I’ve read several interesting articles recently about data backup and how being unable to access data and systems is the nightmare scenario for all businesses. However, one thing that rarely seems to be mentioned is the act of data recovery. Hopefully, most companies by now realise the importance of having their data backed up but few appear to think about how long it might take to recover the data onto a live system should disaster strike.
Did you know that 90% of companies experience some form of downtime whether it’s a disk or other critical hardware failure, a flooded office or the latest cyber attack? We’ve all experienced something. Interestingly, a lot of our prospects when they first contact us have no idea how quickly they could recover. Unfortunately, some businesses never recover which is not surprising when the average cost of one hour of downtime is £6,500 for a small business and £64,000 for a mid-sized one2. Very sad when you consider that 93% of data loss issues are avoidable1.
Even IT businesses like us are not immune, the difference being we have robust business continuity measures in places preventing any issue becoming a major disaster. In fact, only a few weeks’ ago we suffered a power outage for nearly half a day at our offices in Speke, but our services remained operational and none of our clients were left without support.
How did we do this? We use a six-step disaster recovery plan that helps assess risks, identify weaknesses and put proactive measures in place. Once you have this plan, recovery is much easier and quicker and therefore less costly for you and your business. For instance, businesses without a plan experience greater downtime – on average 18.5 hours to get back up and running2. Time and money that no business can afford. So, by planning for the worst you can make your business stronger and more resilient today.
To get you thinking, here are a few questions for you to consider:
1: What is your business-critical data is and where it is held? Is it backed up?
2: Is your backed-up data kept separate from your computer system, in a secure place with restricted access?
3: How regularly is your data backed-up – daily, weekly, monthly?
4: Is the backup process automated and regularly monitored?
5 How quickly could you access your backed-up data? Within hours or weeks?
6: How long could your business survive without access to its data?
Answering these questions is just the start of protecting your business. Here at The PC Support Group we can help you with further practical advice and guidance. Our rolling monthly contracts will ensure your recovery is easy and efficient because we’re good at what we do! Call our team on 03300 88 6116 for a chat about how we can help you or email them on info@pcsupportgroup.com
Phil Bird
Managing Director, The PC Support Group
1 The Online Trust Alliance’s analysis of security breaches 2017
2 Backbone Connect, an UK IT infrastructure firm, 2018