Understanding Data Backup and the Vital Role it has for Your Organization

Data continues to be the lifeblood of businesses, powering operations, driving decision-making, and fueling growth. From customer records and financial transactions to intellectual property and operational data, businesses rely on their data to maintain competitiveness and drive innovation. Data loss can cripple an organization and weaken customer trust in your services. Per Gartner Consulting, only 6% of companies without proper backup or recovery plans survived for more than two years after the disaster. With the increasing prevalence of cyber threats, the potential of hardware failures, and the inevitable human errors, backing up your organization’s data is vital.

What is Data Backup?

When someone mentions computer data, they're referring to any digital information stored and processed by a computer system. Examples of data include documents, spreadsheets, software applications, images, videos, databases, configuration settings, and user preferences. Data backup refers to the process of creating copies of data and storing them in a separate location from the original data source. The primary purpose of data backup is to protect against data loss by providing a means of recovering lost or corrupted data.

Data can be lost in a variety of ways 

1. Human Error: This may be the most common way organizations lose data. Have you ever accidentally deleted an important file or erroneously executed a command that erased data from servers, like one Pixar employee did in 2012 with Toy Story 2 movie? Humans are fallible. Mistakes happen. Even when strong processes are in place, it can only take an unintended click or two, and data can be erased. People can be clumsy too. If there is a fluky crash or inadvertent spill causing hardware to get damaged, then data can be lost.

2. Hardware malfunction: Have you ever had a hard drive fail, like the State Department US Passport and Visa operations did in 2014? Natural disasters can damage data centers. Fires and floods can ruin servers that hold company data. Manufacturers are not perfect either. Hardware can fail due to system glitches or employee miscues. These can all lead to a loss of data.

3. Cyberattacks: When a database gets corrupted with malware, many times much of the data can be lost, which is what happened in 2016 to the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Many times, hackers will deploy malware deep within a system. Security teams will isolate the area wherever the malware is and erase all the contents to ensure the malware is removed. Hackers can also hold data “hostage”. If the organization being attacked does not comply with the hacker’s requests, then they can erase all the data or even worse, release proprietary material or confidential customer information.

The Benefits of Backing Up Your Data

By maintaining backup copies of critical data, businesses can minimize impact and ensure business continuity. In the event of a data loss incident, having a backup ensures that businesses can quickly recover their data and resume normal operations without significant downtime. Without reliable backup systems in place, businesses risk losing valuable data, resulting in financial loss, operational disruption, and reputational damage.

Many industries are subject to regulatory requirements regarding data protection and retention. Implementing data backup solutions helps businesses comply with these regulations and avoid potential fines, penalties, or legal liabilities associated with data breaches or non-compliance.

The 3 Data Backup Solutions

1. On-Site Backup: On-site backup involves storing backup copies of data on physical storage devices located within the premises of the business. Common on-site backup solutions include external hard drives, network-attached storage (NAS) devices, and tape drives. While on-site backup provides quick access to data and complete control over storage, it may be susceptible to risks such as theft, fire, or natural disasters.

2. Cloud Backup: Cloud backup involves storing backup copies of data in a remote location separate from the primary data source. This can be achieved through cloud backup services, where data is securely stored in the cloud infrastructure of a third-party provider. This offers enhanced security and protection against physical threats, making it an ideal solution for disaster recovery and business continuity. Other benefits include the ability to access data from different computers and devices, relief from having to maintain your own hardware, and the means to scale easily and quickly.

3. Hybrid Backup: Hybrid backup combines elements of both on-site and cloud backup solutions to provide a comprehensive data protection strategy. In a hybrid backup setup, businesses maintain on-site backup copies for quick data recovery and replicate data to off-site locations for added redundancy and disaster recovery capabilities.

No matter how secure you feel your systems are or mistake proof your process is, data backup is a critical component of any business's IT strategy. 93% of companies in the past 3 years have been hit with a natural or human-caused disaster resulting in significant data loss. Providing protection against data loss, ensuring business continuity, and safeguarding valuable assets can save organizations. We have seen it. ZeroIn specialized in cloud backup solutions, giving you peace of mind that your data is secure, and a backup is ready if needed.