Do You Have a Data Recovery Plan? Here’s Why You Need One.
We all know how important business data is in today’s digital world. We’re creating and using tons of it every day. In fact, according to Forbes, a mind-blowing 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every 24 hours! And a lot of that data is essential to keeping your business running smoothly. So, there’s no debate: this data has to stay protected. But the real question is—do you have a process in place to keep your data safe? Better yet, do you have a disaster recovery plan in case something goes wrong?
With cyberattacks on the rise, now’s the perfect time to make sure you have a solid data recovery plan. In this article, we’ll explore the risks of not having a plan and why every business—big or small—needs one. Without a plan, you might be putting your business on the line.
The Dangers of Not Having a Plan
Without a data recovery plan, your business is vulnerable to all sorts of risks that could compromise your data. One prime example? Cyberattacks—especially ransomware. According to CompariTech, two out of five SMBs have been hit by ransomware attacks. Without a solid backup and recovery plan, cybercriminals can hold your data hostage, leaving you with few options.
Ransomware attacks aren’t rare these days. And the success rate of companies recovering from them? Not great. Sophos found that 46% of companies targeted by ransomware paid the ransom, but only 4% of them actually got their data back. The easiest solution? A data backup and recovery plan. But cyberattacks aren’t the only threat small businesses face.
One of the biggest dangers to any business is downtime. According to Forbes, 82% of companies have experienced at least one unplanned downtime incident in the last few years—and it’s never cheap. Gartner found that the average cost of downtime is $5,600 per minute. That adds up to over $300,000 if your business experiences just an hour of downtime. With a data recovery plan, you can almost eliminate downtime because you’ll always have access to your data.
Why Having a Data Backup & Recovery Plan is Essential
There are plenty of reasons why having a data recovery plan is crucial to your business’s success. The most obvious? Your data is valuable, and it can be easily lost in a cyberattack or system failure. With a backup plan in place, you’ll always have a second copy of your files, even if your data gets compromised. But data security is only part of the story—there’s also compliance to think about.
A data backup and recovery plan is vital for maintaining compliance standards. Staying compliant helps you avoid costly fines, which is especially important if you work in a highly regulated industry like finance, healthcare, government, or law. For example, HIPAA violations can cost up to $50,000 per violation, so keeping your data backed up is a must—not just for security, but to avoid hefty fines.
Beyond security and compliance, a disaster recovery plan can also save you money in day-to-day operations. With a cloud management system, your team can access what they need on a scalable platform that boosts productivity and job satisfaction. A cloud backup and recovery system helps your employees do their best work, while an IT infrastructure with long-term cloud solutions benefits your business for the long haul.
Let Us Help You Protect Your Data
At Sawyer Solutions in Alabama, we offer long-term plans to make sure your data stays secure. Whether you need basic cloud upgrades or a full offsite data management solution, our IT experts are available to help with all your business IT needs.
Want more IT tips for your business? Check out our previous blogs on cybersecurity and cloud solutions, or contact our team to chat!