When many people think of data and business, it’s easy to jump straight to aspects such as customer information and the Data Protection Act.Yet, as we venture further and further into a world of digital business, data is everywhere and needs to be better addressed. In terms of general business continuity, having fail safes and backup plans are an absolute must.
Visit www.ironmountain.co.uk/services/data-protection/business-continuity to find out more about creating a robust business continuity plan that can help you safeguard your vital data and prepare your business for any eventuality.
How much does data matter?
Essentially, anything you store on a computer is data. This includes financial records, quarterly reports, customer data fields and anything else that is even remotely important to your business.
Any one of these factors is crucial for day to day operations. Imagine if you lost your financial records, for example – your ability to work with money would be completely hindered. Since cashflow is the lifeblood of a business, this could spell disaster.
Likewise, a business that loses customer information will not prove popular with those customers and, as every professional knows, word of mouth is a dangerous tool when it’s working against you.
Potential risks
Yet, as our use of data increases, so do the risks. Data is a big target for thieves, as they can sell it on illegal markets or simply use what they have gathered for their own malevolent purposes.
In fact, the International Data Corporation predicts 2014 will be a year full of big data and, consequently, businesses will focus on storage and the technology to properly read and make use of such information volumes.
This will be for nothing, of course, if the data disappears or becomes unavailable. As such, even the smallest incident can dramatically affect business productivity.
Prevent and protect
Business continuity plans are excellent ways to provide backup plans and measures that ensure you are never truly left in the dark – but preventative methods are just as important.
Whether it’s greater data protection, staff training or regular server testing, there are near countless ways to improve your approach to handling and treating various issues. Any improvement is of benefit as it makes it that much harder for tragedy to strike.
Business and data continuity plans are a last resort, but an all important layer of security. In other words, they cover something that should never be left to chance, and everything else you do only serves to tip the odds in your favour.
Source: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24542113
