You are looking to the future. You have growth plans, marketing plans, and sales plans. Do you have an IT disaster plan? It may not seem important to invest time and resources in preparing for the worst-case scenario. But by the time you realize it, it could be too late. Let’s look at the 2021 disaster recovery statistics:
1. 90 Percent: The percentage of businesses that fail to have a plan for recovery after a disaster.
2. $926 – $17,244: Unexpected downtime costs for businesses 3. 1 out of 3: The percentage of businesses that are not prepared for a natural disaster due to inadequate or outdated recovery plans.
4. $1 Million+: Average Cost of a Cyber Breach
Your company doesn’t have to be a statistic. Take a look at three of the biggest threats facing companies in 2021.
Natural Disasters and 2022 IT Disasters
What happened: We saw hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding that closed, damaged, or destroyed thousands of businesses. All data on computers, servers, and other hardware was destroyed. Workers had to leave and were unable to work on-site for long after the disasters were over.
How can you protect your business: Backup, backup, back-up – migrating data to the cloud will ensure that your critical information is not permanently lost and can easily be recovered in the case of a disaster. Make sure you have a business continuity plan that outlines how and where your employees will work if your office is not accessible.
Data Breach and Cyber Attacks
What happened in 2021: The WannaCry Ransomware attack gave hackers control over more than 200,000 computers across 150 countries. The ransomware attack targeted an outdated software flaw. Many businesses that paid the ransom didn’t report receiving their data back. Equifax took
three months for Equifax to find the breach in their system that compromised the sensitive data of 145,000,000 consumers.
What you can do: Installing the most recent updates to your software as soon as possible can help you avoid becoming a ransomware victim. Furthermore, hackers won’t be able to use your encrypted data to extort or steal your money. You can quickly seal data breaches and protect your
customers and business by keeping an eye on them.
Employee Negligence
What we saw in 2021: Hundreds of websites were affected or offline when an Amazon Web Services employee committed a mistake while troubleshooting a web hosting server. Data breaches are most common in small and medium-sized businesses due to employee negligence.
What you can do for your company: Start by giving your team cyber security training. But remember, a tired employee or one who is rushed could still make costly and time-consuming mistakes. You can strengthen your defenses by requiring strong passwords and using redundant processes to protect your sensitive data.
Do you want your business to be able to react quickly to a disaster? Or do you prefer to be confident and secure with a well-planned IT disaster recovery plan?
Additional Tips
These steps can help safeguard your IT.
- Buy proven software and equipment; avoid custom-made systems. An IT provider can recommend reliable and widely-used software, hardware, and cloud services.
- Opt for a reputable cloud computing provider could offer a safer alternative to running your own software. A website design Mississauga company offers the best cloud computing services in town.
- Consider the potential risks associated with employees using their personal devices, especially smartphones and tablets, for work. This is known as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).
- Treat mobile devices like computers and take the necessary steps to protect them.
- You might require assistance with IT maintenance, installation, troubleshooting, and disaster recovery. You have two options: either outsource IT support, or you can provide it in-house.
- Protect your equipment physically and make a strong online presence with a website from the best website design company.
- Security procedures should be established. Anti-virus software, strong passwords, and an internet firewall are all good options.
- Instructions for employees on how to use the IT system. Also, a list of tasks that must be sent to other people. Set up a process for reporting any faults or other problems.
- Create and implement an email policy and an internet policy. You must make sure that they are aware of the potential dangers, especially from phishing or malicious websites.
- You can set up a safe installation or upgrade process, which includes backing up data, updating anti-virus protection, and running parallel systems while testing if needed.
- Maintain equipment clean and dust-free, use utilities to clean your system, archive old files, and test the system’s performance.
- Combine your in-house backups with an online backup service to create a backup plan for your company.
Get in touch with SEO company Mississauga today to learn how we can help you disaster-proof your company
