Is Your Data Backed Up?
Posted by aonenetworks On June 7, 2013
It might come as a surprise, but many small businesses and even some medium-sized businesses struggle when it comes to properly managing data. Small business owners are often unaware of proper security, storage and backup protocols. According to studies, enterprise-sized companies take steps to keep their data as safe as possible. Why don’t small businesses always do the same?
The simple answer to this question is lack of awareness and the dangers that can come from not providing backup files.
Why create a backup?
No matter how big or small a business is, it still has important data. Losing such data can be harmful to the business if a backup is not present. Small business owners need to ask themselves, “What will happen if all or even some of my business’ data is lost?’
While it may not be the end of the world, losing mounds of data can cause huge setbacks in a number of departments. A security breach can cripple a business in one fell swoop, and that can take a newer business down before it even has a chance to succeed.
How do you create a backup?
Small businesses do not need to hire IT professionals in order to create backups. Professionals can be useful, of course, to prevent security breaches and other problems. However, copying data onto a flash drive, an external hard disk or a Cloud service only requires basic computer skills. There are also programs that can be used to create backups of important data, if you prefer them to simply making copies yourself.
There are two types of backups which can be created;
- Local Backup
This is the type in which a backup is created on another computer, laptop, flash drive, hard disk, CDs, etc.
- Online Backup
This is when a backup is created online. There are online backup services which a business can pay for. This can be useful because the data is still safe even if your backup location is damaged, lost or stolen. The data is present on the Internet and can be downloaded when needed.
Creating a backup is a small but important step when it comes to minimizing the security risks which a small business can face. Once you’ve created a backup, you have the peace of mind of knowing that your business’s data is safe even if something unfortunate occurs.
