Small Business Backup - Are You Covered?
Your companies information or data of any business be it micro, small or global is effectively it's very essence of being, i.
e.
without it, the business will cease to exist.
If a business cannot retrieve it's lost data in an effective, time efficient manner then it is very likely that business will cease to exist.
Try to imagine your own business being able to run without email, sales & quotation documents, accounts and payroll, how long could you run for without any of these? 40% of all businesses that fail to restore their IT Systems and data within 24 hours go out of business within a week.
(Gartner Research) Typically, businesses will configure a day-to-day backup once, and then simply assume it is working, never check, never test their backup plan and carry on regardless.
Alternatively, they blindly hand over one of the most important IT functions of any business to an IT supplier without asking even the most basic questions,
If you fall into the following category 'I have no business backup plan' then here are a few pointers which you should at the very least be considering with reference to data backup.
If you do not currently have a backup system, then it's time to start thinking, and start thinking now! You can of course spend a small fortune on backup systems and it comes down to balance and also 'levels of paranoia'.
Do you need for example to only backup certain business files and not your entire data set, this is a business centric decision that only you can answer.
Step 1 - Decide what your critical data is and if your obliged to retain any data (e.
g.
financial) Once you have an understanding of your critical data and any mandatory requirements placed on your business, Step 2 - How often do you need your data backed up? Does your information need to be continuously backed up with newly created files or updated files being available for instant recovery or is a daily backup sufficient? There are many option and features to consider before investing your finances and it is important that you understand your backup requirements first.
Step 3 - How long do you need to keep your data for? This can be a business decision or dependent upon your market sector may be a mandatory requirement, for example within the Financial Services 5 years is becoming typical for regulatory compliance.
For the majority of SMEs which have a tendency to switch their IT provider regularly, then it is paramount to ensure your data can be retrieved and accessed if an auditor or compliance body should request it.
Step 4 - Do I need my data to be stored in multiple locations? In the event of a disaster, e.
g.
flood, fire or power cut at the primary backup site, is there a method for you to still access your data and perform a recovery?
e.
without it, the business will cease to exist.
If a business cannot retrieve it's lost data in an effective, time efficient manner then it is very likely that business will cease to exist.
Try to imagine your own business being able to run without email, sales & quotation documents, accounts and payroll, how long could you run for without any of these? 40% of all businesses that fail to restore their IT Systems and data within 24 hours go out of business within a week.
(Gartner Research) Typically, businesses will configure a day-to-day backup once, and then simply assume it is working, never check, never test their backup plan and carry on regardless.
Alternatively, they blindly hand over one of the most important IT functions of any business to an IT supplier without asking even the most basic questions,
- Where will my data be stored?
- How will my data be stored?
- What access do I have to my data?
- How do I retrieve my data?
If you fall into the following category 'I have no business backup plan' then here are a few pointers which you should at the very least be considering with reference to data backup.
If you do not currently have a backup system, then it's time to start thinking, and start thinking now! You can of course spend a small fortune on backup systems and it comes down to balance and also 'levels of paranoia'.
Do you need for example to only backup certain business files and not your entire data set, this is a business centric decision that only you can answer.
Step 1 - Decide what your critical data is and if your obliged to retain any data (e.
g.
financial) Once you have an understanding of your critical data and any mandatory requirements placed on your business, Step 2 - How often do you need your data backed up? Does your information need to be continuously backed up with newly created files or updated files being available for instant recovery or is a daily backup sufficient? There are many option and features to consider before investing your finances and it is important that you understand your backup requirements first.
Step 3 - How long do you need to keep your data for? This can be a business decision or dependent upon your market sector may be a mandatory requirement, for example within the Financial Services 5 years is becoming typical for regulatory compliance.
For the majority of SMEs which have a tendency to switch their IT provider regularly, then it is paramount to ensure your data can be retrieved and accessed if an auditor or compliance body should request it.
Step 4 - Do I need my data to be stored in multiple locations? In the event of a disaster, e.
g.
flood, fire or power cut at the primary backup site, is there a method for you to still access your data and perform a recovery?
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