Reports of malicious software and hackers are much more prevalent since the pandemic has started. While these types of threats are a significant risk for businesses, there are many other threats lurking in technology. First we will go over some of the most common things that threaten your business data daily. Then we will go over how you can vigilently protect your data.
Viruses, Hackers, and Ransomware
Cyber attacks are wreaking havoc for businesses everywhere. While hackers and ransomware outbreaks are certainly causing damage and making headlines, old-school malware, spyware, and old-fashioned viruses continue to be among the leader of threats. It is not a matter of when your business will become a victim, it's just a question of when. Anti-malware and anti-virus software can help but even with updated security software, most businesses remain exposed to the threat of data loss due to hackers, malware, and ransomware.
Physical Disasters
With all of the reports of cyber attacks, malware, and hackers in the news recently it is easy to overlook some of the more conventional physical threats your data faces every day. A fire, flood, or any other type of natural disaster can wipe out all of the data in your location and make recovery near impossible. Even a simple theft of a hard drive can result in significant data loss if your company isn't being extremely pro-active with regular data-backups. As working as an MSP I've seen many companies that have opted out of back-ups, claiming these things just won't happen to them. A year later, and thousands of dollars later they realize that just isn't the case. It can, and will happen to everyone at some point. If that's not enough to believe that it can happen to your company, think about how many times hard drives have failed. A simple hard drive or hardware failure will result in substantial loss as well. Companies tend to take for granted the fact that these things have not happened to them yet and have that "invincible" mindset only to wish they had invested in back-ups before they were in their current position.
Cyber Security & Data Loss Facts
Over half of all businesses that are victims of a cyber-attack or data breach are subject to public scrutiny and suffer losses in brand reputation, customer loyalty, and customer trust.
29% of businesses that are victims of attacks lose revenue, and 40% of those lose more than 20% of total revenues.
Among companies that suffer attacks, nearly 1/4 of them lose business opportunities following a loss event.
20% of businesses that experience data loss lose at least 20% of their customers.
Protecting Data with Backups
A data backup is just a copy of files from your computer or device. As demonstratred in the verbiage above, keeping a backup of your important business data is essential. Virtually all computer and tech experts will tell you that any backup is better than none at all. Even so, not all backups are the same, nor do they all offer the same levels of protection. Consequentlyl for optimal protection it is best to safeguard your data using the 3-2-1 rule.
Keep atleast 3 copies of your data
Store the data in atleast 2 different locations
Keep 1 copy offsite to protect against fire, flood, theft, or other physical disasters.
Here are some of the more common available options that can help you implement this rule.
Local & Network Backups
One of the easiest ways to create beackups of business data is to store copies of important files on hard drives or other storage devices connected to your systems or network. Copying files to hard drives, USB drives, external drives, or other devices to individual systems connected via a local network is an effective way to ensure you can access your data quickly in case of emergency. Due to physical risks keeping local backups shoud never be your only strategy. Keeping a copy off-site is essential in disastrous situations.
Cloud Backups
This year has been one of the biggest years when it comes to using cloud backups. It seems that every businesses is talking about migrating to the cloud. Backup solutions are no exception. In short, cloud backups are secure offsite copies of data that are stored on remote serers and accessed via an internet connection. Cloud backups are an excellent option for providing additional security for businesses that want to ensure their important data is available if and when onsite or physical data disasters strike.
Don't get Cloud and Online Confused
Many businesses use DropBox and Google Drive to store backup copies of important files. While these storage services are okay for storing and sharing a few files, limitations with online storages sites prevent them from being true cloud backups. A true cloud backup service enables you to create automated backups of complete systems and store as many versions as you need. There are many ways for your business to create backups of important data and you should use multiple methods. Therefore reaching out to a trusted MSP to create a comprehensive data recovery plan is essential for your business to always stay protected.
Don't wait until it's too late
When a distaster(whether physical or hardware related) happens, every minute your team is without data could be costing your businesses resources, money, and customers. So when you need to restore data from a backup, a quick data recovery is esssential to getting up and running again as quickly as possible. Reach out to us today and let us discuss with you how we can secure your data and have it ready to be backed up within minutes instead of hours like our competition. While MSPs cover many parts of a company's tech side, backups are considered the most important task covered by an MSP.
