Part Three: Backup & Disaster Recovery

By: Sam Geary, Marketing Executive

We’ve covered Patch Management (if you missed the first of our five-part blog, read it here) and Cyber Essentials (read part two here), now it’s time to focus on the big one.

Well, big in terms of the impact you could be faced with if you don’t have a plan in place.

Backup and Disaster Recovery.

Protecting your data is so important. With the new data protection regulation now in place, you’re probably aware that it’s not just a case of encrypting your data and keeping your fingers crossed.

Several procedures will need to be in place in order to maximise your data protection.

Understanding the importance of protecting your data in the event of an emergency is highlighted in Article 32 of the GDPR:

‘The ability to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner in the event of a physical or technical incident’.

So, this brings us on to the subject of backing up your data. Let’s start with a stat straight from the Backup and DR Gods, Datto…

Only 6% of businesses WITHOUT a disaster recovery plan survive a disaster.

That’s an awfully high statistic, right?

Well if you fail to plan, you could be one of those 94% of businesses who crash and burn when a disaster strikes.

Every business must prepare for the worst.

If not, then recovering from a disaster can be a very long winded (and sometimes impossible) process. The amount of blood, sweat and tears (you’ll probably quite literally cry) just isn’t worth it when you can prevent it.

Did you know that 80% of downtime instances impacts mission-critical business data… and the leading cause? Human error.

Asides from human error, natural disasters and system disasters can also happen, so it’s virtually impossible to dodge downtime.

Now I’ve finished throwing facts and stats at you, let me talk about one of our data protection services that could help your business. Backup, disaster recovery and business continuity usually come as three separate solutions, but we offer it as a combined service.

Drum roll…

Cloud DR is the name and backup and disaster recovery is the game.

Our service allows you to wave goodbye to downtime, because no business that relies on IT can afford to experience downtime.

After partnering with Datto, we’ve been given the opportunity to offer enterprise level technology that has the power to make your business secure and instantly restorable.

This 100% cloud-based solution helps towards the section of Article 32 that was mentioned earlier.

Anyway, the point of this blog is not to highlight why our backup and disaster recovery solution is the best option for your business (although it probably is).

The point of this blog is to highlight WHY it’s so important to have a solution in place and what could happen if you don’t. It’s more than just ‘complying’ with the new data protection regulation. It’s about allowing your business to carry on operating without any risks of downtime.

Without a disaster recovery plan, you’re putting your business in the firing line. What would you do if your office was burnt down? What if your IT infrastructure was infected with ransomware? What if a member of your team permanently deleted some very important files?

There are various situations where you could be faced with downtime. Unforeseeable things happen, but the most important thing to do is not avoid it (although do try your best) … What you should be doing is preparing for it.

No one likes doing it… But preparing for the worst is your best option, so, if you don’t already have one, get your disaster recovery plan in place.

Don’t know where to start?

Check out our Essential DR Plan and start preparing today.

You should also take a look at our Disaster Survival Guide to learn about the potential impact and considerations you should bear in mind when disaster strikes.

In fact, whilst you’re at it, check out our ‘Disaster Recovery Like Never Before’ page, you’ll find a few essential ‘disaster planning’ resources that’ll come in handy if you’d like to learn more about the topic and prepare your business for the worst.

… But remember! Prevention is better than cure.

Catch you next time for part-four! I’ll be talking about all things antivirus and explaining why protecting against threats should be high up on your ‘data protection’ list. Thanks for reading!

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