Have you ever considered what would happen if your customers’ payment information was stolen from your business computers? If a ransomware attack encrypted all your sales records? Or if every piece of data your business relies on was destroyed by a fire?

These scenarios may sound far-fetched, but the statistics tell a different story. The UK is one of the ransomware hotspots of the world, with over 6 million attacks in the first half of 2019 alone, costing business billions in lost revenues, system downtime, and ransom fees. In terms of total data loss, 60% of businesses collapse within six months of the event and a worrying 72% cease trading within two years.

Data is the most precious commodity any business possesses and, given the severe risks posed by a data loss event, it’s plain to see that every organisation needs a watertight backup solution.

Every Business Needs A Data Backup Strategy

For a data backup strategy to be effective, it needs to follow these points:

• All data – accounts, emails, sales and purchase records, in fact any file that you would struggle without if it disappeared – needs to be regularly backed up.
• Backups should only be created on reliable media or in the Cloud.
• Media used for backups should be located off-site in a secure location.

Remember that desktop software can usually be reinstalled from the Cloud or downloaded from the developer’s website, so only invest your time in protecting your business-critical files that, if lost, would pose serious problems to your operations.

Local Data Backups

If you backup your data locally to a single device, for simplicity create folders for each of the data types that you are archiving. Professional software can be used to automatically backup your data regularly, ideally each night; most backup software will also zip and encrypt data to improve its security.

Local data backups should only be stored in secure locations that are fireproof and floodproof. If backups are destroyed in an accident, along with the original files on your business’s hardware, it defeats the object of creating archive files in the first place!

For reassurance, local data backups can be stored off-site in dedicated servers, to reduce the risk of valuable files for being lost.

Cloud Backups

Cloud backups offer another safety net for businesses keen to protect their valuable data. Documents are automatically copied to Cloud-based servers, which may be located in multiple locations for greater resilience. You can store data from multiple networks (especially valuable if your business has several offices), and files can be retrieved whenever you need them, from any location.

Not only do Cloud backups help preserve data and minimise the risk of data loss, but also facilitate remote working. Because you are entrusting your sensitive data to a third party, it’s important to partner with a reliable and experienced IT Support Company who has established positive relationships with Cloud storage providers.

Contact F1 Support For A Full Data Management Service

AT F1 Support, we offer a complete data management service, ensuring your valuable business data is protected from disaster. We monitor and manage backups to the Cloud and secure local servers and, in the event that the worst case scenario occurs, ensure your data is recovered immediately, minimising downtime and enabling you to continue to run your business. For more information, please contact one of our specialists today.

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