In a world entombed in digital technology, data is the driving force for all businesses, large or small, and most individuals. Whether this data represents sales, customer information, quantity on hand, contacts, bank account information, user passwords, etc., must be protected at all costs. There are many ways to protect your data, but the most important is to regularly back up the data. However, the question at hand is how often should you back up your data? Many factors come into play when determining how often to back up data.
This article will not give you a set schedule to adhere to when backing up all of your crucial data. What may work for some companies or individuals may not necessarily be effective for others. What this article will give you, though, is the knowledge and understanding of data backups for you to use to develop your own plan.
Why Is it Important to Back-Up My Data?
Data loss can happen to anyone at any given time. There are more ways for this to occur than you want to read through, so we will keep it short. Theft, accidental deletions, malware, and physical damage are some of the reasons in which you could lose your vital data. These reasons are important enough to create your own data backup schedule. Although the old saying “If you have one, you have none” is definitely true, data loss is not the only reason to back up your data.
The IRS requires that you keep records of all tax-related aspects of your business. There are no exceptions to this law, so it would benefit you and your company to get those records backed up in case of emergencies. Data back-ups also help a business get “back up” on its feet after a natural disaster. The sooner you can access your records and files, the sooner you can open the doors again. This could mean more customers taken from the competition. More customers mean… well, you know.
So, How Often Should I Back Up My Data?
While there is no direct answer to this question, here are a few good tips when deciding for yourself. If you are looking to perform overall backups, then at the very least, once a week should be your target. This is not considering whether the data is essential, very important, absolutely vital, or just meh. Sorting your data into categories based on importance could take more time in the process but save you time in the long run.
Vital data that drives your business daily should be backed up as often as possible. A good strategy would be to ask yourself, “What would happen to your business if you lost this data to unforeseen circumstances?”. If the answer is anything close to a level 5 meltdown, then maybe a daily backup would not hurt.
A good backup plan should include sending your data to a cloud storage facility. These cloud storage facilities are at a different geographical location from your business headquarters. This protects your data from the threat of fire, flooding, vandalism, theft, and anything else catastrophic. Even if your office is reduced to ash or turned into an indoor pool, your data is safe and sound. You can pick when to back up your data with cloud storage and then forget about it.
This could be semi-daily, daily, weekly, or whatever you choose; the cloud storage software will perform the backup for you. This is the wisest decision your company can make when deciding how to back up its data.
Whether you carry the motto “back up everything” or you choose to categorize your data into the important and the less important, a solid backup plan is necessary in today’s digital world. Hopefully, this article has provided you with the understanding needed to decide on your data backup schedule.
Why Choose Small Enterprise Technology?
Small Enterprise Technology was founded with the concept of providing its clients with a professional, first-class customer experience. Their goal is to be your technology partner, not just another IT helpdesk. Reach out to a customer representative with any further inquiries. To learn more about how Small Enterprise Technology can help your business stay protected from data leakages and loss, call or contact us today to get started!
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