No matter how small your business is, you still need a data backup plan. Protecting your computer data files is something every small business needs to know and address before it’s too late. It is not a complicated or expensive process. Protect your small business with these simple, inexpensive tips:
1. Use two external hard drives
This is the simplest and most basic way to protect your data on your internal hard drive. Always keep one of the external hard drives locked up in a fire resistant safe.
2. Use backup software
It is very important to take human error and forgetting out of the equation. The backup software will back up your data automatically and regularly. This software will keep your backup strategy simple and consistent.
3. Use cloud storage
Your data will be stored in an encrypted format when it is backed up to the cloud at the storage company, which should prevent a hacker from easily accessing your information.
4. Don’t use encryption for your hard drives
For most purposes, you don’t need encryption of your computer or hard drive. Encryption is only necessary for extremely sensitive data, such as your patients’ medical records.
5. Do not keep highly confidential data on laptops
Store highly confidential data on flash drives, not the laptop’s hard drive. Flash drives are easy to pack or put in your pocket. Use at least two flash drives in the same way that you would use two external hard drives.
6. Buy only big names
When shopping for any hard drive or flash drive, buy only the big brands. It does not cost extra money to do this. And when choosing a cloud storage company, use only the largest and longest established company.
7. Restrict access to your data
This means keeping your children away from your office computer or teaching them what they can and cannot do on your computer. If you have people working in your office, you should restrict the files they can access. Using a password on certain computers and files is a quick and simple solution for this.
8. Try often
At least a few times a year, you need to access the data that you have stored on each of your external hard drives and in the cloud. Do this from your main computer, as well as from your other computers.
9. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Use a combination of hard drives and cloud storage. No single method is a guarantee that your data is completely secure. Also, make sure another family member or employee knows how to find and access your data backups.