Does Your Business Have an Effective BDR Plan?

Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) is one of those things that all businesses must have in case of disaster. From a natural disaster to a hacker attack, a catastrophe could permanently disable your business if you are not prepared or do not have a proper backup plan. For those of you still backing up data manually on tapes or *cringe* not at all, here are some reasons why you need a BDR solution and should stop tuning out potential disasters.

First, a data disaster is more common than you might think. Currently, 58% of SMBs are not prepared for data loss. Even worse, 60% of SMBs that lose their data will shut down within six months. Something that could have been prevented could potentially wreck your business, especially scary to think about when 29% of hard drive failures are caused by accident. It would be silly to have human error, or a simple mishap, put your company out of business.

You may have security protocols in place and your employees are well-versed in avoiding things like malware. However, this does not ensure full protection. Human error is a major culprit in data loss. From unintentionally deleting items to accidentally overwriting data, these "oops" can hit hard. Human error can result in other kinds of hardware damage like liquid damage from spills or even accidental reformatting. Recovery might be possible, but these are time-consuming and money-wasting errors to fix.

Viruses and malware can cause significant software or hardware damage depending on what kind of bug found its way in. Usually, this can be avoided with proper employee training as well as a firewall that will help filter malicious attacks. Yet another threat is social engineering - the art of conning people. Hackers have been known to get into server rooms and other data-centric areas of the business. Employees may not even notice their mistake until it's too late.

Sometimes software corruption can come from unknown viruses lurking around your computer. However, most of the time it is due to improper usage. Actions like not shutting down the computer properly or leaving unsaved documents open can corrupt your system. Even a power outage can trigger corruption. Once the software processes are interrupted and damaged, it's virtually impossible to recover data stored in the software.

Did you know that 140,000 hard drives crash every week? That is not a comfortable position to be in if you know you don't have backup. Unfortunately, hard drive corruption is usually due to mechanical issues. Things like age and dust build-up can (and will) cause technology to fail. We've all used the old laptop that's been on its deathbed for months, freezing frequently and taking forever to load. These are all signs of an impending crash and warning signs to act against losing your data.

Finally, good old-fashioned acts of God can be catastrophic to your business. By the time you hear the tornado siren, it's too late to start backing up your data. You don't know when a natural disaster will hit, so be proactive and have a BDR plan in place.

This may seem like an exaggeration, but it has happened to many businesses. And even if only hypothetical, it makes for a great metaphor for any other crash within your business. This is also proof that on-site BDRs may not always be the final protective cover to your business. You may want to consider off-site or cloud data storage to ensure protection, so your data is safe even if your equipment is destroyed.

Protect your business and keep it running smoothly and successfully. Backup Disaster Recovery options are available for all kinds of SMBs and their needs. Protect your important data and enjoy the peace of mind that comes along with it. You've worked too hard to get your business where it is. Protect your hard work.

The technology experts at AJTC can protect your company with Backup and Disaster Recovery solutions to suit your business. Contact AJTC today to learn more about our BDR and other services. You may also visit AJT Chere or call 708.942.8200.

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