Getting Caught Without Backup Can Be Catastrophic

Having data redundancy may sound like a bad thing. After all, redundancy is usually viewed as a reason for inefficiency. In the case of having your data and computing environments backed up, you are trying to build redundancy. Listed below is a look at some situations that a business can run into should they neglect to have a proper backup.

What Is a Backup?

A backup, in the context of business technology, is when a business copies their data (or entire computing environment) to build data redundancy should something bad happen. It is essentially insurance should the business have to deal with some type of information system failure. 

What Are the Risks of Not Having Backup?

Alas, there are plenty of things that can go wrong with technology, and there are some that simply can’t be helped. These include physical damage that comes from normal wear and tear on hardware or environmental damage; premature malfunction; user error; hackers; theft; long-term power failure; malware; or major disasters that create major operational problems for a business. 

The result of any of these scenarios is that you would lose access to your critical information systems, making it impossible (or very difficult) to continue operations. Consider it this way: Have you ever gone to a store and when you get up to pay they apologize because their ability to take payment with payment cards isn’t working? It’s frustrating, right? Well, instead of your payment card system, imagine if the whole computing infrastructure that you depend on won’t work. It is an impossible situation. In fact, without an easily restorable backup, any of these situations can end up burying your business. 

A Good Backup Is More than Just Copying Data

We’ve established that without a backup your business is at constant risk. That doesn’t mean that just copying your files over once in a while will help your business. Think about how much data your business creates every day. You need a solution that will keep an up-to-date backup, that will allow your business to be as current as possible should some system need to be restored.

This Is the BDR

The BDR is more than just data backup; it is a system that incrementally backs up your organization’s data in both an onsite BDR device as well as in an offsite data center. This system not only gives you options should something happen that requires fast, onsite restoration of data systems, it gives companies options should those data systems become unusable. 

Furthermore, should something actually happen to your onsite technology, the BDR can be virtualized to run as a temporary server. This contingency could be the difference between staying in business or closing your doors forever. If you think that statement is dramatic, consider that well over 90 percent of all organizations that suffer data loss from a lack of functional backup platforms close and never reopen or are out of business within two years of the incident, you will agree that having a system that will keep your business safe, and that is run and tested by reliable and expert IT technicians, is extremely valuable for your organization’s long term health. 

If you would like to talk to one of our experts about how the BDR works to keep your data backed up, ready to restore, and secure, give the IT experts at Macro Systems a call at 703-359-9211 today.