Backup and disaster recovery plan – everything you should know

You may not always notice but, every day, your business relies on a variety of documents, applications, and data. What about if in one moment you lost all these assets? For many businesses, particularly small to medium, it would be a significant problem, leading to risks such as lost profits, clients, partners, and in the worst case – a business closure. Luckily, most MSP’s (like us!), provide a backup and disaster recovery plan, which can help reduce your downtime and get your business functioning again. In other words, sit back and relax!

 

data backup recovery

 

Why do you need a disaster recovery plan?

 

Malicious or human errors at work are unpredictable, disaster could strike at any time. Of course, having insurance protection will cover the financial losses, but won’t replace valuable data that play a significant part in keeping your business together. To protect these assets, you must create a plan to restore your data when it is lost. Here are five scenarios that could affect your business.

 

Hardware Failure 

 

Whether it could be from a power surge, or a system’s failure if your hardware fails it can lose all your data with it. To protect your hardware, you can apply methods such as cooling systems, power surge protectors, and other technology, but to keep what is saved on your hardware, it's essential to regularly back up your data. A cloud-based or off-site data storage add additional protections to your data. It is unlikely that both storage locations, at the same time, could be at the risk.

 

Human Errors 

 

Unfortunately, approximately 88 per cent of all data losses are caused by an employee mistake. Human error is still the main driving force behind an overwhelming majority of data loss. Accidentally deleting an important document, forgetting to save changes, or not closing a computer device correctly after finishing work, could lead to a significant data loss for your company. There are training programs available to educate employees, which will help to make them aware, but the most effective way to keep your business safe from data loss is to back-up data regularly.

 

human-error-women-doesnt-know-what-to-do

 

Cybercrimes 

 

Cybercrimes are on the rise and most businesses are affected at some point. Based on the UK Cabinet Office research the estimated cost of cybercrime in 2021 in the UK can reach  £27bn. A virus or ransomware attack can cause massive losses, that not only involve money, but damage long-term relationships with clients, business partners, broken trust and reputation. Therefore, your disaster recovery plan should include steps to recover from a cyberattack, keeping your data safe and accessible.

 

Natural Disasters

 

The risk that no business can predict, is Mother Nature. Storms, floods, fires, can all cause irreparable damage to your business. Without a disaster recovery plan in place, you may find it difficult to resume operations, putting the future of your company in risk. In fact, 80% of businesses that close for longer than 5 days, struggle to get back on their feet, so it’s crucial that you are prepared in the event of a natural disaster.

 

Retaining clients happiness

 

A disaster recovery plan will provide your customers with the service they expect from you. In the event of your business closure, or extended service interruption, you could risk losing valuable clients to a competitor. The faster you can recover, the happier your clients will be, keeping your business in a good light and trust. 

Despite all the steps you can take to protect your business against damages, no business is immune from the risk of losing its data and applications. A disaster recovery plan can add additional protection and assurance, that when you experience a temporary problem or a minor loss, restoring your business operations can be actioned quickly. 

Disaster recovery is about understanding what risks your business can potentially face and balancing the risks with the costs of implementing the right IT technology solutions that minimise the chances of disaster.

 

businessman-logging-his-tablet - data backup

 

 

Does your business have a disaster recovery plan if one of the risks listed above were to happen? Do you have more questions about what sort of disaster recovery plan will best protect your business from data loss? Speak to one of our IT specialists today to find out more, or leave as a message at client.services@adtsystems.co.uk and we will get back to you with clear solutions!

ADT Systems has been providing expertise and great customer service since 1993. We have plenty of great advice that we can share with you! Call us on 0330 333 7439 or simply drop us an email at sales@adtsystems.co.uk

 

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ADT Systems Team