Island Tech Services (ITS) Asks Small Businesses: Is Your Data at Risk?

Integrated Technology Solution Provider Offers Five Guidelines for Ensuring Your Critical Business Information is Safe, Regardless the Threat

Business professionals, first responders and public-sector employees all have at least one thing in common – they need prompt access to critical information to perform their jobs in a timely manner. “Whether you’re in the office or in the field, time is often against you when it comes to data recovery,” says Peter Vescovo, COO and Partner at Island Tech Services (ITS) (www.itsg.us.com), a leading provider of advanced technology, mobility and vehicle solutions. “During a disaster is not the time to find out that your data did not back up correctly or that it is unavailable.” When data is placed in jeopardy by a natural disaster or internet threat, prompt access to backup data can mean the difference between success or failure for the business, project or mission. Unfortunately, many well-meaning businesses and agencies are relying on untested, outdated or unprotected data storage when it comes to critical information and backup data situations. ITS offers Five Guidelines for Ensuring Your Critical Information is Safe.

Data disasters – the loss or inability to recover critical business information – can happen to any business at any time. Threats are not limited to natural disasters, but also man-made mini-disasters like spilling coffee on a laptop, server or storage device, as well as more malicious threats like malware and ransomware. For these reasons, small business disaster and business continuity planning must be prepared for many different types of disasters, including fires, floods, fraud, ransomware, cyber-threats, power or IT system failure, human error and other scenarios.

“And the annual cost of an appropriately-scaled disaster recovery backup system is often as little as one penny per minute of data backed up per million dollars of company review. That is often less than a typical liability insurance policy that a business must maintain,” says Vescovo.

Five Guidelines for Ensuring Your Critical Information is Safe

The downtime caused by disasters can be catastrophic, especially for small businesses, many of which never recover. The ability to avert disasters, and effectively handle those that inevitably occur, begins with knowledge.

1. Put a Business Continuity Plan in Place – “People often refer to a disaster recovery plan, and that’s important,” says Vescovo. “However, a business continuity plan may be even more important to the recovery and operation of the business.” This plan outlines exactly what steps to take before, during and after a threat or disaster and enables business owners, managers and employees to know how the business will continue operating.
2. Make Sure You Know Exactly What is Being Backed Up – Many different methods and devices claim to provide backup for servers, desktops and laptops, including “imaging” all or certain data files. The level of data backup detail is critical to knowing whether your most important data assets will be protected or whether your systems are simply going through the motions.
3. Test Your Backup Before Disaster Hits – Make sure the backup system you put in place is working well before a disaster occurs. Vescovo says that some customers have pointed to a backup system in place, unsure what is being backed up and when the last time a recovery has occurred. “That’s a recipe for an unhappy outcome,” he says.
4. Ensure Proper Training – Make sure that everyone who needs to backup or recover data in your office or organization understands the steps to do so. They must also understand the importance, and sometimes the compliance and regulatory requirements, that data holds for your business to operate properly.
5. Know Who Has Your Back – “Your decision to select a backup provider should be based on more than cost,” says Vescovo. “What is the local vs. remote strategy? What is the response time? What are the hidden factors?” Work with a managed services provider that has experience with providing backup solutions for your specific industry.

There are many different types of backup scenarios available for small businesses, including on-site systems, off-site systems and hybrid on-site and cloud-based backup systems. ITS provides knowledgeable and experienced service to assist clients when investing in the best system for their needs and budgets.

“We like to see that our customers are only six minutes away from their data, no matter what,” says Vescovo. “We have the expertise to deliver data backup and disaster recovery solutions as managed services for the data protection needs of small and mid-sized businesses or distributed locations of large enterprises we support.”

Want to Learn More?

ITS offers a complete range of IT network services and computer implementation services to manage any custom or common business applications you are currently running. Learn more about our unique Datto Ransomware Protection at http://ow.ly/9j9330f4imB

About Island Tech Services

Island Tech Services (ITS) (www.itsg.us.com), is a leading provider of advanced technology, mobility and vehicle solutions to business professionals, first responders and public sector employees throughout the country. For more than 20 years, we have helped customers incorporate technology in their work to increase performance, efficiency and security. Our comprehensive and integrated technologies and services span from headquarters, to field techs, to command vehicles. For more information about ITS, please contact us at 888-614-2770 or visit http://www.itsg.us.com/