Is Human Error the Biggest Threat to Your Business?
Accidents happen. You delete a file by mistake. You forget to backup your data. Or you accidentally
leave your laptop on the plane. When you lose sensitive information, it can put your business into a tail-spin that can take thousands of dollars to recover from. Human error is the number one cause of data loss, so it’s no surprise that many Michigan-based businesses are looking for innovative ways to recover. Here are our top causes of data loss due to human error, and how you can prevent them from happening to you.
Accidental Deletion
Every day we create, update, save and delete files. Using computers and mobile devices are part of our day-to-day business life – no wonder we accidentally delete or overwrite important business files. We are all human, and the reality is we make mistakes. File deletion is unavoidable and goes beyond dropping and dragging a document into the recycle bin. Email and system file deletions are also common user errors that lead to data loss.
Failure to Backup Data
You can’t predict when or where it will happen, but eventually, we all experience a complete system crash. Most of the time, your system can be rescued and restored, but at what cost? Failure to backup your computer is the most common cause of data loss due to human error. Scheduling automatic daily backups of the most important data is an easy solution. Incremental backups are smaller and faster than a full backup. The only downside is you would need multiple backups for a full system restore.
Loss of Equipment
If you’re a road warrior, then you carry any number of equipment with you on your business travels. Laptops, smartphones, cameras and other devices store data locally until you’re connected to the server again. But what if you lose one of your devices? How do you recover data? Rather than save your important work files on your desktop or document folder, set-up automatic backups and opt for a cloud-based server. For example, Google Drive is a free, easy way to share files and data with team members when working remotely. However, Google Drive isn’t a long-term solution. In fact, you should opt for cloud-based servers that are scalable, increases your company’s efficiency, and are reliable. Still, Google Drive is a great option in a pinch.
What you can do to prevent data loss
Preventing data loss is easy, if you choose the right method. One option to consider is adopting offsite backup and recovery services. Using several layers of security, a Managed IT provider or your internal IT Department can retrieve, compress, encrypt, and store all your files in a remote backup server. There are also common sense things you can do to prevent data loss due to human error. These include documenting your systems, setting up a two-step protocol that requires confirmation of file deletion, and developing a recovery plan for future data loses and breaches.
