Photo by Erwin Pieloor
Prepare and protect before a failure with a strong data recovery plan.
Just a generation ago, risk management was a lot less complicated. Many businesses didn’t have to worry about hardware or software failures.
Everything was processed manually. But in this digital age, business is severely disrupted if your system crashes and you haven’t backed up your information.
Imagine the ramifications if you lose your records for customers, financial, inventory, payroll and vendors. At the minimum, it will take you months to reconstruct your records. Also, a system failure can easily drive you out of business. Either way, you probably can’t get insurance coverage for data loss.
Even if the data can be recreated or recovered, it’s very time-consuming to get back up-to-speed. Just as importantly, consider the damage to your company’s reputation. As it is, small businesses already have a weak reputation in the prevention of customer credit card fraud and ID theft.
Just as importantly, consider the damage to your company’s reputation. As it is, small businesses already have a weak reputation in the prevention of customer credit card fraud and ID theft.
So it’s important to have a data recovery plan. But many businesses don’t have one.
Here are basic steps for a data recovery plan:
Before a computer failure, prepare and protect it.
1. Take an inventory of all your hardware that has data. That means all computers in your business. In addition to identifying data, conduct a risk and business-impact analysis, and know your clear-recovery objectives. Everyone in your company should be trained in prevention measures and backing up data. Observe the 3-2-1 Rule, which means separately storing three copies of your data — the original, a local backup in an external hard drive, and one offsite or cloud backup.
2. Automate your backups using services to update your files. Consider using backups such as Dropbox, iCloud, or Backblaze.
3. Review details on what you’ll need. Make certain to have installation files and software license keys, and updated browser bookmarks, also known as digital placeholders. Save them in the cloud or on a flash drive. Stay current on antivirus software, issuance of patches, drivers and plugins. Regularly scan computers and mobile devices. Segregate your financial records on a separate computer.
4. Beware of hardware red flags. They would be abrupt sluggish performance, any clicking noises, or whirring sounds.
5. Budget for a tech who is proficient in security and data recovery. (See: 6 Tips to Save Time and Money by Hiring the Right Tech Consultant.)
How to respond during a computer failure.
1. Immediately stop using the failing computer drive. Using a corrupted drive would likely cause you permanent data loss. Your only immediate option: Shut down the and unplug it.
2. Extract the data. If your computer will not turn on, take out the hard drive. Connect a SATA or USB adapter.
3. Invest in data recovery software. Follow tech guidelines and use a recoverty program such as Disk Drill.
4. Start prioritizing what you need to restore. Business-critical or other irreplaceable files should be recovered first.
Review and rebuild after your computer recovery.
1. Continually test your restorations. To verify everything is in order, regularly restore some of your backups into a test environment.
2. Stay current with changes in technology. Whenever you change to a new computer system or new software, update your documentation.
Good luck!
From the Coach’s Corner, here are related security and tech tips:
Protect Your Bank Accounts So You Can Sleep at Night — Imagine for a moment — you’re sitting at your desk enjoying a second cup of morning coffee. Then, your phone rings. It’s a call from your bank to discuss possible fraud. Your bank is concerned about possible suspicious activity with your accounts, and wants to make sure you’re not a victim.
8 Basic Tips for Selecting the Right Web Hosting Company — If you want to grow or have plans for a complex Web site, hiring the right Web hosting company can be daunting. How do you find a hosting firm that’s reliable and is responsive to your needs? Don’t take the selection process for granted. You can suffer from any one of many unforeseen challenges.
Do BYOD Headaches Outweigh Benefits? Yes — More than half — 53 percent — of surveyed global businesses admit they’re not ready to defend against attacks on their employees’ bring their own device (BYOD) devices. Nearly all say their devices might have been attacked, according to a 2014 study.
19 Tips to Protect Your Core Assets from a Disaster — Hurricane Katrina put us on notice how important disaster planning is. Is your business ready? Biz Coach Terry Corbell provides a 19-point business continuity plan.
“Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.”
-Aldous Huxley
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