Businesses rely on data to make critical decisions that affect their bottom lines. What happens if they suddenly lose access to it? Far too many organizations see their productivity and profits impacted by data loss. That is why backups are necessary for every business.
Businesses have backed up their data since the age of floppy disks. Technology has become more advanced, and so have the threats to organizations. Many businesses are now moving their data to cloud-native digital platforms. Losing access to that data could devastate a company. With the advent of Backup as a Service (BaaS) technology, businesses can recover their data quickly and easily after any data disruption.
Implementing Backups the Right Way
Maintaining backups in-house can be time-consuming. Since data disruption costs can be thousands to millions of dollars, businesses should do it right. That means having two (or more) physical and electronic copies, one where the data and applications primarily reside and the other in a geographically different location. It is a task that requires daily monitoring of backup applications that businesses should outsource to BaaS providers, especially in case the local backups are compromised.
The Benefit to Outsourcing
BaaS providers can be an indispensable partner for businesses that rely on data to make critical decisions. In addition to offering cloud storage solutions to protect data from unauthorized access, theft, and other forms of data loss, these providers offer recovery services so businesses can restore their data in the event of a disaster. They can also offer highly scalable infrastructure that can adapt to a business’s changing needs. BaaS keeps companies running by protecting their most valuable assets, their data, and frees CTOs to work on business-oriented tasks.
Managing Backups Effectively
Do you still think backing up your data in-house is good business practice? Ask yourself the following questions:
- When did you last test it?
- Where is the offsite backup?
- How frequently are you backing up your systems and data?
The consequences of a data disruption are too severe for ad hoc backups to be your standard business practice. Thousands of hackers worldwide have made a profession out of coming after business data. You might be thinking your business is safe. Whether you run financial data, military secrets, or a small manufacturing business, every business has the one thing hackers want: cash flow. When a hacker hijacks your network, especially via ransomware, you cannot ship products, process payments, and even payroll unless you pay them to decrypt what they encrypted. A good backup can make the difference between recovery and a costly data loss.
We have seen the devastation on the faces of new clients who did not back up and encrypt their data when we told them we had to build a brand-new network. The company’s file cabinets were the only things that held a history of their invoices, payments, and design work. Every business needs a BaaS partner that will manage and maintain their backup because preventing a disaster is more preferable than paying for one.
