7 Reasons to Backup Data Regularly at Your Company
Although backing up data at work can sometimes seem unnecessary or time-consuming, there are many reasons why it is important to do it on a regular basis. Let’s take a look at seven of the most important.
Minimizes Data Loss
If an employee accidentally (or maliciously) deletes a critical file or files that have not recently been backed up, it could be lost forever. This can be a massive loss depending on how important the file was. With a backup, however, it can easily be retrieved with a minimum amount of time lost. For example, if an employee at a pharmacy accidentally deletes a patient profile or prescription, there should be a way to recover that information in the software.
Insurance Against Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of cybercrime where hackers take control of a system and then demand payment before the files are released back to their rightful owner. If the files have been backed up, the company won’t be forced to pay these cybercriminals for their own information. There are other concerns but at least the system will continue to operate.
Troubleshooting
If a software engineer or web developer accidentally makes changes to the programming code for a file or the system that later proves to be unstable, a backup will allow them to revert to the previous version while they work out the bugs. Without a previous version to compare, there could be significant downtime, especially if the file contains thousands of lines of code.
Server Failure
Many companies operate at least one server onsite that contains nearly all of their data. If one or more of these servers stop working because of a malfunctioning hard drive or other problem, the data could be lost forever. With an offsite backup ready to go, the system can be restored in as long as it takes to copy over the files.
External Drive Lost or Stolen
A lot of small businesses, startups, and sole proprietorships can operate off of a single external or network drive, usually so the owner can have access to all the files at home, on vacation, or at the office. If that drive goes missing, either accidentally or by theft, there would be no way to retrieve the data.
Weather or Natural Disasters
Depending on the location of the company’s headquarters, natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and even mudslides could be common. Water or impact damage to the only hard drive or server could break a critical piece and cause the drive to malfunction, resulting in data loss.
Keeping Clients
If a company experiences a data loss through any of the above means (or others), they can risk missing client deadlines and potentially lose that customer. If the data is backed up securely, the information will be accessible and clients will be happy.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the many reasons why backing up data at regular intervals is important. Data loss can happen at any time, which means companies should have multiple backups available to prevent losing information or clients.