As an IT contractor we frequently see the effects of lost data on a business. Downtime, worry, that sickening feeling that years of work may be lost forever. We can often recover data lost to simple hardware failure but not always, and it’s a terrible feeling having to break the news that your life’s work cannot be retreived.
With the recent wave of ransomware attacks on major high street chains in the UK it seems a good time to send a quick reminder that even the biggest companies can be surprised with an unexpected loss of data.
We advise all of our clients on securely backing up their important files and customer data to ensure business continuity if the worst happens. As we work with small businesses a lot we completely understand that cost has a bearing in provisioning sevices so frequently we offer advice but live in hope that an untimely incident doesn’t occur in the meantime. However after seeing the effect of data loss in business it’s only fair to raise to raise the occasional flag to make sure businesses make an essessment on the risk in the hope they can provide some mitigation.
It doesn’t have to cost the earth
Again, we understand there are budget constraints in small business, there are no shortage of pulls on resources as a business owner. With that in mind we are happy to offer advice on protecting your data in the most cost effective way possible.
Depending on the size and complexity of your data it may be a simple case of setting a reminder to copy everything onto a USB stick once a week. Job done!
Unfortunately, we also understand that time (or lack of) is also a major factor in the life of a business owner. A simple, manual approach is great and cost-effective but it takes time and commitment to complete which can be a challenge when focus is elsewhere. That being said, some data is better than no data, so even if all you have is a dusty memory stick with 12 month old client records it may still save your skin.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best
However you chose to backup your systems there are some simple points to ensure your backups are effective when you need them. Some of these may seem obvious but you’d be surprised how often they come up in discussion so worth mentioning just incase.
- Where is your backup? In your desk drawer next to the machine you backed up from? Whilst convenient it means your data could be lost in circumstances such as a physical problem at that location. Say a break-in or a fire.
- Does it work? It might seem like a silly question but unfortunately we’ve seen this before (if it says 1TB for £15 it’s probably a lie folks). Bad USB sticks will let you write to them all day long, when you try to get it back…
- Is your data current? If you’re not using an automated solution then make sure you buckup after any significant changes. It might be enough to salvage month old data but when deadlines are looming it can be devastating to redo things you’ve worked hard to produce.
- Is your data sensitive? Not applicable to all businesses but just be aware of the risk of having data stored that may contain GDPR related data somewhere outside of your business. Imagine leaving your bag on a train for example with your fresh backup inside (happened recently with classified submarine data, Doh!), there are potentially some serious consequences to be found. If so make sure you consider suitable encryption for your backups.
In summary
I hope this information helps in planning your data strategy, and ultimately keep your data safe. As always we are available to discuss solutions but also just to advise where needed, sometimes a point in the right direction is all it takes. You know where to find us.
Stay safe