The reliance on data is ever-growing, and as this increases, so does the volume of possible cyberattacks from cybercriminals. As a result, the need to have certain precautionary solutions in place must be emphasised. Survey records show that 43% of small businesses in Asia are targets of cyberattacks. This statistic shows that as cyber-attacks increase, so should the intensity of data backups. Having a data backup system in place reduces any catastrophic consequence that may ever occur, such as hardware failure, software corruption, and cyberattacks. However, one thing is essential for an effective data backup – having a robust backup strategy. A robust backup strategy is imperative for small businesses to protect their data, ensure business continuity, and mitigate potential disasters. Continue reading to discover why backup strategy is vital and the best backup strategy for your small business.
What is a Backup Strategy for Small Businesses?
A backup strategy is the approach used in backing up business data. This includes backup frequency, data recovery plans, and storage of backup data. A backup strategy for small businesses focuses on two main components; data backup and data recovery. The core objective of a backup strategy is to guarantee that the business has unfailing backups which can be used when and if data is lost. Why is a Backup Strategy Vital for Small Businesses? The existence of a data backup strategy for your small business ensures adequate protection of your business against data loss from possible hardware failure, software corruption, human error, and cyberattacks. A backup strategy should be included in any business plan regardless of size. It should be placed noticeably on your business risk register.
What’s the Best Backup Strategy for Small Businesses?
In the event of data loss, having a strategy in place helps your IT service team and employees understand the next mode of action in selecting the appropriate backup solution and other important steps which are to be taken.
Assess Your Data Needs and Prioritise
The first step in developing an effective backup strategy is understanding what data needs to be protected and determining its criticality. Categorise your data based on importance and sensitivity. Also, not all data may require the same backup frequency or retention level. Therefore, access which data holds more importance over the other and prioritise its backup. This prioritisation will help you allocate resources more efficiently and focus on safeguarding essential data.
Automating Regular Backups
Relying on manual backups can lead to various human errors, such as missed backups, backup errors, incomplete backups, or wrong backups. This can leave your business and data vulnerable and at a loss in the event of a data breach, data loss, or stolen or damaged device. Therefore, automating the backup of your data ensures up-to-date backed-up data. Also, small businesses can invest in reliable solutions that automatically and consistently back up their data daily or in real-time.
Set Your Data Backup Frequency
Setting up a daily or weekly data backup time frame, depending on the volume and frequency of data changes, is one of the best backup strategies small businesses should implement. Recent backup solutions, particularly cloud backup solutions, can support a higher backup pace than they previously could. As a result, you may synchronise backups of specific file types, guaranteeing that the most recent updates are available during a disaster.
Store Backups Offsite
It is imperative to ensure diligence in the storage of data in a secure location to avoid impact in the case of business failure, the said secure location is recommended to be confidential, and its location should be disclosed to employees who are prerequisites to know. Therefore, this preserves data from unforeseen circumstances and intentional sabotage.
Create Your Disaster Recovery Plan
These types of recovery plans are common knowledge and are created with your IT service team as they are in the best position to implement recovery in the case of loss. A data recovery plan envisages and prepares for data loss by ensuring higher data loss preparation levels. It is recommended to have a data recovery plan, even if it seems redundant at the time.
Encrypt backups
In the case of a data breach or your device is stolen, you want to ensure the data is inaccessible. This is important for every small business as an added security measure to protect sensitive data. Important data should be encrypted while in transit or at rest. This means sensitive data should be encrypted while uploading to the cloud server and even offsite.
Test and Validate Backups
Backup solutions are only as effective as their ability to restore data when needed. Regularly test your backups to ensure they are working correctly and validate the integrity of the data. Conduct periodic recovery tests to verify that you can retrieve your data accurately and efficiently. This practice helps identify and resolve any potential issues before a disaster strikes.
Backup solutions for Small Businesses
Having backup solutions in place is crucial in effectively and safely backing up your data. Here are some backup solutions for small businesses
Cloud Backup
Cloud computing has been one of the biggest changes to small businesses in the last few years. It has enabled businesses of all sizes to be more adaptable in their work operation while ensuring business efficiency and productivity. Some cloud backup providers include Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive. Cloud backup uses a remote network server to host files in a separate location where you store your files daily. This makes for easy retrieval and restoration in the instance of a data loss.
Backup Software
A backup software program will commonly work by putting away these duplicates on a device or the internet, empowering a speedy device-only restoration in the case of a cyber-attack.
External Hard Drives
External hard drives are physical storage solutions that provide on-site backups. They are easy to set up and offer quick data recovery. Small businesses can use them for regular backups and as additional storage.
Use Remote Storage
Remote backup storage is basic for small business continuity. When unprecedented disasters happen on-site, you cannot bear to lose access to your data. Small businesses should keep duplicates of their backups at a secondary location to guarantee they can be retrieved when the worst disasters strike.
Managed IT Services
For businesses with limited IT resources or expertise, managed IT service providers can handle all data backup and recovery aspects. They offer proactive monitoring, management, and support for your backup needs.
Get Your Backup Solutions with Managed IT Asia
Get started on creating a backup strategy for your small business with technology’s ever-changing and developing nature. Contact us for more tips on creating a reliable backup strategy, as well as getting the best backup solutions for your business.
MANAGED IT ASIA, we are an IT Support, IT Solutioning and Managed IT Service Provider specializing in serving Small Businesses across Asia. Call us at +65 6748 8776 and let us manage your Small Business IT today!