Data loss isn’t pretty.
It can ruin your reputation. Cost you hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars. And even destroy your future.
However, the root cause of data loss typically isn’t what you think it is — more specifically, it’s not always hackers, malware, and Mother Nature.
Instead, it’s your employees and the “everyday” disasters you simply can’t avoid.
Let’s take a quick look at four “everyday” data disasters.
Your hard drives stop working
Hard drives are the gatekeepers to your data. These small appliances store all your critical information in one place, making them extremely valuable.
Now imagine if you lost your hard drives. Or what about if they suddenly stopped working? At this point, what would happen to your data? To all those customer names, phone numbers, ongoing projects, and email addresses contained on them?
You can almost guarantee it’s nothing good.
Hard drive disk failure is far more common than you might think. In fact, the electronic components inside these devices fail all the time. This being said, if you store your customer details on a hard drive and it crashes, you’re unlikely to get your data back.
You experience a power outage
If you live in a state like Florida, Texas, or New York, then you’re probably no stranger to power outages.
Every year, storm season brings heavy wind and rain, which can damage power lines and stop the supply of electricity to your business. The thing is, power outages can have a huge impact on your business, especially if you rely on technology to facilitate everyday tasks.
These outages can cause your infrastructure to malfunction and damage your data in the process. Even something as simple as a power surge can negatively impact your technology.
It’s important to realize that it doesn’t take a devastating tornado or flood to destroy part of your infrastructure. All it really takes is a minor rain storm.
You suffer a software glitch
No matter how smart you think your software is, it can still fail. And if this happens, the consequences can be serious. Just like your hardware, your software can cause errors, corrupt files, or freeze up completely. In all of these scenarios, your data is at risk.
If you don’t have a proper backup solution in place, anything can happen.
Even though IT professionals can solve the majority of IT problems, they can’t make lost data magically appear if it’s not backed up.
Your employees accidentally delete data
Humans and technology aren’t always the perfect match. Some of your employees might struggle with hardware and software more than others, and simple human error can have huge ramifications on your business.
Accidents happen all the time. In fact, research shows that human error accounts for 29 percent of all data loss — which is about the same as viruses, malware, and ransomware.
Make sure you train your employees on technology best practices; explain the importance of data protection, and supply them with the proper outlets for IT support.
You damage hardware
Bad stuff happens to technology all the time; however, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal.
For example, spilling a cup of hot coffee over your laptop keyboard might not sound like a disaster, but resulting damage to the computer’s hard drive could end up causing unexpected data loss.
Because of this, it’s important to protect your technology.
Invest in ongoing maintenance to keep your equipment healthy. Safeguard your laptops and mobile phones with cases and covers. And keep liquids as far away from your technology as possible.
Related: 2 super common PC issues and their super easy fixes
So, what’s the solution?
At the end of the day, hackers aren’t the only forces out there that can jeopardize your data. It’s important to proactively safeguard your data — consult a professional, implement a backup solution, train your employees, and avoid everyday data disasters.
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