Properly managing the IT obligations at your company is one of the most important responsibilities you have as an entrepreneur. After all, the data your business works with is the lifeblood of your organization.
However, issues can arise if you don’t properly archive your sensitive information. Asking yourself “should I backup my data?” We’ve got all the answers you need to know.
Let’s dive in.
How Do I Know When to Backup My Data?
How often you backup information will depend on the type of data you’re working with. For instance, highly sensitive information should be archived once every 24 hours.
Less essential data should be archived on a less stringent basis, such as once per week.
So, a general rule of thumb is to backup business data based on how important the data is.
It’s also recommended that you archive this information in multiple locations. A common practice involves backing up data to a cloud server as well as a physical hard drive.
Otherwise, you may encounter complications in the future if something happens to one of your data backups.
What Happens if I Don’t?
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs are unaware of the consequences associated with not backing up their information. For smaller companies, these can be particularly difficult to recover from.
Let’s take a look at some of the most notable.
Extended Downtime
One of the most prominent issues associated with not backing up your company information is extended downtime. Even a single data breach could prevent your company from operating appropriately for days or even weeks.
As you might guess, this could also adversely impact your overall revenue. Fortunately, this type of situation can easily be prevented by having access to a recent data backup.
Reputation Damage
Your customers and clients won’t be happy when they find out that their information has been accessed by an unauthorized user. This is especially true in certain industries, such as the healthcare and tech spaces.
As witnessed with the 2017 Equifax data breach, a situation like this could even result in having legal action taken against you.
Overall Inefficiency
Occasionally, your company may find itself in a situation where it simply needs to pull recent data — there may not be a malicious factor present.
For instance, you may encounter a problem when attempting to install new software on a computer. The same can be said about reverting to a previous iteration of a project.
Without having your data archived appropriately, something that should take minutes to perform can take hours instead.
Proper Data Backups Are Essential
Otherwise, you run the risk of experiencing extended downtime as a result of a data breach. Keep the above answer to “should I backup my data” in mind so that you can make the best decision for your organization.
Want to learn more about what we have to offer? Feel free to get in touch with us today and see how we can help.