Are your data, processes, and critical IT functions truly protected? Many of our prospects think that because they were running a backup system everything was okay. But at most, they’re being sucked into a false sense of security by an untested life-preserver. In this multipart blog, we will be assessing the greatest vulnerabilities facing your business and pinpointing how to prevent disastrous outcomes.
So you’re probably asking yourself: What exactly do I need to protect? Is my backup system safe? To get a good answer, it’s worth examining the hardware, software, and databases that constitute your entire firm’s technical components. Here is a short list:
- Servers and PCs
Most companies end up putting all of their eggs in one basket by solely backing up the data. When lightning strikes and excess electricity overloads server hardware, it’s not just the data, but the physical equipment itself that might get lost.
How quickly can you restore your actual processing? It has to be quick. Buying and configuring new hardware can take hours and days that your business cannot afford to toss into the void.
- Phone Systems, Firewalls, Telco, ISP, and Power
For a business to function these days, it needs seamless connectivity. An outage, no matter how short, can cause revenue dollars to tick away like time on a stopwatch with unresponsive buttons.
Think about it: What happens if your phone system goes down or if you lose your phone lines, Internet connection or firewall? Your clients hear an “out of service” message and they begin to doubt your ability to deliver. Who would have thought clear backup systems were such a good PR move?
- Specialized Hardware
Are you a manufacturer with a specific piece of mission-critical lab equipment? Does your business operate under the assumption that your hyper-rare hardware is going to work until the mountains turn to dust? Even if that hardware has functioned unimpaired forever, it’s important to have a contingency or backup plan.
Remember, when something as basic as a copier goes down, it can be a pain to function without it. Now imagine a piece of scarce technology that you’ll need to express shipped to your location. You better believe you’ll be searching for solutions in panic mode if you don’t already have a support safety net.
- Paper Records
Plenty of firms still have archived paper records that need to be kept safe for compliance, research, and innumerable other reasons. That’s fine, until all of those paper records go up in flames like tinder in a roaring campfire. We’ve seen fires destroy not just the brick and mortar building, but entire businesses.
Recently, a local medical practice burned down and they lost 75% of their patient data. Sound crazy? Wondering why they didn’t have a strong EMR system in place? Our thoughts exactly.
- Testing
Let’s say you’re the cautious type. You see the value of having backup systems for data as well as physical hardware. All the time, energy, and money spent is useless if you find out your backup procedures are missing one small step to actually work.
A well-prepared business is one that runs regular diagnostics on the backup systems that are in place. Each is tested, optimized, and ready to go at a moment’s notice, ensuring they’re more than a false sense of security.
Though it sounds like a lot of work, you’ll thank yourself a thousand times over if and when your backup procedures pay off. In part 2, I’ll address specifics on how you can protect key elements of your business.
Want all the benefits of a stable, failsafe backup system without all the time and effort? It’s time that you give KME Systems a call.
backup-system-really-safe-disaster-hits
