The Datamax Thinking Blog

Without a data backup strategy, SMBs put their business at risk of failure.

Most SMBs couldn't survive not having access to their information for a few days.

Yet many SMBs ignore the one critical thing they need to do to maintain access to their information – a data backup strategy.

Business owners often simply don't understand how important the issue is – or think that backing up their laptop hard drive or a cloud storage service like Google Drive or Box is a backup strategy.

IT pros know how important data backup is but have enough to worry about - about securing the network perimeter and preventing ransomware and other cyberattacks, troubleshooting copiers and printers, and trying to plan out an IT strategy that balances costs, business needs, and security.

The last thing you need to worry about is whether your information will be there when you need it. Without a well-executed data backup strategy, there's no guarantee you'll be able to access your business information in the event of a data breach, disaster, or ransomware attack.

As much as everyone relies on technology today, we all have at least the inkling of an idea that continued access to our data is important.

However, it's not just important, it's critical (data backup is also a great way to avoid paying ransom in a ransomware attack).

As critical as it is, it's also a challenge to SMBs, many of whom simply don't have the staff to

1. Create a comprehensive plan that has minimal impact on business operations

2. Minimize downtime to minimize business disruption and loss of business – recovery time objectives need to be in hours or minutes, not days.

3. Insufficient staff to properly administer backups

4. Researching and investing in new technologies

It's also true that many SMBs develop poor data backup habits:

• Forgetting to start a scheduled backup

• Never checking to ensure the backups worked – without monitoring, there's no way to know if there's a mistake until you need your backup, and then it's too late.

• Leaving backup media (such as tape) next to the server

• Using an outdated technology like tape as their only backup tool

Outsource the Data Backup Headache

Outsourcing data backup eliminates this headache. It's also often costs less and works better than what you can do yourself.

You do need to understand the difference between storage and backup though. Cloud storage is not the same as cloud backup, so pay attention to your needs and the service description before moving your data to the cloud.

• Data backup – information and data is backed up into the cloud

• Data archive – this service provides long-term storage of data that is rarely used

• Primary storage – storage of a primary copy of data

• Secondary storage – storage space that holds a replica or another copy of data

Basically, cloud storage is simply parking your data somewhere so you can access it. Cloud data backup copies and stores multiple copies of your data so that it is accessible in case of data deletion or corruption. You can delete a file from a cloud storage service or your local hard drive. If you have a data backup plan, you can restore that file. If not, it's lost forever.

Are you sure you could access your data if your laptop or PC froze or became infected by a virus?

If you aren't sure, consider a conversation with us about outsourcing your data backup. We'll work with you to identify your specific needs and create a strategy that works for you.