Category Archives: Data Backup

Things to Consider in Building a Data Recovery Strategy

Data Recovery Strategy
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, , , ,

Disasters have different effects on our business, all of them unpleasant. We can avoid many of these disasters by setting up cybersecurity protocols to protect sensitive data. We can think of a data recovery strategy to help prevent these disasters from happening. Many threats avoid the tightest defences, leaving your system in complete chaos. With these breaches, you need a plan for recovering data that will keep your business running even if something unexpected happens.

Types of Disasters to Look Out For With Your Data Recovery Strategy

There are many types of disasters that can befall a business. The first type that comes to mind is the online attacks that lead to data breaches, hacking, and data theft if you don’t have a recovery strategy in place. Indeed, cybercrime is among the leading causes of data loss and damage these days. But there are also plenty of other dangers that you should be able to recover from.

Building Disasters

Natural disasters or man-made disruptions in the physical location of your business can cause a lot of damage and must be planned for. If you experience a fire or the power goes out, a bucket of water or generators might not be enough to save your business. You will also need a good data recovery strategy that you can rely on.

Communication Failure

Digital and non-digital disasters can also cause a failure in communication. Hacking and data breaches, for instance, can hinder inter-departmental communication. Natural disasters can also cut off communication channels, but differently.

Application Failure

Hardware and software that haven’t been updated regularly can cause systems to crash, which can cause data loss or damage if we have no recovery strategy for our data. You can protect your business from these things by ensuring your equipment and all apps are always up to date.

Datacenter Disasters

Malware attacks are the most common cause of data centre disasters. Viruses, phishing software, and similar tools can directly target your company’s data for theft or use them to make ransom demands.

City and Regional Disasters

These are more widespread disasters that affect the entire city or state. It can be harder to stop these disasters because they are often out of people’s control. Typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and other similar natural disasters are examples of this type.

National and Worldwide Disasters

These disasters happen on an even bigger scale. They can be physical or digital and can quickly spread to many places. The recent pandemic is an example of a disaster that was so bad that it stopped all businesses globally. Similarly, many types of data attacks also target victims on a global level. That is why we should always have a data recovery strategy in place when this type of disaster happens.

Critical Elements of an Efficient and Reliable Data Recovery Strategy Solution

Now that you know what you are up against, you can plan a data recovery strategy that will work best for your business. When making a strategy, prioritize which parts of your business must be recovered first.

Each business is unique and has its own specific needs and priorities. To understand the best data recovery strategy for your business, you need to know about your resources, finances, risks, insurance, supply chain, and compliance needs.

The Crucial Role of Dependable Backup In Data Recovery Strategy

When coming up with a data recovery strategy, you should always have a copy of all your data for when something goes wrong. You can store your backup in the same place as your business, which sometimes works and is usually the easiest option. But usually, cloud-based data backup is much more reliable, especially in natural disasters that could destroy your physical data storage.

Final Thoughts

Preparing a data recovery strategy for your business is not something you should take lightly, as you can see. It will take a lot of careful thought, time, and, ideally, the expertise of cybersecurity experts.

One step you can take is to watch our on-demand cybersecurity webinar. You’ll feel safer knowing your credentials are not for sale by hackers!

You know your business best, so you are in a great position to make a strategic plan for data recovery. But if you would like to take advantage of our team’s expertise and experience in data recovery, we are more than happy to help! Call us anytime, and we will prepare your business for any disaster.

Importance of a Reliable Disaster Recovery Plan for Your Business

Disaster Recovery
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, , , ,

Running a business is not always a smooth-sailing operation. There are often things that could go wrong regardless of how cautious you are or how hard you abide by the so-called rules. Because of this, you should have a good backup and disaster recovery plan in case a disaster happens, like an accident or a cyberattack.

There are plenty of BDR solutions for different businesses. You must find the one that fits your needs and will protect your network and data in the best way possible.

Understanding Backup Disaster Recovery

All businesses deal with important information, like details about transactions, private information about employees and customers, and so on. Part of good business management is providing ample protection for all the data.

