In today’s digital age, data is one of our most valuable assets. After all, one small accident could destroy your important documents, emails, and other personal files … or even your most precious memories, such as your family photos and home videos.
Considering that 1 out of every 5 people has never made a backup, this data will likely be permanently lost if, or rather when, this happens to them. For businesses and professionals, the stakes are much higher.
Why Data Backup is Important for Your Business
Losing data due to a hardware failure, a cyber attack, a natural disaster, or any other reason, can be devastating for a business. It can result in lost revenue, reputational damage, and legal liability. In a nutshell, whenever you have sensitive information that must be protected from loss or theft, it also needs to be backed up.
Backups of data are crucial for businesses because they provide a safety net in case of a disaster. With a reliable backup system in place, it’s possible for businesses to quickly recover their data and resume their operations with minimal impact on revenue, reputation, and legal liability.
Moreover, many regulatory and compliance standards require businesses to have a data backup plan in place. As an example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires businesses to have a plan for recovering personal data in the event of a breach. It’s also mandatory for businesses to maintain a backup of all critical data in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Many fields are obligated to follow additional regulations and compliance standards mandating data backup. For example, doctors and healthcare providers need to observe HIPAA rules that protect patient health information. Likewise, lawyers must abide by the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct when managing confidential client files. Failing to meet these expectations can result in legal liabilities and penalties.
Ultimately, data backup is crucial for businesses because it protects against data loss, minimizes the negative impact of a disaster, and ensures regulatory compliance.
Types of Data Backup Strategies
There are three primary types of data backup strategies – full backups, incremental backups, and differential backups – each having its own advantages and disadvantages.
Full Backups – A backup with a full copy is the most comprehensive type of backup, but they take more time and storage to create. The main advantage of a full backup is that it ensures that all data is protected in the event of a disaster. Because creating and maintaining a full backup can be costly and time-consuming, they are typically only done once a week, or after a major change of data, as part of an overall backup plan.
Incremental Backups – Backing up incrementally means only copying data that has changed since the last backup. Incremental backups can be done in shorter time intervals, such as daily or even hourly, resulting in smaller backup files. As a result, incremental backups use less storage space and take less time to create. Due to the need to restore multiple backups in the event of a disaster, it may take longer to restore data.
Differential Backups – A differential backup copies all data that has changed since the last full backup, making it similar to an incremental backup. Due to the fact that only one full backup and one differential backup need to be restored, it is faster to restore data than an incremental backup. It requires less storage space than a full backup, but more than an incremental backup.
Both incremental and differential backups require at least one full backup copy in storage. Deciding between incremental vs. differential backups often depends upon your specific business and company structure.
In addition to deciding upon the type of data backup strategy a business will use, they also need to decide where to store the backups. Often at least part of the solution includes the cloud.
Cloud Storage vs Cloud Backup
Although many people think they are the same, cloud storage and cloud backup are actually two different things.
A cloud storage service helps free up space on a computer or device. Dropbox and OneDrive are examples of cloud storage service providers. Basically, cloud storage acts as a supplement to your hard drive and makes it easier to access and edit files from multiple devices, such as your laptop and your smartphone.
A cloud backup system ensures continuous backup with file versioning, which means that in the event of data loss or corruption, a clean version can be easily recovered. Most cloud backup providers are serious about keeping data secure; thus, they are usually encrypted both on transfer and on storage.
One of the many pros of cloud backups is that a true cloud backup solution will automatically work in the background or behind the scenes. A solution that doesn’t require or rely on a user to remember to manually drag and drop their files or upload them greatly reduces the chance of human error.
Cloud Solutions Make Backup Easy
Most cloud-based solutions include backup as part of their service. Here are a few:
- Cloud-based ID Card Issuance Solutions such as Entrust’s Instant ID have been a major game changer for businesses and organizations when it comes to issuing and managing their IDs. All data and operations are managed in the cloud, and this brings several advantages, particularly concerning backups. Cloud-based backup solutions offer additional protection against potential data losses while providing organizations with much needed security reassurance that their essential data can be accessed securely at all times. Furthermore, these solutions offer cost savings, streamlined operations, improved security, and flexibility/scalability due to the nature of cloud technologies.
- Cloud-based Member & Visitor Management Solutions
With BadgePass One, which is also available from your local ISG member dealer, businesses and organizations can easily manage member and visitor access, track activity, and monitor security across multiple locations, all from a centralized cloud platform. With cloud-based data backup, visitor tracking solutions ensure that all data is securely stored and easily accessible at any time.
Cybersecurity Solutions from the ISG
To sum it up, data backup is essential for protecting data in all contexts. If there is a failure in hardware, a cyber attack, or even a natural disaster, the loss of sensitive information can have devastating repercussions, such as financial losses, harm to one’s reputation, and potential legal action. Therefore, having an appropriate backup system is vital. Selecting the most suitable option should be based on one’s particular requirements.
It is crucial to raise awareness about the importance of data backup, and we encourage everyone to take action to protect their data and spread awareness. In this way, we can minimize the negative impacts of data loss and safeguard our valuable digital assets.
Contact us to speak with your local ISG member dealer about data backup, cybersecurity and any other identification, access control or tracking needs you might have. We have the solutions you need to keep your security, access and ID data safe.
