Discover how NOT to be the company that closed shop in 2025 because they didn’t have a solid backup and recovery plan.
What’s the one thing that could shut down your business faster than you could blink?
Loss of critical company and customer data.
It is well-documented that 60% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) close within 180 days of losing data in a cyberattack.
And this isn’t the only way to lose important information.
Accidental deletions happen. Natural disasters strike. Hardware and software resources crash. The list goes on.
Is your data backed up?
If not, 2025 is the year for proactive data loss prevention with reliable I.T. backup services.
This article discusses the importance of backup solutions for businesses and how to get started with your data loss prevention policy and disaster recovery plan. Keep reading.
Small Business Backup Disaster Recovery Explained
At its core, backup disaster recovery (BDR) for small businesses is about ensuring you have multiple copies of your data in different places (e.g., a primary and secondary device or location) and that you can quickly, safely, and efficiently restore them in case:
- Bad actors lock you out of systems or encrypt your data and demand a ransom.
- Someone in your team accidentally deletes files or the entire database.
- A flood, fire, or earthquake wipes out the physical backups stored in your primary location.
- Any other eventuality where original data is lost or becomes inaccessible.
Common types of backups small businesses use today include:
- Tape backup
- Hard drives
- Removable media flash drives
- Cloud backup services
For many years, tape backup has been the go-to method for data storage when you have significant assets. There weren’t many alternatives. It was either tape backup or external hard drives. But even external hard drives were expensive. So it was easier and cheaper to buy a tape drive.
However, it is now largely outdated for modern I.T. environments due to high maintenance costs, poor scalability, painfully slow data restoration, and lack of support for remote on-demand data access. Better alternatives, like cloud backup, also exist.
Similarly, removable media like flash drives aren’t ransomware-proof, meaning not only will your data be encrypted in an attack, but so will your backup.
In contrast, cloud backup solutions for small businesses allow you to remotely perform consistent, incremental backups based on optimum time frames and other parameters. So, should anything happen to your on-premise data, a single re-route to the cloud resource gets you back online in minutes, not hours.
Holding everything constant, a hybrid strategy that backs up data redundantly in the cloud and off-site in reliable hard drives is always preferable.
Why Are Efficient Data Backup Solutions for Small Businesses Crucial?
Simple. To avoid downtime.
Downtime during a ransomware attack or any other eventuality that halts operations costs SMBs about $137 to $427 per minute.
If you can’t promptly restore your system because you lack backups or your existing solution is inefficient, you’ll lose transactions and real dollars every minute.
And guess what? Customer trust and your reputation are also at stake.
So, you must think critically about your backups and how they affect your bottom line.
Read more: How to Prevent I.T. Downtime
Your Data Loss Prevention Policy
The discussion regarding data backups and disaster recovery shouldn’t happen for the first time during or after an incident. Instead, it should be something you consider early, putting proper preventative measures and tools in place to avoid unwanted events.
That said, here are best practices to ensure you can access critical data no matter what comes your way:
1. Develop a Backup Strategy
Determine which data is essential for business operations (e.g., customer information, financial records, applications).
Next, implement the 3-2-1 Backup Rule:
- Store three copies of data (one primary + two backups).
- Use two different storage types (e.g., cloud and external drives).
- Store one backup off-site.
Finally, based on how frequently data changes, decide how often to back it up (e.g., daily or weekly).
2. Leverage Automation
Manually backing up data is a waste of human productivity. It also introduces many more opportunities for a breach or backup failure.
Consider using automated small business backup software solutions to bypass these limitations and ensure consistency.
3. Test Backups Regularly
If you don’t monitor your backups daily and periodically test restores, how do you know they still work?
4. Have a Disaster Recovery Plan
Determine your recovery time objective (maximum acceptable downtime) and recovery point objective (maximum acceptable data loss), then align your plan with appropriate steps to recover data quickly and restore normalcy after an incident.
5. Partner with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)
If in-house I.T. resources are limited, consider outsourcing to a trusted MSP. With a team of external specialists who understand and implement data backup and recovery best practices, you can ensure that confidential information for your clients and organization is never lost.
Learn more: The Value of I.T. Outsourcing
Leverage Attentus Tailored Data Backup and Recovery Services
At Attentus, we know firsthand that every SMB has different data backup needs and, by extension, requires tailored BDR plans. With over 20 years of experience and a 10-year client retention rate, we’ve built our reputation on delivering solutions that work. Delivering exceptional results is one of our core values—that’s why we take the time to understand where your business is relative to the desired state and create a plan that fits your unique needs—both technically and financially.
Let’s discuss how your organization stores critical information to identify gaps and quickly develop a robust backup and recovery plan that fits your needs and prepares you for future contingencies.
Get your free consultation today.