As you run your business, there will be a lot of things that can cause you to lose or damage data. Natural disasters are among the reasons, like severe storms, flooding, fires, and similar events. Equipment failure can also damage your system, like if an unexpected electric surge fries your hard drives.

These days, however, the most common cause of network and data disasters is cyber-attacks. Malware can lead to the theft or destruction of sensitive data. We’ve seen terrible things happen that forced businesses that weren’t ready or protected to close.

Why Are Backup Disaster Recovery Solutions Important?

Reliable BDR solutions play several roles in the security and protection of a business. One of the best ways to use them is to be sure that you can keep running even after a disaster. Depending on the damage, your business might not run at all or only partially after a disaster. But once you roll out your disaster recovery solution, your business can operate as usual.

Likewise, having a sound disaster recovery plan will minimize financial losses for your company. For example, it will reduce expenses on data restoration if you have secure backups. It will also reduce the time that you can’t conduct transactions and generate sales, like when you temporarily don’t have a website that works properly.

Competent Disaster Recovery Specialists

To create a successful recovery plan, you must recognize the essential elements. First, you need to find a team of experts that you can trust and who can give you the technology, protocols, and training you need to prevent data loss and fix any damage caused by disasters. Part of their function is to get your business back on its feet in the event of such disasters.

Risk Evaluation System

Businesses face varying degrees of risk that a specific disaster will occur. A reliable risk evaluation system will help you understand which disasters are most likely to happen and what the best plan of action would be if something were to happen.

Identification of Critical Assets

In the aftermath of a disaster, your business will go through a recovery and rebuilding process. You must identify quickly and prioritize the most critical assets in this recovery process.

Secure Data Backup

Before anything happens, you should already have safe copies of your data, preferably in multiple places. In a disaster, your backup recovery process must be able to get to your data. This step is important, as a result, it can help you restore lost or damaged files.

Final Thoughts

Now that you are aware of why disaster recovery is such a crucial part of running a business, waste no time and start planning your business recovery strategy today. Better yet, locate a managed services provider that specializes in backup and recovery.

And don’t forget that training your employees in cybersecurity is an important step to your protection. You can start by having them watch our Free Webinar or having them take our BDR quiz!

We have the most reliable backup and disaster recovery services that are tailored to fit your business. Call us today, and we’ll start working on the best solution for your business.

Ten Disaster Recovery Statistics You Should Know

Data Backup, , , ,
): Businessman working on his laptop showing management of company data using cloud backup - concept of disaster recovery strategies

Have a clear disaster recovery plan for your organization.

Data loss is a serious problem that can have a devastating effect on businesses. In fact, data recovery statistics show that data loss can be extremely costly and time-consuming. Here are some of the most recent data recovery statistics that explore the reality of data loss.

  • Gartner found that 72 percent of organizations are not well-positioned with regard to disaster recovery capabilities, with 59 percent of respondents expecting budgetary increases for disaster recovery this year.
  • Companies without an effective disaster recovery plan stand to lose millions. According to Gartner, the average cost of IT downtime is $5,600 per minute (adding up to more than $300,000 per hour). For large organizations, that number tops half a million dollars.
  • Ransomware is a huge concern, and many people don’t realize that their disaster recovery plan may not work when they need it most. This adds significant risk to your ability to recover from ransomware if you are not prepared for the attack. In a recent study, IDC reported that 37 percent of companies worldwide were hit by ransomware in the previous 12 months. The average ransom paid was $250K, though some hackers asked for as much as 1M dollars.
  • Ninety-six percent of companies with a trusted backup and disaster recovery plan were able to survive ransomware attacks.
  • A disaster can strike at any time and without warning, so it is imperative that you have a plan in place to help your company recover quickly from these events. However, FEMA found that 20 percent of companies have no disaster recovery planning in place.
  • A report by the Ponemon Institute reveals that 93 percent of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster, filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. Fifty percent of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately.
  • Cloud backup can be an incredibly useful tool when it comes to data recovery. According to Statistica, as of 2019, 94 percent of the small-sized organizations who were surveyed worldwide claimed that they had used the cloud for data storage or backup.
  • A study by IBM on data recovery planning, including the cost and frequency of data breaches, showed a decrease in costs by more than 30 percent in organizations that embrace proactive recovery programs. The research shows that organizations who invest in automated disaster recovery have an operational edge over those without. They also maintain their business reputation and financial success, which is crucial for growth.
  • Disaster recovery planning is one of the most important aspects of protecting your business. But how often do you actually test your disaster recovery plan? A report by Statistica reveals that only 35 percent of respondents stated that their company tested its disaster recovery plan on a quarterly basis as of 2019.
  • A  report by UniTrends found that cloud-based Disaster Recovery-as-a-Software (DRaaS) will be used by 59 percent of businesses by 2021. Currently, 36 percent of businesses use this, and a further 23 percent plan to add the technology within the next year.

