Back Up Your Data Before It’s Too Late
Construction company leaders have become increasingly dependent on technology to keep track of large amounts of data to maintain profitability and safety. Unlike larger businesses that may have vast data centers with multiple backup systems, owners of small and medium-sized construction companies sometimes overlook these capabilities due to costs. But not using a proper backup system can have catastrophic risks. A simple power surge can mean data loss, viruses, malware attacks, or general failures due to physical damage or outdated equipment protection. The loss can be devastating not only in terms of project delays but also funds — and clients.
Backup technology has evolved
Backup data protection has changed drastically over the last decade. Most systems from ten years ago were backed up via magnetic tape cartridges. Cartridges are an antiquated and limited way of storing data: They eventually erode like other portable storage devices, and what may work for uploading data on one device may not work for a download on a secondary server. Plus, recovery from tape can take a long time, costing business owners days or weeks of downtime.
Today’s technology allows for fast and permanent data retrieval on primary or secondary servers, and you can implement it on-premise or a cloud-based service provider can take care of it for you from an off-site location.
Online backups are the prime data recovery mode in today’s world. Prices typically depend on the amount of data stored and its location. Moving to an online-based backup system can be an inexpensive way for a construction company leader to assure his or her important data is protected.
Get started
One way to determine the best course of action is to perform a data audit to better understand your technology and backup systems — if any — as well as how long it takes to retrieve data and which data is at risk should a system fail. Once you complete this, the next step is to implement a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan to outline the backup and disaster recovery systems. The BCDR should include how frequently you back up data, what you need to do when a primary system fails, how fast the secondary system and data restoration should take, the time frame for the primary server to come back up, and what to do if it’s completely gone. You also need to include contact information for disaster recovery organizations and primary administrators in this BCDR.
Should you not have your disaster recovery solution or BCDR up to date, an update should be your top priority for the end of this year. The experts at Common Sense Solutions can help provide direction and insight into your system and backup needs. Our proven DataGuard products store data at frequent intervals and allow for instant and rapid retrieval during a disaster recovery situation, thus lessening damage to data, security, and customer satisfaction.
[cta]Ready to get the data protection you need? Contact the experts at Common Sense Solutions to discuss a cloud computing roadmap that meets your specific needs. [/cta]