Backup and disaster recovery are two of the key steps in any small business's data security protocol. This is especially true if your computer system stores essential or irreplaceable information. The guide below explains these processes in more detail and why your business's IT support team should evaluate if your systems are working and are adequate as soon as possible.

What Are Backup & Disaster Recovery?

Backup

Regular backup is a technique that helps businesses prevent—or at least minimize—data loss during an unfortunate event. The disaster itself may or may not involve an actual catastrophe such as a fire, flood, storm, or earthquake. In many cases, data loss results from something much less cataclysmic: a security breach, hardware problems, or even user error.  To protect valuable information, the company must back it up to a secondary location—usually to the Cloud—often with the help of a third-party IT support service. After backup, it should be stored and indexed for easy recovery in the event of data loss.

Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery includes moving functionality—not just data—offsite. Thus, to prepare for a disaster—for instance, the failure of a central file server—that would normally shut down a business's operations, the IT support service moves all necessary software applications to an offsite location or to a virtual environment that users can access until the local system can be replaced or brought back online.

Why Do You Need Disaster Recovery & Data Backup?

Having backup saves businesses the cost of recreating lost information after a data loss. Meanwhile, disaster recovery minimizes downtime and permits operations to proceed almost-normally after what could have been a catastrophic problem. Together, the two processes turn a potentially disastrous situation into an inconvenience and permit a company to weather the storm without serious consequence.

For expert IT support, contact Intellicom in Kearney, NE. They've been providing managed services for small businesses throughout Nebraskaty since 1994. They specialize in computer networking, cabling and wireless, VoIP, security cameras, and web design. Visit their web site online to message them with any questions you have or call (308) 237-0684 to schedule a consultation.