The above statistics are a wake-up call for many businesses. Having a well-designed and effectively maintained disaster recovery plan in place will substantially increase your ability to recover lost data, returning you back into normal operations as quickly with minimal business disruption.

SystemsNet is the trusted choice for complete network solutions. With almost 20 years in business, they’ve built a reputation as an industry leader and provide reliable services that meet your needs with tailored plans for any budget. Contact us for more information on our complete line of disaster recovery solutions for your business.

Business Continuity Tips for Solopreneurs

Data Backup, , , , , ,
Solopreneur using a laptop to research for her business' backup recovery plan

Researching for your business’ backup recovery plan.

Business continuity is what keeps your company running even when interruptions occur and disaster strikes. From holidays to natural disasters, your brand needs to remain available and functional at all times. Here in the digital era, customers expect 24/7 access and support. For larger businesses, this type of continuity is par for the course. But for solopreneurs and small businesses, it can be tough to keep your business online and rolling 100% of the time.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and services you can implement to automate your business process and protect yourself from business interruptions.

Conduct Business on the Cloud

The cloud is the single most useful development for small and solo-run businesses today. Cloud services and data storage make it much more difficult for information to be lost or for your online services to go offline. A website server on the cloud will serve itself more efficiently to customers across the globe and cloud-based services will be more consistently available to you and your customers.

The more you can do on the cloud, the better. Just be sure you are working with high-quality and cyber-secure cloud partners.

Customer Self-Service Technology

Online self-service has finally put the 24/7 into small business availability. While you may need to sleep and attend to personal matters, your customers can still attend to their own needs through online tools. A good search feature and information database (or just a well-written FAQ) page can minimize your customer’s need for direct live assistance, while a smooth e-commerce site can continue taking in orders even when you the business owner are offline.

Stay Flexible with Co-Working Spaces

Being a solo business owner can mean needing to check in on business no matter where you are – or if there’s an office available. When you’re traveling, your computer breaks, your internet is interrupted, or your home office is down for maintenance; remember that there are always co-working spaces available in every city. There you can find all the office equipment and high-speed internet connection you may need. With co-working spaces, you can continue to conduct business when your normal office access is interrupted.

Partner with Department Outsourcing

Solopreneurs and many small businesses don’t have the staff to provide full departmental services. You don’t have a customer service call center, an accounting and legal department, or a marketing team. Fortunately, the outsourcing industry was designed for entrepreneurs to hire on any department they need for however long the work is needed. While your business is growing from the ground up, you can achieve full-service business continuity by partnering with outsourced department services.

Always Have a Backup-Recovery Plan

Last but certainly not least is backup recovery. A backup recovery plan is a two-prong method to ensure your digital assets are never at risk of being lost or ransomed from you. Take regular (daily/weekly/monthly) backups of your work computer(s) and all your files. Archive these backups and develop a quick-engaging plan to deploy these backups as needed. Whether data is lost to encrypting ransomware, an error in your server, or an accidental tap of the ‘delete’ key, you can always ‘reload from save with a well-built backup and recovery plan.

Running a business on your own is exhilarating, challenging, and also impossible for one person to do 24/7. Fortunately, there are business services available to expand your one-person team with outsourcing, cloud access, automation, and even co-working spaces if your normal business location is disrupted. Most importantly, know when to reach out and outsource at the right times. Here at SystemsNet, we are proud to offer IT services to small and medium businesses and would be proud to be your go-to source for IT support for your solo business. Contact us today to start talking about your company’s IT needs.