When the livelihood of your business depends on data stored in your computer network, you just cannot afford to leave anything to chance. Data preservation and the ability to retrieve it at any point in time is the foundation of business continuity.

Yet the facts about backup failures are shocking:

• According to the Boston Computing Network, 31% of PC users have lost data due to events “beyond their control.”
• Analysts at the Hughes Marketing Group found that 40% of businesses that experience a critical IT failure go out of business within one year.
• In a recent Gartner study, only 35% of backup tests were successful.

Some of the more common reasons for backup failures include accidental formatting of a hard drive, accidental data deletion, malware or virus attack, firmware corruption, natural disasters, logical errors, and continued computer operation when your hard disk is starting to fail.

So how certain are you that your backup system is 100% reliable? Could a false sense of security be preventing you from taking actions that will ensure your backups will really be there when you need them?

7 Ways to Avoid Data Disaster Due To Backup Failure

Without proactive measures in place – and Murphy’s Law being what it is – the odds of a successful restoration when you need it most may not be as high as you’d like to think… So what can you do? Here are seven ways to avoid a damaging loss of data due to backup failure.

1. Insist on regular, remote and redundant processes. A good rule of thumb is 3-2-1. That means three copies of your data stored in two off-site locations, backed up a minimum of one time per day.

2. Don’t go too cheap on disk drives. Less expensive arrays that save money by doing without features like redundant power supply and hot spare drives may leave your data at risk.

3. Guard against human error. Make sure the people performing backups and restores know exactly what to do – and what not to do. Take people out of the loop and automate wherever possible. And be especially cautious in situations where backups aren’t a part of someone’s regular duties.

4. Are your backup software settings being checked routinely? When new software or updates are put into service, a change in the way the settings are configured can cause incomplete backups or backups that fail completely. Do the people who maintain your backups include this on their regular to-do list?

5. Could some files be getting left out? As resources are added and priorities shift, files and folders can get misplaced or accidentally left off the backup list. Insist on a quarterly or annual meeting with your backup management team to make sure all mission-critical files are included in your organization’s data recovery systems.

6. Address network issues immediately. Any component in your system that isn’t working properly can introduce another point of failure in your backup process. Every juncture in your network, from a misconfigured switch to a flaky host bus adapter, can hurt your backups.

7. Ask for help with your data backup and recovery system. You cannot be expected to be an expert in all things. Yet data is the backbone of your business – its protection and recovery should not be left to chance. Why not leverage the knowledge, skill, and experience of an expert in the field?

Even with all these measures in place, the best way to keep your organization safe from harm due to data loss is to verify your backup system by performing regular test restores. This will help identify any problems in advance so they can be fixed – allowing you to avoid getting hit with an ugly surprise when you least need it.

The Smart Way To Assure Backup Success

Unless your team has all the time and expertise required to consistently close all open loops in your backup system, your organization may be at risk of serious harm due to data loss. We strongly recommend that you let us perform a Backup Audit for you as soon as possible. Contact us today at {phone} or {email} to schedule this highly valuable free service – before disaster strikes.

While it’s understandable that consumers might feel skeptical adopting cloud technology, their fears are often based on myths and misperception. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly expressed safety concerns and how cloud storage methods are meeting these concerns head on.  

Since cloud computing as we know it was first introduced in 2006, there’s been much controversy and skepticism. Consumers had reservations about its reliability and security, while IT experts worked to put their CEOs’ worries to rest.

Historically, organizations stored sensitive data on-premises, charging their IT department with ensuring this information is secure from hackers and safely backed up in the event of a system breakdown. While on-premises storage has proven to be fairly reliable, breaches in security left many management teams searching for alternatives. For many, the cloud was the answer they’d been looking for. In fact, in a recent survey of over 180 healthcare respondents, 61% indicated they believed their information was most secure in a private cloud.

Organizations work tirelessly to protect their customer’s private information, knowing that one incident could destroy public trust and sink their reputation. Despite periodic issues, they’ve come to know and trust their on-premises data centers. After all, it’s all they’ve ever known. While it’s understandable that they might feel skeptical adopting new technology, their fears are often based on myths and misperception. Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly expressed safety concerns and how cloud storage methods are meeting these concerns head on.

The Cloud is More Vulnerable to Hackers Than On-Premises

Several years ago, Apple’s iCloud experienced a well-publicized attack. Hackers broke into the private accounts of 26 celebrities, sharing photos that were never meant for the public to see. Understandably, cloud users began to question their own data’s safety. What the media failed to report, however, was that it wasn’t the cloud that was hacked. Due to a combination of vulnerabilities in Apple’s password security system and the celebrities’ use of weak passwords, hackers were able to breach these accounts by guessing until they discovered the user’s password.

My Data Isn’t Any More Secure in the Cloud

Cloud providers understand the importance of keeping your data safe. Through a system of complex algorithms called encryption, providers ensure your information is protected from potential hackers. Even if a hacker was able to break into your cloud account, they would need an encryption key to decipher your encrypted files. While anything is possible, any would-be thieves would need forensic software, an enormous amount of computer processing power, and a lot of devoted time. As an added level of protection, cloud service providers employ elaborate security methods, making their system nearly impenetrable.

