WHAT IS DATA BACKUP?
Backing up your data is like having a digital safety net. It shields you from all sorts of digital disasters, like human error, computer breakdowns, sneaky viruses, power hiccups, and even nature’s wrath. When these things happen – and they will – backups can be your time and money-saving superheroes. What is data backup in plain English? It’s basically making copies of all your important business data just in case something goes haywire. Think of it as a backup plan for your digital life. When trouble strikes and your data gets corrupted, deleted, or disappears into thin air, those backup copies swoop in to save the day. Once you’ve made a backup, if you lose access to your original data, you can restore a copy of it from the backup. They’re like your trusty sidekicks, ensuring your business keeps running smoothly and bouncing back from any digital disasters.
WHY IS DATA BACKUP IMPORTANT?
Just like how a person can’t go without air, water, and food, businesses can’t survive without their data. It’s surprising, but 40% of companies that don’t have a solid backup or disaster recovery plan don’t make it out of a tough situation. To keep your company safe and sound, you need to pick someone to be the backup guru. This person will handle all things related to backups: choosing the right tools, figuring out what needs to be backed up and when, dealing with the techie stuff like networks and storage, and setting goals for how quickly you should bounce back after a hiccup – recovery time objectives or RTOs – and how much data you can afford to lose – recovery point objectives or RPOs. In simpler terms, your operation has to get its act together with a good backup plan and solution. Otherwise, you might end up as one of those companies that didn’t make it when the going got tough.
WHY DO YOU NEED TO BACK UP DATA?
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) tells us there are many reasons why we might need to back up our data. These include:
- You’ve got a new gadget and you want to move your old files onto it.
- Your device has gone MIA or has been swiped.
- Your trusty device decides to call it quits.
- Your data gets accidentally deleted or is unreadable
- A nasty virus or some other sneaky malware like ransomware might wipe out your data or lock you out of your system.
- Your hard drive has thrown in the towel and needs a reset or replacement.
CYBERATTACKS ARE EVOLVING
For small businesses or SMEs, data backup is critical. As per a CNN report, small businesses hit by ransomware way back in 2017 found themselves grappling with losses exceeding $100,000 due to downtime. The average cost of a ransomware attack is now approximately $4.54 million. Adding to these woes, many of these businesses faced an uphill battle trying to regain access to their locked-up data. But ransomware is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to cyber threats. There’s a whole slew of them out there, including other forms of malware, DDoS attacks, data breaches, supply chain disruptions, and those sneaky zero-day exploits, all lurking in the shadows. These cyberattacks typically have their eyes on valuable business data, whether it’s snugly stored in the cloud or on in-house servers. The frequency of these digital ambushes has surged, thanks in no small part to the digital transformation wave sweeping across industries. With businesses now swimming in a constant flow of data, from snagging leads to converting customers, opportunistic attackers are keenly poised to take advantage of this steady stream of data. For SMEs, as for any other business, data backup is a must-have.
GOVERN IT BETTER
Data loss happens all the time and it is devastating. Using Zhero’s Govern IT Better, all the data from your computers, servers, and smart devices will be backed up and stored securely in the cloud. You’ll never have to stress about losing your business-critical data. Govern IT Better has been designed to focus on two distinct aspects of business IT – backup solutions and security solutions. This means that you will have more time to focus on the activities that matter most. Speak to one of our super knowledgeable humans to see how we can reduce your risk by incorporating Govern IT Better into your business.
