Backup Stats that Might Shock You
We live in a world full of problems. Data security and integrity is high on the list for businesses. We all know we need to have a solid backup solution in place. That’s not news to anybody. Yet many small business owners have done nothing at all to protect their data. Here are some stats that might surprise you, and suggestions on how to keep your business safe from threats.
2017 was a pretty rough year for computer networks world wide. We had hundreds of thousands of computers infected with WannaCry and NotPetya. Tons of huge companies like FedEx, Nissan, Merek, Maersk, Mondelez, along with a bunch of major banks and healthcare facilities got hit and crippled with ransomware. The vast majority of these attacks could have been prevented by keeping up to date on Windows patches and updates. It was a pretty harsh reminder that these basic security building blocks are important. If you don’t know the status of your patches and updates, it’s worth checking.
Hardware failure is the leading cause of downtime.
The crazy thing is that 45% of all unplanned downtime was caused by hardware failure. This is almost completely preventable, and frankly should never happen. There are those rare cases that perfectly good hardware dies for no particular reason, but it’s VERY uncommon. This failure is much more commonly caused by not swapping out aged hardware when it reaches the end of it’s useful life. Servers really should be replaced every 5 years. They should also be built with redundancy on key components such as hard drives, power supplies etc. This allows you to have a component fail with out suffering an outage. Another layer of protection would be to use server monitoring software that will give you alerts if there are predictive failure notifications or smart errors on the equipment. This allows you to warranty parts proactively and skip the outage all together.
Downtime is expensive
I know, I know. Not really a shocker. Unplanned downtime costs between $926 and $17,244 per minute. That means that a brief outage of 1 hour can cost your business over $55,000. Those losses include lost revenue, lost productivity, recovery expenses, equipment replacement and more. With those kind of numbers it make sense to invest in some redundancy in network and servers. It also make sense to invest in a rock solid backup solution that will allow you to be up and running quickly.
Ransomware almost doubled in 2017
The number of businesses that detected ransomware on their systems in 2017 was up a whopping 90%. Business owners need to be aware of these threats and put specific safeguards in place. Intrusion detection and prevention services on your firewall can help with this as well as having a next generation antivirus solution installed. We’ve also started recommending end user security training to our clients, as a good portion of these infections are cause by a user unknowing clicking on something they shouldn’t.
30% of businesses have no disaster recovery strategy in place
Yikes. The numbers don’t lie. Just under 1/3 of all businesses don’t have any strategy whatsoever in place for disaster recovery. That’s a recipe for big problems. If your current IT provider hasn’t had this discussion with you, shame on them. Having a plan in place, and the correct systems to backup and secure your data are essential. If you don’t have a plan in place start right now and make it a high priority.
90% of businesses without a disaster recovery plan fail after a disaster
This one hurts. Its a stark reminder that if we don’t have the right systems and plan in place you’ll likely be out of business if a disaster strikes. Don’t lose hope though. i.t.NOW is here to help. Our team of experts can get a backup solution in place for your business in no time, and put together a disaster recovery plan. These numbers help us see the importance of acting right away. The level of risk is too high to wait. If you don’t have an adequate backup and disaster recovery solution in place give the experts at i.t.NOW a call today.
Sources
iosafe
