud-based Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solution.

To learn more about data backup, reach out to us at 301-571-5040.