According to recent surveys; 49% of small businesses do not do any type of data backup. That’s an alarming statistic. One of the first things a business owner should do, big or small, is ensure you have a backup plan to save all your data and you should ensure the data is saved daily. Many owners who have the backup data capabilities have attested to how important it was when it saved them from a catastrophic situation.
Offsite Backup Solutions for Small to Large Businesses
The study not only reported the extraordinarily high number of businesses that are not prepared with data backup plans, but the statistics regarding the related topics are enough to convince you to have two separate copies of your backup data saved in separate locations for your business. The study reports that only 51% of businesses have in their possession one copy of the data, of which a third have experienced losing their data at least once, in which the same study says on average, 33% of businesses will lose their data at some point.
External Hard Drive VS Cloud Based Backup
External hard drives remain the most popular way to perform data backup for quite a few business owners where others are utilizing the cloud-based backup systems. Our recommendation at Lucid Blue Media is to use both. This way you have two different locations as to where your data backup is located and obviously, two copies of the data.
Data Backup Plan Strategy & Solution
A good backup plan for your business’s data according to experts involves the following:
Frequency: Setting up ongoing backup is the most optimal way to ensure you always have the latest copy of your files available and saved for your convenience.
Ease: Compared to decades past, backing up your data was a cumbersome at best as the process required manual copying of the data to tapes or discs and your constant supervising at the computer. Now with a simple adjusting of a setting on your computer, you can easily backup your company’s data.
Offsite: Of the 2 copies, you should keep 1 backup copy stored off-site. The cloud-based backup is an ideal solution. Though toting an external hard drive with you is an option, depending on the service you choose, your data backs up to remote servers across town, across the country or even across the world.
Secure: Cloud-based backup services offer greater additional security than opting for backing up data onto your own servers. However, that doesn’t mean they are foolproof. Ideally, you should avoid using a consumer backup service for your business and select a business-class solution for increased security. Ask how they secure your data, including how often they back up your backups, where they store the backups, and who has access to your data when inquiring with the different backup companies you are interested in. Many business needs to meet specific industry security standards for storing data, such as HIPAA regulations, if this pertains to you, be sure to the service provider offers that level of security.
Fast retrieval: In the event you need to retrieve your backup data, be sure to ask the provider how quickly you can get access, as some services allow you to get them immediately, while others may require 24-hour turnaround.