While cloud providers have multiple layers of security to keep your information safe, part of the responsibility rests on your shoulders. Organizations must educate their workforce on password safety. Passwords should be unique, as well as unrelated to their personal or professional lives. Employees should use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols and shouldn’t duplicate passwords across multiple platforms.

Are We Really Safeguarded Against Lost Data?

Even the most intricate systems experience downtime at some point, and cloud computing providers understand this. To protect their customers against data loss, cloud platforms are designed using multiple systems that are fault-tolerant and purposely redundant. Systems are tirelessly tested to ensure data is secure at all times.

And, although companies can always advertise and tout the strength of their security, consider this scenario. Healthcare organizations often have extremely personal and patient-sensitive data, which they must have access to. Also, HIPAA privacy rules state that these organizations must strive to improve or maintain maximum data security for the business tools they’re using day to day. Accordingly, when surveyed, 81% of healthcare organization respondents indicated they planned to either open new or additional cloud accounts within the next three years for the purpose of data protection. That sounds a lot like a rousing endorsement for a versatile tool.

For some companies, the idea of such a sweeping change within the organization can seem daunting. Tangible, on-premises storage systems being replaced with offsite weather formations just doesn’t compute for some. (No pun intended.) But the real fear should be based on the loss of the precious data, stored in outdated IT infrastructure. Systems which were designed for much less sophisticated hacking attempts. And, as more hack attempts are made, the old systems show more and more flaws, whereas cloud systems can evolve and expand to match the exponential hack attack. It isn’t exactly up in the air; the cloud is the answer.

These data strategies are leading the way in 2017 – are you taking advantage of the latest trends?

Data management has a perennial challenge: Meet the latest market challenges without distracting or hampering the company’s core operations. Thus far, 2017 has shown several successful new data projects that shore up vulnerabilities and fix the latest shortcomings. Here’s what the experts see as the latest data strategies in today’s fast-moving environment.

Using IT for Alignment

Much like data management, alignment is a frequent challenge for companies with highly separated departments that don’t share the same goals, contacts, or (sometimes) sense of time. But while alignment has caused much gnashing of teeth in its time, leaders are turning to IT for new solutions, and finding that new data strategies are finally stepping up to deal effectively with alignment issues. Sometimes this can be as simple as making sure different departments and teams are all using the same app so that information can be easily exchanged. Sometimes it means implementing more complex collaboration software. Either way, the result is better communication, more timely action, and a better solution to alignment difficulties.

Investing More in Talent Acquisition

The data field has a growing problem this year – a lack of talent among the industries looking for new hires. IT and data specialists are still graduating with the necessary skills, but demand has started to outpace them, and that is leading to a lot more competition for data hires who know what they are doing. It’s no surprise that a popular strategy among experts is investing more in IT talent acquisition. That means a greater focus on benefits, on-the-job training for better certifications, and more effort to meet data specialists where they are, both online and in college. Remember that old saw of business: First get the right team, and then make the right plans.

Pinpointing “Data Lead” Positions

While we’re on the subject of hiring, it’s worth noting that another popular strategy on the rise this year is what some CIOs are calling the data lead. Basically, this position acts as an interpreter for Big Data and data analysis. They take a look at the information that the company is bringing in, wraps those results up with a bottom line, and delivers the results to decision makers higher up. This is a particularly useful new position for companies that are embracing a lot new customer data or logistics information, and aren’t sure what to do with it yet.

Using Data for Greater Automation

Most industries are considering if automation can help their particular challenges. Some of the best results are happening when automation and data synergize. We’re seeing a lot of success here when it comes to IT and customer service – specifically, growing solutions like chatbots, which review datasets and automatically provide requested information to online users, saving time and increasing satisfaction among customers.

Increased Virtualization for Mobile

Mobile devices have become ubiquitous and necessary, but they aren’t perfect. In particular, it’s usually too dangerous to store sensitive business data on mobile devices like smartphones. No matter how strict the guidelines, businesses can’t do anything to prevent the vulnerabilities that hackers continue to discover in these devices. As a result, virtualization strategies are on the rise: The goal is to keep data housed in central locations where it can be more easily secured, while using necessary gateways that allow mobile devices to access that data when necessary, but not store it permanently.

The War Against Complication

This is a common CIO goal this year: Strip away complications with new data strategies that remove older, unnecessary software and legacy systems in favor of simpler solutions and results-oriented apps that make using data far more efficient. If you have run into app compatibility or complexity issues due to different data platforms, consider a “complication audit” to find out where the knots in your system are so that they can be untied.

Migration Toward Vendor Support and Consolidation

In previous years we noted that many companies, especially larger companies with in-house talent, were opting to create their own proprietary data management systems. This approach is swiftly falling out of favor due to the cost of maintenance and general inflexibility of such solutions. In-house creations are being supplanted by more reliance on vendors and consolidation.

Do any of these strategies resonate with your current goals? {company} can help you find the latest solutions to your new data challenges. Contact us as {email} or {phone} to learn more about how we serve the greater {city} area with cutting edge data technology.

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