Data Recovery Global Newsletter Industry News: This Week in IT

Data Backup is More Important Than Ever

Published on: May 15th, 2014

Do you think a data backup solution is simply too expensive for your business?

That viewpoint is similar to thinking that insurance for your home is too expensive. Insurance might have seemed expensive until your home is wiped out in a fire and you have lost everything. After the fire is snuffed out, how do you plan to recover? Some things can probably be replaced, but regardless of the expense, certain things are simply irreplaceable. It’s similar to protecting another key asset – your business data. Even in business, certain data, documents, photographs, accounting files, and client information might be nearly impossible to replace. When it comes to business data, are you safeguarding your most important company asset with a reliable data backup solution?

What Causes Data Loss? 

Any device that stores information is vulnerable to data loss. The causes of data loss are due to a wide range of human errors, technology failures, and unpredictable natural disasters. Frequently floods, fires, tornados, earthquakes and lightning strikes destroy both the device and the data. Natural disasters are often followed by power failures that can also wreak havoc on technology.

The theft of equipment and attacks by hackers are widespread problems. Laptop and mobile devices are small, valuable and easily re-sold, making them the target of choice for thieves all over the world. Each year in the United States, over 600,000 laptops are stolen with over 65% never recovered. Hackers, viruses, software bugs, and cyber-attacks grab the most media attention, but it’s actually human error and hardware failures that account for nearly 75% of all data loss occurrences.

Data Loss Can Cost Your Business More Than You Ever Imagined

If you don’t have a backup strategy in place because you considered it too expensive, let’s redefine the term “expensive.” As a business owner, try to imagine what it would cost or if your company could even operate without your business data including QuickBooks files, client records, and order information. Consider the time and expense of attempting to recreate the lost data and notifying your customers that their personal data has been compromised? If those scenarios sound terrible, then review these truly sobering data loss statistics and consider the impact this could have on your business if you don’t have a tested backup solution:

• 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more filed for bankruptcy within a year. (National Archives and Records Administration)
• 94% of companies suffering from catastrophic data loss do not survive. 43% never reopen and 51% close within 2 years. (University of Texas)
• 30% of all businesses that have a major fire go out of business within a year and 70% fail within 5 years. (Home Office Computing Magazine)
• 70% of small companies (fewer than 100 employees) that experience major data loss go out of business within a year. (DTI/Price Waterhouse Coopers)
• 96% of business workstations are not being backed up and are at serious risk. (Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation)
• 140,000 hard drives crash each week in the United States. (Mozy Online Backup)

Be Prepared with a Backup Solution

Unfortunately, we are at the mercy of this mixed bag of data loss disasters. The only plan is to be proactive in safeguarding your business’ data with a tested backup solution. To take action with a backup solution, start by analyzing the needs of your business.

For example, do you need to back up your business’ entire operating system or just certain, essential data? Do you want the automatic data backup performed on a daily or weekly basis? Would a desktop backup device be an option for your business or home office? Which cloud storage or online solutions provide a secure remote backup solution that can complement your local backup strategy? Have you considered a personal cloud as a backup solution?

The backup market is huge and is continuing to grow. For business owners, that means there are lots of backup options with many solutions. Plus a reliable backup solution is not really that expensive when you consider the alternatives. We understand that sifting through options and technical details can be a daunting task. You should rely on your local Computer Troubleshooters to develop a customized backup solution or confirm that your current solution is exceeding your needs.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is certainly true when it comes to a backup protection plan for your business”.