Accidental data loss, IT equipment failure, malicious hacking—these are not fragments of your nightmare. It’s realities of the virtual world.
Data is the key to your business’s success.
There are numerous ways you can lose this valuable data; and only one through which you can recover it: backups.
Typically, every business invests in at least one data backup strategies. But most small and medium sized businesses don’t realize the inadequacy of their methods until it’s too late.
If this has got you wondering about your business’s backup plans, answer these five questions. You responses will lead you to understand how protected your data is.
1. Is ALL your data getting backed up?
This is a good place to start. The amount of data is growing exponentially. Trying to store it all is a big challenge. Opt for your emails, financial data and important documents to secure first.
Secondly, you may have a service where all the data goes. Whether it’s an on-site shared drive or cloud services, you need to make sure quick recovery is possible. You should know where your key data is and how it’s stored.
2. How often is it backed up?
It’s important that you back up the data every day. You can manually save it on memory drives and other storage devices, but it’s laborious. It’s easier to avail managed IT services for data backups.
Archiving is equally important. By archiving, you’re taking copies of everything and storing it in a safe place. You can schedule it daily, monthly, or twice a year, as you see fit.
3. Who is responsible for backups?
You have two options: opt for in-house data storage or go with business IT services. You should be aware of who’s directly handling your data.
If you’re storing data in-house, maintain a daily routine to ensure backups are done in time. If you can’t track it yourself, give the responsibility to your IT staff.
Better yet, go with a managed IT service like ours for peace of mind.
4. Do these backups work?
Nothing is worse than realizing backups failed. This is a risk if you’re backing up data yourself.
An easy solution is to restore a file every now and then to ensure successful data recovery. IT services often have methods in place to take care of these issues.
5. What about backup checks and balances?
If you’re entrusting backups to one or more of your employees, you need to ensure that errors don’t hinder the process.
Check backups. Set up a follow-up meeting. Create automated emails that inform you when data is backed up.
Data storage and other IT tasks are stressful; but there’s no denying how essential it is. Consult our business managed services in Austin for affordable IT support.