Why back up company data?
Does backing up your company's data seem like a costly and tedious operation? But did you know that the risks of sinking your business by losing all your computer data are real? Backing up your data means preserving your company's memory. Take a moment to find out why it's so important to back up your company's computer data! Discover all our articles to find out everything you need to know about back-ups.
What can cause data loss?
Faced with the disappearance of all the information linked to your business can be dramatic. That's why you need to be aware of the problems that can arise and lead to the loss of your computer data.
Human causes
Anyone who has never made a mistake on their computer that resulted in the disappearance of a file should raise their finger! That's right! We are human and mistakes can be made. All it takes is a touch of the wrong key at the wrong time for data to be lost. A file moved to the recycle bin by mistake or the overwriting of a bad version in favour of an obsolete one - all these things are possible, especially in a company where you often have to carry out several actions at the same time.
And what if your company was broken into and your server or computers were stolen? Backup? If you have made a backup, don't panic. On the other hand, if you've neglected to do so, you're likely to be biting your fingers for a long time.
Natural causes
Floods and fires are regular causes of computer data loss. Of course, we always feel safe from this kind of problem. Even so, prevention is better than cure.
Hardware causes
Machines aren't infallible either! Your server or computer can fail at any time and without warning! If your hardware is mishandled, if water is spilt on the server or if it wears out naturally, you are not protected against hardware failure.
The consequences of a loss for your business
The financial consequences
Let's face it, it can be disastrous. Anyone who imagines that this will have no impact on your turnover or your operations will be ill-advised. If you don't make any outsourced or online back-ups, you could find yourself in real trouble if you fall victim to theft, natural disaster or mishandling.
Imagine the loss of a day without your computer data... If you lose all your information, the inconvenience will be much greater.If you haven't made any back-ups of your computer system, the inconvenience could extend over weeks or months.
Financial loss but also loss of time. Redoing a customer file or recreating all your accounts could leave you severely handicapped. It's important to understand that your company's computer back-up represents its history and memory. If you lose it, it's like starting from scratch.
The impact on your company's image
A company in difficulty never projects a positive image. Imagine asking your customers to send you copies of the invoices you have sent them or the messages they have sent you. Your company will be seen as sloppy and disorganised. By preventing any problems with a backup on a cloud or with dedicated backup software, you are already preparing to bounce back. You're always more responsive when you know what the risks are and have already put potential solutions in place.
Disorganisation within your teams
If your company finds itself in difficulty due to the disappearance of its IT data, your teams or employees will find themselves unable to deliver the work expected of them. A real drop in productivity can be felt, and this can also have a major impact on your customers. Delayed orders, inability to honour your promises or even refusal of work proposals because you can't draw up an estimate in accordance with the rules of the trade... All this should make you decide to make regular back-ups of your computer data.
Back-up solutions
There are a number of IT solutions for backing up your information:
- Internal backup: The data remains within your company. It is simply copied to another computer, an external hard drive or a second server. Be careful, however, as this solution is not very suitable in the event of a natural disaster that could damage both servers or hard disks. In this case, try to place the hardware in different locations.
- External backup (or cloud): Your data is protected on an online server. This means they can be accessed from anywhere and recovered quickly. There is online backup software called Adbackup that is perfectly suited to VSEs and SMEs.
Be aware that the consequences of losing computer data can cause a real earthquake within your company. Computer back-up has become essential in the digital age. To do without is a mistake that can be costly, and it is now very easy to set up via the cloud. So why go without?
Article translated from French