Think your company doesn’t need backup and disaster recovery (BDR) protection? You should probably think again.
We sometimes meet with business owners and executives who think their businesses are too small to worry about regular secure data backups, or that they don’t face significant risks in this area. What most eventually discover, though, is that it’s virtually impossible to stay operational (much less profitable) if you suddenly lose access to client records, transaction details, HR files, and other critical pieces of information.
Along the same lines, every business faces a risk with data that is stored onsite in company-owned drives or servers. Don’t believe us? Let’s look at 21 “disasters” that could wipe out your files, ranging from the extraordinary to the mundane…
#1 Hurricanes – High winds and wet weather aren’t a great combination for servers. Even a hurricane that doesn’t make international news can wipe out important drives and files.
#2 Earthquakes – The same goes for earthquakes. Anytime plates shift, you have the potential for moderate damage to your technology. That can cause a loss of data.
#3 Tornadoes – Damage from a tornado can be mild or severe, but the drives you use to store data aren’t made to survive extreme conditions.
#4 Acts of Terror – As with the other bonafide disasters on this list, terror attacks are relatively rare and losing your data would be a secondary concern. Still, it’s worth noting that unexpected events can destroy your technology in seconds.
#5 Lightning Strikes – A lightning strike might leave your building or facility intact while simultaneously destroying your digital records and taking your company’s prospects with them.
#6 Floods – It doesn’t take much water to kill a computer. And, if you don’t have backup systems in place, you might not ever recover what has been lost.
#7 Fires – Even if a fire doesn’t reach your drives, the high heat might be enough to wipe out any files or records you had saved.
#8 Electrical Surges – It only takes a small amount of electricity to render a microchip unusable. Even with the right protection in place, electrical surges have to be an ongoing concern.
#9 Heat Waves – Heat waves bring high temperatures and frequent power outages or surges. Those are very dangerous to your company’s technology.
#10 Blizzards – Snow isn’t likely to affect your drives and servers, but a blizzard that causes unusual temperatures, high electricity use, or structural issues might.
#11 Building Issues – What happens to your computers if a wall comes crashing down or the roof of your building starts leaking?
#12 Power Failures – If you suddenly lose power to your facilities, data might be lost or scrambled before you can back it up.
#13 Sprinkler System Use – Whether someone pulls an alarm because there is a fire, a false alarm, or just a prank, your building’s sprinklers can destroy expensive equipment and data very quickly.
#14 HVAC Issues – Modern computers need good ventilation and temperature control to operate properly. Take those away and your saved files might disappear.
#15 Car Crashes – It’s rare, but we have seen cases where auto accidents have caused power failure, structural damage, and other issues leading to data loss.
#16 Break-Ins – If a criminal gets into your office or building and starts looking for something of value, they might damage your computers and hard drives in the process.
#17 Hacking Attacks – Of course there are times when your data is the target. Hacking is on the rise and your company could be vulnerable.
#18 Computer Viruses – What will you do if you or one of your employees downloads something they shouldn’t from the internet?
#19 Sabotage – Could you lose data because a disgruntled employee or vendor decides to get revenge? If you don’t have a backup system in place, you might.
#20 Hardware Failures – Modern computer hardware is very reliable, but you don’t want to bet the future of your business on the idea that you’ll never experience a problem with a server or hard drive.
#21 Employee Errors – We saved the most common and mundane “disaster” for last. Sometimes employees make big mistakes and wipe out millions of dollars of data in the process. Are you protected?
Isn’t It Time to Take Your Company’s Data Seriously?
If you’ve ignored data backups and security until now, this is your chance to get on top of the problem before it’s too late. Contact a member of the Fantastic IT team today to schedule a free consultation and see how we can help!