Is Your Business Making One of these Backup Mistakes?

Not Delegating Backup Management
Backup management is an area of ambiguity for many companies, which as a result significantly increases their risk of data loss. Often there is not one specific person in charge or if there is, they are not a tech or IT staff member that fully understands how to manage backups. Designating someone to conduct the backups and fully comprehends the importance of doing so can reduce that risk and ensure sensitive and proprietary business information is safe and secure.

Not Storing Backups Off-Site
When backups are stored in the same general vicinity as the information in its original form, they are susceptible to the very same threats. If a fire, flood, or other natural disaster were to strike your office, the information would be destroyed, rendering the backups that were created to avoid that very scenario completely useless. Consider using an online file storage service (which keeps backups on a remote, offsite server) in tandem with other methods to secure your information with multiple layers of backup.

Not Encrypting Backups
From client details to budgets to proprietary product information, much of the information backed up by companies is highly sensitive and critical to everyday business operations. When data is not encrypted, any third party that comes into contact with that information has access to it. Consider this situation: your office is broken into and along with computers and other expensive electronic equipment, your unencrypted backups with critical, proprietary information stolen – would your company be able to survive such a devastating blow? Any confidential details or information you would not disclose outside certain circles within the company should be encrypted so it can be accessed only be authorized individuals.

Not Checking Backups
What happens if your backups fail and no one is monitoring them? Not matter what backup method you utilize, it is imperative that you routinely check backups to make sure they are working properly. You should be checking them at least as often as you have backups scheduled (i.e. weekly, daily, etc.). Confirm that the information you want backed up is actually being backed up, check for any errors that may have occurred, and verify that you can restore the information without any problems.