Backup and Disaster Recovery Services for SMBs: The 2021’s Best Cybersecurity Checklist

In a world where nearly every business has some backup and disaster recovery plan, many still fail to have one. Nowadays, every company must have backup and disaster recovery services in place, especially SMBs. There are so many reasons why disaster recovery as a service is essential: disaster recovery readiness can help you recover from an attack, protect your data from ransomware attacks, and avoid downtime due to natural disasters or hardware failures.

If you still think backup and disaster recovery services are only necessary for large enterprises, you’d be wrong, and here’s why.

What are Backup and Disaster Recovery Services?

So what exactly do backup and disaster recovery services entail? It’s all about protecting your data. Using a managed service provider that offers these two things, you can keep the backups offsite in case of any natural disasters, security breaches, or other events that would cause downtime for your business. Disaster recovery plans to restore data and operations as quickly as possible when a major disruption occurs.

Developing and testing your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) will give you a sense of how long it will take to return to normal business operations. It can include restoring backup servers, virtual servers, or, if necessary, using an alternate site where the business continues operating during disaster events.

No matter how much you care about keeping an eye on your data, there are situations like human error, cyber-attacks, and other security breaches you can’t account for. That’s why backup and disaster recovery services are necessary–it helps to secure your data by storing it offsite in a remote location that is not reliant upon the same infrastructure as yours. Backup providers will also offer different levels of protection depending on what type of business you have:

• Different levels of data protection solutions, from a basic backup infrastructure to more intensive or customized options.
• Real-time monitoring for your backups. This feature is critical to see if there are any issues with the process and hopefully fix them before they become significant problems.
• Disaster recovery services provide an offsite backup and rapidly bring up a site in an emergency.
• Comprehensive disaster recovery strategy–having the right disaster recovery goals, recovery time objective, and recovery point objective can help you avoid unplanned downtime or loss of critical business functions, which can be costly.
• Business continuity services–assist with recovering from any unforeseen events that may affect your business, whether for something as simple as power outages or more severe issues like natural disasters.

 

Signs You Need Backup and Data Recovery Services

A few signs should make you think about backup and disaster recovery services. Here are some:

1. You need to protect your data against ransomware attacks–whether an organization or SMB, there is always the risk of being hit with this type of attack. Having backups will allow you to get back up and running after an attack.
2. You want to make sure you’re able to recover from a natural disaster–whether it’s for your business or home, many events can happen in the Phoenix area. Having offsite backups will allow you to get back on your feet after an event like this without losing any data.
3. Your hardware is unreliable–whether it’s due to age or environmental factors, your hardware is unreliable, which means you’re at risk for data loss. Having backups will allow you to get back up and running after an event like this without losing any data.
4. You want the peace of mind that comes from having a backup service–having a backup and disaster recovery plan in place can give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing your data is safely stored offsite.
5. You don’t have a backup plan–having backups will help protect against disaster, so it’s essential to have one in place, whether for an organization or SMB.

Even though all companies are at risk of data loss, SMBs are at a higher risk because of their size. It’s essential to have a backup plan in place before disaster strikes. Would you consider going on vacation without ensuring your home is locked up tight before you’re out the door? So why not do the same for your data? It’ll help ensure that everything will be tucked away nicely and nothing will be left open for potential disaster.

 

Backup and disaster recovery services for small to medium-sized businesses can ensure that you’re protected against natural disasters and hackers by storing your data offsite in an environment that does not rely on the same infrastructure as yours.

 

How Does Real-time Monitoring Work?

The first thing to realize about real-time monitoring is that it doesn’t scan for viruses. It monitors your network and computers for all sorts of problems, such as malware infections, breaches in data security, or changes in device settings. The best way to have this type of protection running on your business networks is with the help of an IT professional.

 

Data protection includes both real-time monitoring and backup. It’s essential to have a plan in place for your business or organization customized to your needs, such as disaster recovery or data storage. Everyone has their own needs regarding protecting vital information, so talk to your IT professional about what suits you.

 

What is the Backup Process?

The backup process is a continuous data protection plan that includes four significant steps: identify, protect, store, and recover. Identifying critical information to back up is vital to ensure you’re backing up what matters most for your business or organization. This means understanding which files are important and identifying what data should be protected. Protecting this information in a secure environment is also crucial to the backup process. An offsite backup and backing up data regularly are key steps in disaster recovery. Lastly, when disaster strikes and you need to recover lost data, a recovery plan is in place that will allow you to do so.

