Having to deal with floods, hackers, or disgruntled ex-employees is something no business owner looks forward to. And yet, not provisioning for disasters like these can upend your entire operation. Many small businesses don’t recover, while larger ones take months or even years to attain the same levels of productivity and success.
While you can’t predict most disasters, you can prepare for and mitigate most of their consequences. Data loss is among the most preventable ones, and here are six steps to follow if you want to minimize it.
Create Secure Backups
The essential first step in data loss prevention, secure backups and ensure the fastest possible recovery once the disaster itself is dealt with. An effective backup strategy should be based on multi-faceted redundancy.
That means you should keep multiple, regularly updated backups. Additionally, at least one backup copy should be off-site and unaffected by physical disasters. Another should be stored offline to prevent cyberattacks. Investing in a cloud storage solution for one of your backups is advisable since it fulfills the off-site requirement and protects data via sophisticated encryption. Moreover, scaling up doesn’t require investing in extra server infrastructure.
Develop a Disaster Recovery Plan
The best way to minimize data loss during a disaster is to prepare for one beforehand. A disaster recovery plan (DRP) outlines the procedures everyone should follow to prioritize critical system restoration, communicate progress, and minimize downtime.
Ensure Compliance with Regulations and Standards
Depending on your industry and the data you collect, you may be beholden to regulations like HIPAA or GDPR. Meeting compliance criteria and maintaining the required data safeguards is beneficial on several levels.
For example, the GDPR’s focus on data privacy mandates a robust protection and recovery framework that helps speed up recovery and minimize loss. Demonstrating that you did everything in your power to protect data in the face of extreme circumstances can also help keep stakeholder trust intact.
Restrict and Oversee Access
Natural events and system failure aren’t the only disasters that can threaten data integrity. Malicious insider attacks can be equally disastrous. Someone with intimate knowledge of your systems can extract and destroy critical data, leading to significant financial loss and long downtimes.
Preempt the threat by implementing strict access controls. They should be role-based and adhere to a Zero-trust policy. On the one hand, this guarantees only the most qualified and trusted individuals can manage and manipulate data. Employees with less clearance are limited only to the data they need for immediate projects. On the other hand, zero-trust makes administrators accountable for every access attempt from any device.
Invest in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and Surge Protection
Lightning strikes, surges, and other unforeseen events that disrupt power delivery endanger both data integrity and the hardware you store it on. A combination of UPS and surge protection equipment will keep critical systems operational long enough for safe shutdown, preventing data corruption and hardware damage.
Set up a VPN for Secure Remote Work
Natural disasters might make your office physically inaccessible. While cloud-based backups will let everyone continue working remotely, doing so introduces new risks.
Some employees may access sensitive company resources through public Wi-Fi. Such unsafe networks are easy to monitor, allowing attackers to spy on confidential conversations or steal login credentials and access your databases.
Make VPN usage mandatory for any remote work, whether you’re facing a disaster or not. The ideal VPNs effectively shield the entire connection with an encrypted tunnel. This makes it impossible to see the contents of your discussions or file transfers, preventing data breaches and associated data loss.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while disasters like floods, cyberattacks, and internal conflicts are unpredictable, being proactive in your preparedness can make all the difference. Take steps to safeguard your data.
This way, you reduce the risks and ensure that your business can recover quickly and continue to thrive, no matter the challenges.
