We often see businesses that don’t have adequate measures in place for backup and disaster recovery. As a result, when instances occur and data or access to technology is lost, they suffer consequences that can be detrimental to their business.
Since we began to offer backup and disaster recovery services, we have helped numerous businesses to implement effective disaster recovery solutions. In addition to this, we’ve also helped companies to understand the importance of these measures and plans.
As with any of our services, we pride ourselves on excellent customer service – we understand that every business we work with has different needs and varying levels of understanding, so we completely tailor our approach to suit them. From the first enquiry you make, you’ll be working with a friendly team that puts your best interests first.
In IT, a backup, or a data backup, refers to a copy of data that is stored elsewhere. Then, this copy can be used to restore the original if a data loss event occurs. A proper backup copy will be stored in a separate system or medium, such as a disk storage system or tape drive, away from the original data. This then mitigates the risk of a data loss incident due to software or hardware failure. Data failures can occur because of data corruption, accidental deletion of data caused by human error, or malicious attacks, such as a virus, malware, or ransomware attack. Weather-related events can also occur and cause data loss, hence why some businesses decide to have copies of their data stored in remote locations.
In the case of computer files, a backup then refers to copies of the original files that you have on your external hard drive, desktop, or laptop. You may also hear this process get referred to as ‘operational recovery’. These backup solutions are essential for business continuity in the wake of an incident. For these disaster recovery strategies to be effective, backups should be made consistently and on a regular basis. This minimises the amount of data that could be lost between backups; the greater the amount of time between backups, the greater amount of data that could be lost.
On the other hand, disaster recovery is a business’s strategy that’s in place to help them recover after an incident. This tends to involve how they will regain access and restore functionality to their technologies and infrastructure. These disaster recovery processes will be executed in the event of data loss, but how this data is lost can vary. Disaster recovery is essential for business continuity and minimising the recovery times following the loss of data or access to infrastructure.
The terms are often used interchangeably, yet there are significant differences. Understanding what backups and disaster recovery can help you ensure that you’ve got a strategy in place to avoid losing any data or access to your business technologies. Backups are the copying of data and, although it sounds like an easy process, it can often be complicated as there are multiple ways to perform a backup, and backups can be in different forms. That’s exactly why we provide support to help businesses with their backups. That way, you can have peace of mind that your backups are effective and successful.
A backup solution is only helpful when you understand the strategy that’s in place. This is exactly where disaster recovery plays a part. Disaster recovery is a plan that’s in place to protect a company from data loss and the subsequent effects. These plans aim to maintain business continuity and functions throughout the entire process – in other words, before, during, and after an incident.
Disaster recovery tends to be used as an umbrella term, which encompasses backups. Ultimately, the main difference between backup and recovery is breadth and actions. A backup refers to the copying of data, but disaster recovery refers to the entire strategy that is in place for responding to and recovering from an incident. Part of this will involve putting the backups into action.
Access to your data, without restrictions – Storing your data in different locations means that the information is protected in the event of data breaches, power outages, or any other unfortunate event. On the other hand, if you store your data in one location, you risk losing it and being unable to recover it. This can be detrimental to your business, in terms of your operations and also your reputation too. Online backup services are especially beneficial because you can access your data at any time, regardless of your location.
Extra protection & peace of mind – Besides the practical benefits of disaster recovery, it also gives you peace of mind that your data is protected. You don’t have to worry about losing your data and dealing with the issues that it can create – if an unfortunate event takes place, then there’s no need to worry. Cloud backups can be particularly helpful in protecting your data against the likes of natural disasters or flooding, as there’s no hardware required.
Protection for your customers – Data protection doesn’t just provide benefits for your business, but it also helps to protect your customers too. If you store information for your customers, then you should be able to recover this in the event of any data loss. If you do not back up your customer data, then your business will certainly suffer in the event of a loss of data.
Protection for your business – The growth and success of your business will largely depend on the information that you store that relates to your operations and processes. By backing up this data, you can ensure that a loss of data doesn’t affect the success of your business. Instead of losing this data and therefore losing the opportunity to grow your business, you can easily retrieve the copies and pick up where you left off.
Your backup strategy, and what’s included, will largely depend on your business and what you see as a priority. However, regardless of your sector and business model, there are a few things that are necessities when it comes to your backup plan. These are:
Financial data: One of the main things to back up on a regular basis is your financial data, such as accounting records, revenue records, expense receipts, bank statements, and everything in between. As a business, it’s likely that you’ll complete transactions daily, so you may even choose to back up your data hourly or every few hours. Having a backup of this data usually falls under compliance regulations, either within your company or the sector more broadly.