 

What is the Difference Between Backup and Data Protection?

Data protection is a synonym for backup. Data can be protected by software, hardware, or both, and it includes four major steps: identifying what needs to be protected, protecting it, storing it, and recovering it.

 

The difference between backup and data protection can be summed up as follows: backup protects a single device or file, whereas data protection will cover an entire business network from malware infections, breaches in security, accidental deletion, change of device settings, and more.

 

Business Continuity Solution

Business Continuity is responding to disruptive events by maintaining operations that mitigate, reduce, or eliminate negative consequences. Businesses and organizations need to have a disaster recovery plan to maintain their organization despite disruptions. The earlier you get ahead of potential disasters, the less likely your business will be affected.

 

It is important to talk with your IT professional about what type of backup and disaster recovery services are best for you. It can also be helpful to have a conversation with other SMBs in Phoenix that might already have these protections in place so you can see firsthand how they work.

 

 

What is the Difference Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity?

Disaster recovery plans to restore data and operations as quickly as possible when a major disruption occurs. It can include restoring from backup or, if necessary, using an alternate site where the business continues operating during disaster events. Meanwhile, business continuity responds to disruptive events by maintaining operations that mitigate, reduce, or eliminate negative consequences.

 

1. Consider setting up notifications to monitor for changes in files. This will notify you of any unauthorized or unusual activity on your computers.
2. Set rules to trigger an automatic backup when a file is created, modified, or deleted by someone other than the user who owns it (such as a hacker).
3. Create a backup strategy that includes both offline and online backups. Consider using more than one backup solution, like at an offsite location or remote data center; for example, this will provide redundancy if your primary form of storage fails or is compromised by malware. Business Continuity
4. Assemble an emergency kit with the data and supplies you will need to continue operating in the event of a disaster.
5. Put together detailed documentation that includes instructions for all business processes and necessary actions, such as how to bring your business back online, what steps are needed after a fire or flood, etc. Hence, employees know exactly what to do if an emergency occurs.
6. Consider the four components of data protection: backup, real-time monitoring, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity.
7. Data security includes real-time monitoring (i.e., being notified when a file is changed or accessed by someone other than you) and backing up files. It’s important to have a plan in place for your business or organization customized to your needs, such as disaster recovery or data storage. Everyone has their own needs regarding protecting vital information, so talk to your IT professional about what is right for you.

 

Does Your Business Need Customized Data Protection?

The right data protection plan for your business depends on what risks and issues you’re most concerned about. There are many types of threats, so it’s essential to do a risk assessment to understand your organization’s various threats. Talk with an IT professional who can analyze these potential risks while considering all aspects of your company before deciding.

 

What Does It Include?

• An individualized data protection plan customized to your business needs or organization ensures rapid recovery.
• IT professional consultation, a risk assessment, and recommendations on preventing future threats from affecting your company’s bottom line.
• Determine what type of backup storage is best for you – offline or online; tape or disk; hybrid cloud backup, continuous replication, or disaster recovery failover.
• Decide whether you need to have a disaster recovery plan and business continuity process in place, too.

 

How can Infinity Solutions Help with These Matters?

Infinity Solutions’ disaster recovery service can help to prepare you in the event of any disaster. We typically have on-site business continuity planning meant to stop your operations from being interrupted and keep your business operational, whether in an emergency or crisis. This includes power outages, IT failures, and other common disasters.

 

Infinity Solutions also offers backup and data recovery services, including offsite storage. This is important because when there are service outages or other problems with the local servers, you’ll still have access to your information without any issues. Infinity Solutions can help troubleshoot any problem areas that may arise over time so that you’re always prepared for any situation.

 

Wrapping Up

 

Make sure you have a plan tailored to your business or organization, whether disaster recovery or data storage. Everyone has their own needs regarding protecting vital information, so talk to your IT professional about what may work best for you. Plan, monitor real-time, and prepare your business or organization for anything.

We would be more than happy to provide you with a comprehensive network consultation to help evaluate your company’s needs and create a plan that will work for you.

If you want to learn more about backup and disaster recovery solutions, please contact one of our experts today. Infinity Solutions offers free consultations to any company in the Phoenix area, so please call us or email us anytime!