Data Storage and Back Up

"Technology… is a queer thing.  It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other."  - C.P. Snow

We are a tech-driven society and increasingly the same applies to small business. I was astounded recently when a builder-cum-handyman arrived to quote on gutters for my home. Here was a man of 60 plus years who looked like he should have a pencil & notepad with a measuring tape. He casually whipped out his laptop & some fancy gadget that measures with a laser. He input his calculations into a spreadsheet, asked me for my email address & a moment later I had his quote. I am rarely rendered speechless but this was one such occasion for me.

Technology is amazing and in so many ways it speeds up processes, allowing for greater efficiency, however, it is only wonderful until it fails.

Traditionally, a business would insure against disasters such as floods, fires and theft. Today, where so much of a businesses’ crucial data is electronic, disaster may also come in the form of a system failure or a malicious hack. Should a disaster happen – can your business survive?

58% of small businesses are not prepared for data loss, while 60 % of small businesses that lose data will shut down within six months according to research firm Clutch https://clutch.co/cloud/resources/world-backup-day-2017

Two important questions to ask:

1. What would be the impact on your business if all or some of your data was lost?
2. Even if you have your data stored on the Cloud, how easy will it be to recover the data and how long will it take to get your business up and running again? (It’s also necessary to consider version controls, possible breaches of the PoPI Act and who has access) https://support.simplybiz.co.za/hc/en-us/articles/360020711072-POPI-Privacy-and-Policy

Client and employee information, business financials, tax documents, Intellectual Property, operating processes and procedures etc. are increasingly technology based. The more you and your employees work with technology, the bigger the need to manage, store and back-up data.

It’s as Easy as 123

For peace of mind and to minimise the business risks associated with data loss, industry experts recommend a three tiered approach to data storage and back up:

1. Your digital information that is stored and managed on a p.c. or server and backed up on site.

This could be on a simple device such as a USB-based hard disk or a more sophisticated and automated option would be a Network-Attached Storage (NAS), a file-based data storage solution which operates on the network allowing for centralised, synced and fast access to data.