Three Reasons to Pay Attention to Data Backups During the Coronavirus Crisis

Data backup and Disaster Recovery (DR) plans may have been an afterthought, or at best a secondary thought, for many companies before the current COVID-19 crisis took shape. Now, during the pandemic, these risk management systems are taking center stage and Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Data Backups are words at the top-of-mind for many business executives.

Backup is the practice of creating and storing copies of data so they can be accessed in case something happens to the original version. Recovery is when the backup version of the data is restored when data loss occurs. Data Backups can be located on a server, another physical device or in the cloud.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans cover, not only the backup and recovery of data, but other essential business processes in case something goes awry. Disasters for data can include hardware failure, data corruption, a malicious attack or a natural disaster. Many companies are now looking more closely at their Backup and Disaster Recovery strategy in a new light, as risks are increased during the Coronavirus outbreak.

HERE ARE THREE REASONS DATA BACKUPS AND DISASTER RECOVERY PLANS ARE MORE IMPORTANT DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

1. CRYPTO AND RANSOMWARE ATTACKS ARE ON THE RISE
   Ransomware and crypto threats have been an increasing threat to businesses for a few years without the COVID-19 crisis and already in 2020 trends were pointing upwards. Now, threat actors are using people’s fear about the virus to entice them to click on malicious links and give up credentials for more information about the pandemic. Some reports show thousands of scam and malware sites are being created daily amidst the mayhem.Small and mid-sized businesses are a common target for crypto attacks and if data is not backed up properly, an organization can be crippled by an attack or forced to pay a ransom in Bitcoin. Without a Disaster Recovery plan, even with backups, many hours can be lost getting data back online.
2. EMPLOYEE ERROR OR MALICE
   Employee error and hardware failure has always been a business risk for companies and proper data backups can mitigate that risk. With many employees working remotely and communication being more difficult, an error may go undetected or unreported now for a longer period and unknown mistakes can compound easily.Companies are facing an incredible amount of uncertainty and may need to implement pay cuts or layoffs in order to stay afloat. Employee malice is an ever-present threat to business data and robust backup can help protect against the risk.
3. WITHOUT CRITICAL DATA ACCESSIBLE, NO ONE CAN WORK REMOTELY
   The ability to access company data from remote locations has never been more important. Interruptions in accessibility can be as costly as electrical or internet outages for employee efficiency. As a business decision maker, do you know how much money your organization would lose without access to business systems and data? Robust backups can be used to restore data and make it accessible again within hours rather than days.There are many Data Backup, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity plans to consider as a business executive during this unprecedented time of uncertainty.

SWICKtech has a free On-demand Webinar “Disaster Recovery for a Pandemic and Unexpected Setbacks”

WATCH NOW