Everyone has experienced data loss at one time or another, whether due to a computer hard drive crashing or an accidental deletion that couldn’t be recovered.
The costly impacts to businesses related to data loss are many, some so severe they can cause a company to shut down for good.
Most information today is digital rather than paper, which means it could be lost unexpectedly in an instant. But, despite that well-known fact, businesses still don’t always pay enough attention to proper data backup practices.
96% of all business workstations aren’t being backed up.
Some of the common backup mistakes that people make include:
- Not including all data in their backup
- Only saving data in a single place
- Not having an offsite/cloud backup
- Leaving backups unmonitored
- Letting backups run out of space
- Not testing the recovery of their backup regularly
- Not backing up cloud services, like Office 365 or G Suite
Backups are, unfortunately, one of those parts of a technology plan that can suffer from “out of sight, out of mind,” with businesses not regularly monitoring backups to ensure they’re running smoothly. Then, a data loss incident happens, and the company realizes they don’t have that safety net they thought, and the consequences can be severe.
What Happens After a Data Loss Incident?
The impacts of losing your business data can include anything from spending hours recreating lost work products to losing your entire business due to severe data loss.
Data loss can happen out of the blue and due to various causes. Some common causes of lost data include:
- Hard drive crash
- Software issue
- Cloud service problem
- Natural or manmade disaster (hurricane, tornado, fire, etc.)
- Accidental deletion or overwrite
- Human error (liquid spills, dropped device, etc.)
- Malicious deletion
- Lost or stolen device
- Malware/virus/ransomware
A well-managed backup and recovery plan prevent catastrophic data loss. With a strong data recovery process, yur business is protected from the following consequences should an incident of data loss occur at your office.
Downtime/Loss of Productivity
When you suffer data loss, it can mean “all hands on deck” trying to undo the damage and regain access to your data. One of the most harmful forms of data loss is ransomware attacks. Ransomware makes data unusable and causes organizations to scramble to get things back online or pay the ransom.
There have been several news stories noting ransomware causing city services to be unavailable for days and hospitals to divert patients because they didn’t have access to their records.
The average cost of downtime is $5,600 per minute. So, the longer you’re down and trying to recover data, the more costly the event.
Exposure of Sensitive Information
If you’ve suffered data loss due to a data breach, that can mean that a hacker has their hands on sensitive information like employee SSNs or client credit card numbers.
The average data breach exposes 25,575 records and the average cost per lost record is $150.00. This comes from a combination of costs related to downtime, privacy compliance penalties, and restoration of data and operations.
Loss of New & Repeat Business
If you’ve lost your marketing data or product database, it can make servicing new customers more difficult. Business is impacted without the data you need to support customers.
Loss of business can be compounded because you not only lose repeat business if you can’t properly service a customer’s need in a timely manner, but you can also lose new business and the ongoing sales that would’ve brought with it.
Loss of Forward Motion
When your company is crippled by a major data loss incident, instead of focusing on growing your business, you and your employees are trying to restore normal operations, so you end up losing forward motion.
Catastrophic data loss can take a long time to recover from, and some files may never be able to be replaced. This can hamper a company and stunt its growth for months and years after the incident.
Loss of Your Company
Some data loss is so severe it can cause companies to go out of business altogether because they cannot recover. Even data recovery services can’t help. Here are a few sobering statistics related to catastrophic data loss:
- 51% of businesses that suffer severe data loss close within two years.
- 43% of companies experiencing a major loss of data close and never reopen.
- 93% of companies that have lost a data center for at least ten days during a disaster had to file for bankruptcy within a year.
Technology is such a large part of any organization these days, including the digital assets we access in the course of business.
How Does Data Recovery Help in Keeping Business Data Safe?
Data recovery plays a crucial role in keeping your business data safe. Accidental file deletion, hardware failure, or cyber attacks can result in data loss. With effective data recovery solutions, businesses can restore lost or corrupted files quickly, minimizing downtime and ensuring data integrity. Regular backups and implementing robust recovery strategies provide a safety net, protecting critical information from potential threats. Keeping your business data safe is vital for continuity and long-term success.
Protect Yourself Against Devastating Data Loss!
ZZ Servers believes proper data backup and recovery should be fast, easy, and reliable. We believe recovering data after an issue should not require a data recovery service. We offer both business and home backup solutions that are affordable and that you can count on to have your back no matter what.
Contact us today to ensure your files are protected. Call 800-796-3574 or reach out online.
