How Much is Your Data Worth?

One of the questions we always ask new clients is “Do you backup your data?”.

3 out of 5 would simply answer “No” or “No, but I know I should”. Of those that do answer “Yes”, we then ask how often do they run a backup and do they ever check the backup for consistency. These responses are varied, however we can say that of these, not many run them regularly or actually check to see if their backup has worked successfully – a recipe for disaster!

One of the points we try to make with clients is to consider “How much is your data worth?” and to consider these scenarios:

      • What if I lost my data through theft?
      • What if I lost my data through fire, flood or other natural disaster?
      • What if I lost my data to hackers or a virus?
      • What if my backup did not work correctly or is corrupt?
      • What if I couldn’t get my data back?

A backup plan is like an insurance policy, you never know when you’re going to need it and when you do – you want to make sure that you’ve got the right cover…

 

Did you know:

      • More than 6% of computers will suffer a ‘data loss incident’ in a given year
      • 25% of data loss is caused by failure of a portable/external hard drive
      • 32% of data loss is caused by human error
      • 40% of small businesses don’t back up their data
      • 43% of companies that experience significant data loss never reopen and a further 29% close within 2 years
      • 44% of data loss is caused by mechanical or physical failure
      • 100% of all hardware will fail – It’s just a matter of when!

Sources: Realty Times
Vembu Storegrid
ABS

Counting the cost of data loss

Many people just look at the cost the I.T. technician may charge to have the data recovered. We ask that you also consider the following when counting the cost of lost data:

Data Recovery

What happens if I can’t recover my data?

 

      • How much will the lost productivity and wages cost?
      • What about the lost customers and business?
      • How much would a reliable backup plan have cost?

 

Solutions

Depending on the type of data and system configurations, you may be able to implement a relatively simple backup strategy for minimal cost. Below are some of the simple strategies we have implemented for our clients.

External Hard Drive

      • Cost effective to buy
      • Can be used in rotation
      • Can backup multiple systems

 

USB Drive

      • Great for small amounts of data
      • Cost effective to buy
      • Portable

 

CD/DVD

      • Great for archiving and photos
      • Portable

 

Online or Cloud based Backups

      • Ideal Backup solution
      • Automatically stored off-site
      • Data can usually be downloaded to any computer, anywhere

 

What should I backup up?

Many times we are asked “what do I need to backup?” or “do I need to backup my entire C Drive?”

The answer can vary, depending on your situation, however we have included a number of locations that usually suffice most people.

Typically, you want to back up the following folders and locations:

      • The “My Documents” folder
      • Pictures, Videos and Music etc
      • Your Email (eg: Outlook)
      • Items on your Desktop
      • Internet Favorites
      • Other special and unique locations and databases (eg: MYOB, QuickBooks etc)

Last, but not least, we must stress that once you have a backup plan in place, it needs to be checked occasionally for consistency. There is nothing worse than losing your data, only to find your backup did not work.

Wrighton Computer Services offers a managed online (cloud) based backup solution called WrightOnline that is safe, secure and reliable. If you would like to know more about WrightOnline or would like more advice or schedule an appointment to get your backup plan in place, please contact Wrighton Computer Services on 1300 309 200.

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