Businesses deploy a backup plan not because it makes them more profitable, but because they are expected to have one. For some companies, not having the right backup system means a violation of compliance regulations. For unregulated businesses, it entails nothing more than risking exposure to disasters with little-to-no legal consequences.
Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) may treat backup and security with varying levels of priority, but what’s certain is that the long-term success of any business depends on a having a reliable backup. Here are the most common challenges they face when implementing a backup plan.
Overwhelming Data Volume
Ideally, businesses that deal with a large volume of data would have the bandwidth to handle them. But with an overwhelming amount of data being processed daily, this plan often falls by the wayside. Due to the growing information created by machines connected to the internet of things (IoT), by 2020 it’s estimated that the amount of data will increase tenfold. Without data backup security measures established, many SMBs will surely be caught off guard.
For many, the solution is not just having a backup but also a data management plan in place, which could be as simple as archiving non-critical data or deleting unnecessary data. Determining which ones are important enough to merit a highly secure Hosted Cloud Backup, and which ones should be put in local backup drives, is also another way to better manage your data.
Limited IT Budget
Businesses may acknowledge the importance of backup, but without the budget to do so, their hands are tied. But despite the odds, businesses should still implement a backup plan. Australian businesses are projected to spend up to $1 billion to cyber attacks and those that are unfit to survive a disaster could go out of business within months.
Businesses also encounter various data loss scenarios such as hardware failure, theft, and natural disasters. In all these events, a backup plan could be your company’s only saving grace.
Compliance Restrictions
Small-business owners may not have the resources to review hundreds of pages of compliance documents to make sure they are pleasing the authorities, which is detrimental not just to their security but to their business’s survival.
SMBs can bemoan the dynamic compliance landscape, but it is an indispensable part of operating within a regulated industry. Complying with rigid security policies may not immediately result in increasing your bottom line, but it adds a layer of security, and more importantly, keeps you in business.
Lack of awareness
Many companies don’t have in-house experts who can deal with the highly demanding and constantly changing nature of data backup and recovery. It remains an issue even in organisations in developed countries. In an interview with cyber security experts in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and the US, 82% of the respondents revealed a lack of cyber security skills within their company, which shows how scarce cyber security professionals are in today’s business environment.
A fully educated workforce doesn’t solve the lack of a backup plan, but it helps reduce the likelihood of cyber breaches. However, an educated team of employees is only the first level of defense, and backup is still too critical a policy and should not be substituted by mere awareness.
Fast-changing technology
Being presented with an overwhelming variety of sophisticated technology is a dilemma that plagues many SMEs. An effective managed services provider carefully evaluates the most suitable plan for your unique business needs and suggests the latest backup and data recovery solutions.
Outsourcing your backup also saves you from the burden of scaling, adjusting, or automating your backup strategies, as these are commonly taken care of by a dedicated team of security engineers. You also never have to concern yourself with data encryption, generating backup status, or automating or scheduling your backups.
A backup plan is your insurance against any disaster, and the consequences we’ve discussed here barely cover the more severe business implications of not having one. At Austin Technology, we cover the essentials of a secure and efficient backup plan, and if you want to learn more, get in touch with us.
