No Data Backups are Bad for Business

Backing up your computer systems is one of the most overlooked technology components for small businesses.  Computers used in the day-to-day operations of a business are vital to that business being able to continue operating smoothly and without issue yet they are rarely backed up.Even the businesses which at least consider the cost of losing a computer usually have such an inconsistent backup plan that the backups are of little real data value.  This however is still better than not having a backup at all.  Here are 3 ways to store your data and save yourself thousands of dollars in the event of data loss due to a system failure:

1. File Backup – This is the easiest form of backup and can be performed on-site locally or off-site at the cloud level.  This is the cheapest and easiest option but requires the user to be conscious of saving their files in locations that are backed up regularly such as a specific folder.
2. Full Disk Backup – This is the safest form of backup from a data perspective because your system’s entire hard drive is cloned on a regular basis.  This means the user can just go about their day without thinking if something they did is going to be backed up or not.  The drawbacks to this is the backup is normally performed locally on-site which will save you from a system crash but not from a fire, flood, or other devastating business loss.  The reason for this is because full disk backups are usually too large to be performed offsite to the cloud, however this ability is rapidly improving.
3. Incremental Disk Backup – Offsite, full disk backup can be achieved by regularly providing incremental backups of what has changed since the prior backup.  This works well because it requires back ups to be performed nightly or bi-weekly to minimize the size of a backup’s data transfer and also allows the business to keep its backups in a secure environment.  So your backups are always current and stored off site.  The only drawback to this option is the necessity of a fast internet connection and the monthly costs associated with keeping offsite storage.  The cost of offsite storage though pales in comparison to the cost of data loss to your business.

So when you shut the doors at night, give yourself some peace of mind that no matter what happens between then and the next morning, your businesses data and vital computer systems are backed up and safe.  It is a very cheap insurance policy for your businesses health and ability to operate.  If you need help setting up a backup plan for your business, give us a call and we’ll be glad to help.