Admin documents: When considering what to backup, you might completely disregard your general administrative records and documents. However, these can have a huge impact on your business, if they were to be destroyed or lost. For example, if you lost your business plans, marketing materials, and sales information, think about how much of an effect that would have on your organisation and its functionality. This also extends to the likes of your insurance policies and patents. There should be copies of these documents both in an onsite and offsite location.
Personnel records: Your company’s personnel records should be secure and available whenever they’re needed. These records should pertain to employees’ past and present, and they will include the likes of payroll records and employment taxes. These records should be backed up regularly – if you make changes daily, then consider backing these records up daily.
Disruption to productivity and normal business operations – If you lose access to your data and technology, this can lead to unplanned downtime. Then, the first consequence your company will suffer from is a disruption to productivity, which is ultimately the backbone of your business operations. Your productivity suffers because you can’t access the files and the data you need, but also because your time is taken up dealing with the aftermath of the event that’s taken place resulting in data loss. These consequences of downtime are often overlooked, yet the Strategic Resource Institute figures that organisations that cannot resume operation within ten days of an incident are unlikely to survive, showing the importance of backup and disaster recovery.
Exposure of information – In a data loss incident, sensitive information is likely to be exposed. This sensitive information may contain your customer’s email addresses and payment details, as well as important information that pertains to your business operations and important details about your organisation and employees. This data can be valuable to cyber criminalists and can therefore lead to severe consequences for your business and your customers. It’s this exposure of information that can cause your reputation to suffer.
Legal action and financial penalties – In the event of customer data or employee records being compromised, your business may face financial penalties and legal action. The Information Commissioner’s Office can enforce fines of up to £500,000 if they find that your business has not complied with the Data Protection Act. As well as this, the individuals that have been affected by the data breach may also decide to take legal action against your company.
Loss of credibility – In the 21st Century, news travels fast. Whilst many of the stories to hit the headlines involve large, well-known corporations, small businesses affected by a loss of data can also experience a loss of credibility too, especially if customer data is compromised. Customers want to trust the companies they use, and if their data is compromised, then they may decide to take their business elsewhere. Similarly, the negative publicity that your business suffers from can mean that your reputation is severely damaged. Trying to repair your reputation following a data loss incident can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive.
Complete business closure – For many small businesses, data loss can lead to the complete breakdown of their company. For many, the cost of legal proceedings or trying to repair their business is all too much, and eventually, their business will close for good – this is perhaps the main reason why backup strategies and an effective disaster recovery process are essential.
As with any of our services, we know that when it comes to business continuity strategies and disaster recovery planning, every approach must be tailored to each business. To put it simply, a “one size fits all” approach simply doesn’t work. That’s why we get to know our clients well before we decide on the services that they need. We’ll get to know your team and what you have in place already, and then we can use our expertise accordingly to build on that.
We’ll make all the relevant assessments to ensure that we add value and significantly improve things for your business. This usually involves an audit and a review document. Then, we’ll use our skills and experience to implement effective strategies and hassle-free technology that are designed to back up critical applications and data. There are several types of backup methods, but we pride ourselves on using simple yet effective processes that are tailored to your company and your existing business processes.
Now, you might be wondering how exactly our backup and disaster recovery services work. Ultimately, we do the hard work for you behind the scenes, but here’s a quick overview of what to expect from the service:
Evidently, reliable backup services and disaster recovery are vital for any business – it’s important to prepare for the worst and have the necessary measures in place, so you can get back up and running at the earliest opportunity. We know that every company will have different needs and processes, which is exactly why we tailor our services to suit you. If you’re interested in backup and disaster recovery services, so that you can maintain a great reputation and keep your business afloat if the worst were to happen, then we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today to discuss your needs.
“Everything Tech have provided us with excellent service and project support during an incredible period of growth for TC Group. Our ability to finalise an acquisition on a Friday and have all users, applications, and data available on a Monday has allowed us to integrate our people and deliver on our growth plans over the last 4 years. Everything Tech are the safe pair of hands we need in a fast-paced organisation like TC Group.”
Mark Adams – Head of Partner Services – TC Group
TC Group – Mark Adams
TC Group
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