A lot of small businesses make the mistake of thinking backups are something only needed by big businesses. However, regular backups are essential to keeping your company secure. They prevent a future disaster or cyber attack, so they are a vital part of any cybersecurity strategy.
Storing data onsite is a good first step, but it shouldn’t be your only step. Offsite storage protects your data in case of an unexpected security breach or even a natural disaster. It’s impossible to know what the future has in store for your business. The best thing you can do is prepare today so you’re ready no matter what happens tomorrow. Here’s why offsite data protection is essential to your business if you want to be future-proof.
What is Offsite Data Protection?
First, let’s establish what offsite data protection is and how it differs from onsite protection. Another name for offsite data protection is “offsite backup,” and it’s essentially a duplicate copy of files in a different geographic location. The key here is the location. While many companies store their backups onsite, this opens you to a number of threats.
If there is an attack through the local network, for example, this could corrupt the backup file as well if it’s located onsite only. Another instance where it pays to have an offsite backup is if there’s a natural disaster. These natural disasters are unexpected and completely destroy servers and equipment in some situations. An offsite backup will ensure there are safe versions for backup recovery.
Offsite backup solutions vary widely. They include cloud storage or multiple servers. While there’s no single solution that works for every company, we can all agree having an offsite backup is a must. According to research from IHS market, every year North American companies waste $700 billion on IT downtime. Don’t risk your businesses funds, security, and time on a poor data protection system.
Creating a Data Protection Strategy
Now that you understand the importance of data protection both onsite and offsite, let’s walk step-by-step through the process of protecting your business. You need a plan that’s affordable not only today but for years to come. You also will want to consider having a hybrid solution that can grow with your business. When in doubt, work with a data protection specialist who can assist with assessing your unique cybersecurity threat and your challenges.
Here are the basic steps for creating a system that works for your business:
- Know your needs – Depending on your current data, you might not need a massive backup solution. Think about what data you need to protect above all, and how quickly you’ll need to restore this data if it were to fail. Knowing your most important data and your needed response time will guide the rest of your planning.
- Assess your risk – Every company has data risks, some more than others. Don’t make the mistake of assuming your business has no risks because that’s simply not the case in this day and age. If your company has ever been hacked before or if you’re in a natural disaster-prone area, you’re at a higher risk.
- Consider your options – Next, look into the different options include hardware backups, software solutions, and hybrid options. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all.
- Choose a platform – Now that you know what solution is right for you, choose a platform to back up your data. This might be through a vendor or a cloud-based system.
- Build a timeline – Determine how long it will take to back up your current data. Your vendor or platform can lead this discussion.
- Finalize your recovery plan – Finally, it’s time to create a recovery plan in the case of a data emergency. These are procedures you’ll follow if there’s a breach in data or another emergency.
These steps are really as straightforward as they seem. It may seem like a lot of work, but it’s vital you know how to protect your business today. No matter how big or small your organization, take steps to protect your customers, employees, and data. You can’t predict the future, so at least prepare for it today by creating an offsite data protection plan.
