Every year, technology professionals tell you the same thing: “Your digital information is valuable” followed by “Backup your data”. But you may be asking yourself, why should I backup my device and why is it important? The answer is simple, one small accident or failure of your device could destroy all your data. Think of all those pictures you took of your late grandma, the video of your child’s first steps, or even the project you’ve been working on for months at your job. That’s where data backup comes in – and today, World Backup Day, has been dedicated to its importance.
What is a Backup and Why is it Important for Businesses?
Data backup refers to the process of creating a duplicate copy of your important files and storing them in a separate location. This is crucial for businesses because their data is the backbone of their operations. The loss of data can lead to business downtime, financial loss, and reputation damage. Additionally, data breaches and cyber attacks are becoming increasingly common, making it necessary for businesses to have an effective backup and recovery plan in place. Investing in data backup solutions not only ensures the protection of sensitive information but also provides peace of mind, allowing businesses to focus on their core activities. It’s also important to keep backups up to date, as the loss of just a few hours of data can have significant consequences. Data backup is vital for businesses to ensure data protection, maintain productivity, and safeguard against potential threats. Below are a few stats on why backups are important.
- 20 percent of all small businesses will be hacked within one year. (source: National Cyber Security Alliance)
- 20% of small to medium sized businesses will suffer a major disaster causing loss of critical data every 5 years. (Source: Richmond House Group)
- 31% of targeted attacks focus on businesses with fewer than 250 employees (source: Symantec)
Misconceptions About Backups
- Price – Typically your phone gives you cloud storage options but these tend to be more pricey. Options like MEGA, Apple iCloud, Google Cloud and OneDrive have more storage options at a smaller price and are available for all your devices.
- Level of security – Prioritize backup encryption, evaluate your vendors’ security measures, and ensure backup media devices are protected.
- Ease of use – Cloud backups tend to be the most popular and easiest solution because you don’t need any hardware as you do with most other backups. When it comes down to it, the best backup solution is the one that fits your needs.
- Efficiency – Devote your bandwidth and storage space to what’s important and skip anything that wouldn’t be a catastrophe if deleted.
What Types of Business Data is Considered Sensitive and Needs to be Protected?
Businesses deal with a vast amount of sensitive data on a daily basis that needs to be protected from theft or loss. Such data includes the company’s financial information, trade secrets, customer databases, marketing plans, intellectual property, and employee records. Losing any of these types of data can seriously damage a company’s reputation or even result in legal consequences. It’s crucial for businesses to have a data backup plan in place to ensure the protection of sensitive data against unplanned disasters such as cyberattacks, natural disasters, or human errors. Without a backup plan, businesses run the risk of losing everything they’ve worked hard for, causing irreparable damage. The data that’s sensitive for businesses are extensive, and protecting them is essential to reduce the risk of severe consequences.
The Risks and Consequences of Not Having a Backup Policy
For a business, not having a backup policy can be extremely risky; in fact, it can be catastrophic for any organization. The consequences of not backing up its data include losing valuable and sensitive information, which could lead to business disruption, lost revenue, and damage to reputation. Cyber threats and attacks are increasingly prevalent in today’s digital age, and it’s important to keep in mind that a single data breach can have negative consequences that go beyond financial losses. Research has shown that over 60% of small businesses fail within six months of facing a cyber attack, and up to 60% of them never recover from the hit to their brand reputation. Thus, implementing a robust data backup policy is essential to ensure the continuity of the business and to protect sensitive information. By doing so, businesses can be better-equipped to withstand any unexpected disasters and quickly resume operations without loss of critical information.
According to a 2021 Backblaze survey, when asked how often people backup their data, the results were staggering; 20% never, 13% year plus and 25% yearly. Per the year-over-year comparison, these numbers have stayed relatively the same from 2020 to 2021, which is why we will continue to stress the importance of backing up your data. Don’t discover the risks first-hand by not taking the time to back up your company’s data.
Words of Wisdom
A backup is a copy of all your important files and a way to protect your data even if the original copy is destroyed, inaccessible or damaged. Data is at the core of most organizations and our digital lives, whether you deleted something by accident, lost access to your data, or had a security incident, losing data is a big deal. If any of these incidents happen to you, your backup will quickly and efficiently restore your device in the event of data loss. With your data properly stored, you can mitigate down time with work or reshare your favorite picture on Instagram with little disruption to your day-to-day.
FAQs
A backup is a copy of all your important files and a way to protect your data even if the original copy is destroyed, inaccessible or damaged. Data is at the core of most organizations and our digital lives, whether you deleted something by accident, lost access to your data, or had a security incident, losing data is a big deal. If any of these incidents happen to you, your backup will quickly and efficiently restore your device in the event of data loss. With your data properly stored, you can mitigate down time with work or reshare your favorite picture on Instagram with little disruption to your day-to-day.
How often should a business back up its data?
A business should back up its data regularly, with a recommended frequency of at least once a day. The exact backup schedule may vary depending on factors such as the amount of data generated, the criticality of the data, and the available backup resources. It is important to have a backup strategy in place to protect against data loss due to events such as hardware failure, cyber attacks, and natural disasters.
What is the most important thing to backup?
The most important thing to backup is basically everything business related-critical data, such as financial records, customer information, intellectual property, and any other data that is essential for your business operations. It is also important to back up any data that is difficult or impossible to recreate, such as historical data, legal documents, and important emails.
What are the three 3 factors to consider for successful backups?
- Frequency: Backups should be performed regularly, with a frequency that depends on the volume and criticality of your data.
- Redundancy: Backups should be stored in multiple locations to ensure that you have a backup of your backup in case of hardware failure or other issues.
- Verification: Backups should be regularly tested and verified to ensure that they are complete and can be used to restore data in the event of a disaster. Testing should also include checking for any data corruption or errors that could affect the integrity of your backup.
What is the difference between a backup drive and a recovery drive?
A backup drive is used to store a copy of your important data, while a recovery drive is used to restore your computer to its original factory settings or to repair a damaged operating system.
What is the difference between a backup and data recovery utility program?
A backup utility program is used to create a copy of your important data, while a data recovery utility program is used to restore data from a backup or recover data from a damaged or corrupted storage device.
Who started World Backup Day?
World Backup Day was started by a group of concerned users and data storage professionals in 2011 to raise awareness about the importance of data backup and to encourage people to back up their data regularly. The initiative gained widespread support, and March 31st was designated as World Backup Day, a day to remind people to take action to protect their valuable data.
