A Data and Application Backup is Essential for Any Small Business

There is a sagacious aphorism: “Show me your calendar and your checkbook and I can tell you what you value.” Most of us today have all that on our phones so it is hard to share those with someone to evaluate. These days for business owners, we would suggest adding one more thing to that short list to determine what you value, and that is: “Show me your business’ backup.” If you value your business, then you value having a backup! Because if you do not have an adequate and properly managed and maintained business backup in place, someday you might just kiss your business goodbye. “Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye!”

That may sound familiar, that is the refrain from the 1969 hit song by the 1Hit Wonder band named Steam. The song was written and produced by a group of friends using up some leftover studio time one day. Their work impressed a record executive and told them he needed a B side to go with one that hoped would be a hit. They quickly recorded that song, came up with the name, Steam, for their band, and it enjoyed two weeks at the top of the charts in December 1969. Not bad, but the song was resuscitated and has since become an iconic tune at sporting events when the organist at a 1977 Chicago White Sox game played it to taunt the losing Kansas City Royals. Long before Diamond Vision, the crowd sang along, and a sports tradition was born.

An Adequate Backup is Not a Luxury, It’s a Necessity

A data and application backup is essential for any small business that relies on digital information and systems. Without a proper backup strategy, a small business could face serious risks such as:

• Data Loss. Data might be more valuable than funds. Losing it could mean losing customers, revenue, reputation, and a competitive advantage. Data loss can occur due to a variety of reasons such as hardware failure, human error, cyberattack, natural disaster, or theft. A backup can help restore the data and minimize the impact of data loss.
• Downtime. Downtime arises when a system or application is unavailable or not functioning properly. Downtime has an immediate negative effect on the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of a business. Downtime can also damage the client experience and reduce their loyalty. A backup can help reduce the downtime and resume the normal operations as soon as possible.
• Compliance. Compliance is the adherence to the laws, regulations, standards, and policies that apply to your firm. Compliance rules vary but can involve data protection, privacy, security, quality, and audit requirements. Non-compliance can result in fines, penalties, lawsuits, and loss of trust. A backup can help ensure compliance and avoid legal troubles.

An adequate backup is not a luxury, it’s a necessity and something that you should highly value. It must survive and thrive in this digital age. A backup can help protect data and applications from various threats, reduce the risks, and enhance the resilience of a small business. Do not be ashamed, like some of the band members of Steam who were too embarrassed by their 1‑Hit Wonder song that they did not allow their name to appear on the credits!

Get an adequate backup in place ASAP. Give IT Radix a call now and see how we can help! We won’t be steamed!

First published in our March 2024 IT Radix Resource newsletter