Computerware Blog

Business continuity is one subject that not a lot of people know a lot about. Even those that claim to, often only understand the theory behind it and the practical applications of strategies and procedures necessary to keep a business running smoothly. This is largely because there isn’t a curriculum that presents a comprehensive outline on how to deal with disaster. This month, we’re going to share some continuity strategies that work, regardless of the situation, to get your business coordinated and back up and running fast following an unfortunate event.

Did you happen to miss World Backup Day last week? If so, it’s not the end of the world; March 31st might only come along once a year, but every day can be considered World Backup Day if it means you are focusing on data continuity.

While we might like to think that all computer problems are an easy fix, there is only so much you can do in certain circumstances. That being said, having a couple of computer maintenance “hacks” under your belt can make things loads easier for you when you do have to get your computer repaired. Here are some tips to consider before it’s time to get your computer repaired.

We often use the term “redundant” to describe technology, and it’s easy to see this word and think about it in a negative way. However, in business technology, the exact opposite is true, and redundancy is widely seen as not just an important component of any successful IT strategy, but a critical one. What does redundancy mean to your business technology, and how can you make sure you implement it in the appropriate way?

Disasters can happen when you least suspect them. Whether it’s a tornado that levels your office or an electrical failure which sparks a structural fire, a business-ending scenario could happen with little-to-no warning. You must be prepared to maintain operations even when it feels impossible, and part of this is being prepared to handle off-site operations.

In today’s age of ransomware, climate change, and worldwide pandemics, a lot can happen that could spell trouble for your organization. This is why it is so critical for your company to have a business continuity plan. There are many factors that contribute to a successful business continuity plan, one of which is a disaster recovery plan. But wait, aren’t those the same thing? Not quite.

Data backup is one of the most important parts of protecting your digital assets, but many organizations are unable to successfully pull it off without a hitch. We’ll help you get a feel for what should happen when you set up your data backup system, what happens when you initiate a backup, and how to proceed with restoring it.

One of the best investments you can make in your IT infrastructure is implementing a data backup and disaster recovery solution. Not only is it a crucial part of any business continuity plan, but it also helps to future-proof your business in the event of a potentially disastrous scenario. There are three big reasons why you should consider implementing data backup and disaster recovery, and if you fail to do so, you are putting your company at risk for no real reason.

If you were to lose your business’ data, would you be able to continue operations? Usually not. This is why you need to take precautions before you inevitably suffer from an unpredictable situation that puts your data at risk. Unfortunately, the average small business might not think they are at risk, a notion we are trying to dispel. If your organization is considering backup and disaster recovery, we want to help you better understand data redundancy.

For any business continuity strategy to be complete, a data backup strategy needs to be involved. This is often easier said than done: there are a lot of elements that need to be considered, and some data can go overlooked if the solution isn’t maintained. However, considering the likelihood of data loss without one, a data backup is an indispensable component to prioritize and evaluate over time.

If you’re at all familiar with us, you’re probably aware of how highly we rank data backup. If your business creates or stores any data (which we guarantee it does) you need to have a backup to protect it, as simple as that. Let’s take a few moments to review how a BDR (Backup and Disaster Recovery) can benefit your business and its long-term continuity.

Every business owner wants to protect their data. Even if they don’t pour money into doing so, they typically still understand the importance of it. That’s why three-out-of-every-four businesses perform a backup at least once per week. It’s still good to be reminded how to make sure your backup can work for you. Let’s go over a few basic considerations to make if you want a data backup that you can trust.

We tell every business owner we come into contact with the same thing: If you haven’t done so yet, you‘ll want to establish a data backup strategy. Some businesses are really small, some operate in industries where the cost of backing up data is seemingly prohibitive to the success of the business. To the people that operate those businesses, we repeat: If you haven’t done so yet, you‘ll want to establish a data backup strategy. Let’s examine why. 

Backup strategies vary. Some companies choose theirs for its value. Some back up everything. Some ignore it all together. While we definitely don’t advise the latter, we do understand that it is a financial investment for what is essentially insurance. What’s more effective is building a backup plan that fits the type of data you create and store. 

The tragic reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is that businesses are in a very uncomfortable situation. As the virus made its way around the world, many businesses have had to enact their version of a disaster recovery policy. Not all businesses will look at this the same way, but if you want your business to have the kind of continuity that will allow it to get through tough situations like this, formally creating a disaster recovery policy will put you in the position to weather any storm you encounter.

“Redundancy” isn’t typically viewed as a good thing, but when a disaster strikes, it can become a good thing very quickly to have a redundant copy of your data. March 31st is World Backup Day so let’s take a moment and examine why a certain amount of data redundancy is actually welcomed. 

No one can tell when a disaster is going to strike or what form that disaster is going to take. The cause could be a storm, human error, or some freak occurrence that nobody could have seen coming. In order to get back up and running after one of these incidents a company needs to have a strong business continuity strategy. An essential part of this strategy is knowing how to recover data depending on the way it’s lost. Getting data back and working for your company is the only way to stave off ruin, so let’s look at data recovery strategies that can literally save your business.

How are you protecting your data from disaster? If you don’t have a backup and disaster recovery platform in place you are missing one of the most crucial parts of managing your business’ Think about it, if your organization were to suddenly lose a significant portion of its data, would it be able to continue to function effectively? 

Here’s a horror story about an entrepreneur who, at a glance, was following many data backup best practices. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, things didn’t go so well when a crucial task was missed.

I wanted to share a few stories we’ve gathered about times when a person or business has lost data. First, thank you to everyone who shared these stories with us and allowed us to publish them on our blog, and… we’re glad you made it through. The first one is a story about someone who learned their lesson the hard way.