Businesses depend on data. In fact, next to time, it’s arguable that data is a business’s most valuable resource. Data, however, is vulnerable to both error and malicious attacks from outside sources. That’s why backups are so important, but monitored backups are even more important. As an individual, you should have your data backed up offline and in the cloud ideally, and business is much the same. If someone accesses the cloud, you don’t want to be locked out of your own data.
Today, the information highway of the internet can be a blessing and a curse. There are thousands if not millions of threats out there, and not taking the right steps to protect yourself and your business is as easy as using the right software and managing things like passwords.
In this guide, we’ll cover the necessary steps to maximizing your business security with monitored backups and other crucial cybersecurity practices and tools.
The Importance Of Backups
Why should data be backed up? It’s simple: because anything can happen. The problem with web-based systems is that they’re vulnerable to physical and digital attacks, accidents, and errors. Someone accidentally flips a switch, cutting power to the system while it’s saving data. The data is now gone. In just a fraction of a second, a company’s entire system can be jeopardized.
Backing up data should be a standardized practice, especially for a business. As a business, there’s a good chance you’re storing customer data. If that isn’t backed up, it can potentially be lost forever in an attack or because of an error.
Let’s look at some of the ways data is lost to better understand why backups are necessary.
Crashes and Hacks
Computers and systems crash all the time. Whether it’s a power outage, a network outage, or some other reason, a computer or business system can go offline and you won’t be able to access your data. This is dangerous territory, and often, data is lost when a system crashes and has to be rebooted.
Let’s not forget that hackers are always looking for ways to steal data, and, if that data isn’t backed up, it’s now solely in the hands of your hacker. With that kind of leverage, a hacker can (potentially) level a business by demanding large sums of money to give the data back. This is why it’s so important to watch for threats like ransomware in your business’s system.
Natural/Human Disasters
Aside from protection against malicious attacks and crashes, there are other reasons to backup data. Protecting against natural or human disasters is a must, as they occur frequently. We can’t depend on humans to get things right 100% of the time, and it’s estimated that about 75% of data loss is due to human error.
Humans make mistakes, and mother nature is often unpredictable and volatile. It’s a good idea to protect your business from the threats of human error and nature’s wrath by using secure, complete backups for every piece of data your business needs.
Protect Business/Personal Data
So, what can be done to protect data? First and foremost, you need a physical and a cloud backup. Cloud backups can be programs like Google Drive or DropBox, or monitored cloud backups (MDR software). The latter gives you better protection by monitoring for threats to your data.
MDR Software
Most MDR solutions are affordable enough for businesses of all sizes, and offer an advanced level of protection for all of your most precious data. With thorough monitoring, reviewing, and protection, you’ll know exactly what data was attacked, from where, when it was hit, and how to protect it in the future.
Protect Those Passwords!
Let’s not forget that passwords are perhaps one of the most important parts of your overall cybersecurity. A good password can potentially lock out a hacker for good, whereas a bad password can leave everything in your system vulnerable. Far too many people (yes, even some of your employees) recycle passwords or practice bad password habits.
Password protection should be a requirement in your business. If you don’t know how to protect and store passwords, you need a password manager to store, protect, and generate passwords. Make sure good password habits are a strong component of your company’s training modules!
The Bottom Line
If your business isn’t using a backup service, or, at the least, backing up its data on a physical drive/cloud storage, you’re putting yourself and your customers at risk. Remember that a disaster can happen at any time, and human error is definitely something you should account for. Monitored backups are the best way to backup important data and ensure that it’s constantly monitored for potential threats. Remember—data is one of your business’s most important resources, so don’t leave it to chance.
