How to Defend Against Data Disasters

Modern businesses are heavily dependent on their data. Attackers are using advanced techniques for targeting companies. They can send malicious emails to your employees. Your employees might download malicious email attachments. This malware will start infecting other systems in your network. Your hours of hard work will be destroyed in seconds. Most companies are using technology for doing their daily operations. Thus, it is important to protect your business from a tech disaster. In this article, we are going to share some tips that will help you in protecting your data from a data disaster.

1. Data backups are important

You need to regularly backup your data. It is important to backup your data at least once per day. Also, your data backup should be stored in multiple locations. Many companies will only store their data backups in their on-site location. This is a very big mistake as your whole data can get corrupted. Disasters like floods, earthquake, data breaches, and security breaches can affect your data.

You should use cloud-based data backups. This will ensure that your data backups are stored in an off-site location. There are various cloud-based solutions available in the market. This will ensure that you can recover your data in case of a data disaster. You don’t need to worry about natural disasters like floods and earthquakes. If you have multiple copies of your data, then it will ensure data redundancy.

2. Invest in better disk drives

Many companies try to save money by buying cheaper disk drives. However, this will actually put your data at risk. It will be very costly to recover files from these drives. You should look for better disk drives. Try to look for features like hot spare disks and redundant power supply. This will ensure that you can recover your data from these drives. Also, these drives will work for a long time. You don’t need to worry about hardware failure if you are using these drives. These drives will also fail after some time. However, you don’t need to worry about sudden hardware failures. You can replace your drive before their lifecycle.

3. Test your disaster recovery plan

Every organization should work on creating their disaster recovery plan. It is impossible to replicate scenarios like a natural disaster. However, you can still create a drill. This will ensure that your employees know about their roles and responsibilities. You need to think of all the real scenarios that can happen. This will help you in testing your disaster recovery plan. You should run several tests as this will help you in finding flaws in your plan.

4. Encrypt Data

You should ensure that all your data is encrypted. It is important to use the proper encryption algorithms for protecting your data. First, you should encrypt your data that is stored in on-site storage. This will ensure that you can protect your data from security breaches and unauthorized access. Also, make sure that these keys are not accessible to intruders. You should also encrypt your cloud-based backup. This will ensure that your data is always protected. Sometimes your cloud provider can also suffer from a data breach. In such cases, only encryption can save your data. Thus, you should always encrypt your data backup.

5. Use the 3-2-1 rule

You should always follow the 3-2-1 strategy for backing up your data. It is also used by large companies. This strategy is very simple to execute. In this, you need to create 3 copies of your backup. After that, you need to store 2 copies in your on-site storage. This will ensure that you can quickly restore your data from the on-site storage. However, sometimes natural disasters can disrupt your operations. Thus, you should store 1 copy of your backup in off-site storage. You can use cloud-based services for storing your data in off-site locations.

This is the backup strategy recommended by the US-CERT. If you are using this approach, then you need access to more capital. Many companies go for simpler methods as those methods are cheaper. However, it is a very important investment for your business.

6. Data documentation and assessment

You should regularly conduct data assessments. It is important to document all the important findings. You should know about the data that is very important for your business. It is important to know where this data is stored. Also, you should know about the departments that have access to this data. It is also important to check the rest of the data.

7. Work with an MSP

Most companies don’t have access to an in-house IT team. However, this doesn’t mean that you don’t need to protect your data. You can work with an experienced MSP for protecting your data. They will help you in backing up your data. Also, your partner will help you in setting up the cloud-based backup. This will ensure that you can use cloud-based services for backing up your data. Try to work with people that know about the latest IT fixes and trends. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can help you in handling your data. In case of a data breach, they will help you in quickly recovering your data. This will help you in minimizing the downtime. You can maintain business continuity by working with a good MSP. SBMs and startups should consider working with an MSP. It is the best option for small businesses as they don’t have access to an in-house IT team.

Conclusion

These tips will help you in defending against a data disaster. You should consider working with a good MSP like Bleuwire. They will help you in protecting your data from data disasters. Thus, you should consider working with a good MSP. If you need more information regarding data backups, then you can contact Bleuwire.

Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™  services and solutions in how we can help your business.