Category Archives: Data Backup

Protecting Your Business through Digital Estate Planning

digital estate planning
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, Technology, , , ,

Keeping your business protected is very important. But you should ask yourself if you have all areas covered. Security cameras and restricted entry areas are vital for protecting the physical location. To protect employees, implement all their necessary rights and privileges, and so on. All this is important, but one thing to prioritize as a business owner is protecting your digital assets through digital estate planning.

What Are Digital Assets?

Digital assets comprise everything in your business that is, well, digital. These include data, software, applications, and intellectual property. If you are like most businesses today, your daily operations rely heavily on these digital assets. It makes sense that you safeguard them to the best of your ability with digital estate planning.

Effective Strategies for Protecting Digital Assets Using Digital Estate Planning

Cybercriminals are now very creative in launching their attacks, so business owners must be extra vigilant and meticulous in protecting digital assets. Here are some of the most effective strategies for digital estate planning that you can use.

Strong Passwords

It is surprising how many businesses today still use passwords that are so easy to crack. Hackers might have advanced strategies for infiltrating your system, but you can make their job much more difficult by using unique, complex, and strong passwords. Also, be sure to change passwords periodically to minimize the risk of a data breach. This is common practice for digital estate planning.

Access Controls

One of the easiest but most effective ways to protect your digital assets is to restrict access to them. This step will drastically reduce the risk of data falling into the wrong hands, and should there be a leak, it will be easier to trace where it originated.

Digital Estate Planning – Data Encryption

No matter how confident you are in your data security measures, you should never underestimate the capabilities of cybercriminals. In case they steal your data, high-level encryption will protect it from being exposed or used for illicit purposes. That is why a part of digital estate planning is always encrypting your data.

Biometrics

Biometrics is now a popular alternative to conventional sign-in methods. Not only is this more convenient for the users, but it also offers more security. Using fingerprints or facial recognition ensures that no one other than the allowed individual can log in. Also, people would no longer need to remember passwords or write them down, which only adds to the vulnerability of the old method.

Backup and Recovery

If anything happens, you should have a reliable data backup and recovery plan, which is essential for protecting digital assets. You must save and store backups regularly in multiple secure and protected locations.

Employee Training

Your employees can be valuable in protecting digital assets, but ironically, they are also usually the weakest link. With regular employee training, however, you can turn them into a robust first line of defense and circumvent most security threats.

Security Software

There is a wide range of software created for protecting digital assets, firewalls, threat detection applications, antivirus software, and so on. If you are unsure of which software to get, you can always enlist the help of an MSP who will recommend the best security solutions to match your needs.

Importance of Digital Estate Planning

An element of protecting digital assets is that many companies do not even think of digital estate planning. It is simply preparing your digital assets. This is so that an authorized person gains access to everything in the event of your death.

This might sound morbid, but it does not differ from other forms of estate planning. It also makes it easier for your business partners, beneficiaries, or heirs to continue the business when you are gone. As this could still be a new concept for some business owners, we have prepared a Digital Estate Planning Checklist and Password Cheat Sheet, both of which you can download for free.

In this, we delve into the advantages of having a digital estate plan, how to go about it, and why password management is a very important part of it. Our team is also ready to help you create a comprehensive digital estate plan, which is crucial for protecting your digital assets, even long after you are gone.

Moving to the Cloud Promotes Business Growth

moving to the cloud
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, Technology, , , , ,

The number of companies moving to cloud operations is rising each year. This is not a surprise because cloud solutions are now a vital instrument for the growth and development of businesses in today’s digital world. If you have been looking for a way to scale your business and haven’t tried cloud technology, there is no better time to take the plunge than now.

How Moving to the Cloud Affects Business Growth

A multitude of businesses all over the world will attest that cloud computing has helped them grow. But how did it help? What areas of your business can benefit the most if you move your operations to the cloud? Here are the most notable positive changes that you might expect.

Scalability

This feature ranks as one of the best advantages of moving to the cloud, which people look forward to the most. Before the cloud, business expansions were almost always massive and tedious operations that required heavy investment in terms of infrastructure and hardware. But with the extensive selection of cloud resources available, growing your business has never been easier!

Should you need to downgrade for any reason, it is just as easy on the cloud. You can cancel your subscription to services you don’t need so that you can operate on a smaller scale without having to incur unnecessary losses.

Financial Savings

It is interesting how many people assume that cloud services are expensive when the opposite is true. The prices vary, as this depends on the provider. But they will only charge you for the services or resources that you use. How can you be more cost-efficient than that?

Also, moving to the cloud means you no longer need to purchase expensive on-site equipment, which can also be costly to maintain. So, businesses really can save an incredible amount by shifting their operations to the cloud.

Efficiency

A distinctive feature of cloud applications is that they are accessible from anywhere if you have the internet. So, employees don’t need to go to the office to work. They can just do their jobs from home or any other location. There is also the benefit of using automation tools, which you can set up to lessen the demand for and reliance on manual labor.

Security when Moving to the Cloud

Whether you are just starting or are well on your way to conquering your industry, there is no need to worry about security in cloud-based solutions. Impressive security features abound on the cloud, including high-tech encryption, advanced threat detection, and multi-factor authentication, which protect your data and ultimately speed up business growth.

Innovation

The cloud gives easy access to all the latest innovations in technology as soon as they come out, which is vital for growing your business. Everything, from the latest versions of applications and operating systems to the latest hardware releases in the market, will be right at your fingertips if you are on the cloud.

There you have it—the top reasons cloud technology is crucial to business growth. Through cloud computing, growing your business can be faster, simpler, more cost-efficient, and perfectly aligned with your organization’s goals.

If you would like more information, you can download this infographic of ours called “The Benefits of Moving to the Cloud.” Here, you will see everything that you will miss out on if you pass on this opportunity! Do also contact us today where we will have thorough and very enlightening discussions with your businesses today.

The Importance of a Reliable BDR Plan for Business

Reliable BDR
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, , , , , ,

In every business, there is an element of risk involved. In addition to operational risks, there may be hidden threats that can arise suddenly. One of the best defenses a business can wield in these situations is a reliable bdr plan.

In the last few weeks, we have been covering BDR solutions. What BDR solutions are, what they can do for your business. Talked about how to gauge the quality of a particular BDR plan. Indeed, it’s worth all the discussion because we can never overemphasize the importance of a reliable BDR plan for your business, your employees, and your clients.

Benefits of Having a Reliable BDR Strategy

what Is BDR

Our series of blog posts on backup and disaster recovery began with an article called “What Is BDR and How Does It Impact Business?“. In this first week, we covered the key benefits businesses gain from a good BDR strategy.

A good BDR strategy will give you protection against data loss and damage. Specifically, the data backup component of the BDR will safeguard your information in the face of a data breach, a system failure, a natural disaster, and so on.

A secure data backup system with the most innovative security measures and encryption tools offers better security, which is another significant benefit. With such a system, all your business information will remain safe and untouched. Also, a sound BDR will ensure higher customer retention even after a disaster.

Why is a BDR a Necessity?

BDR Plan

In week 2, we published a blog post on the “Top 5 Ways Your Business Can Be Impacted Without a BDR Plan.“

This blog talks about what could happen to your business if you operate without a reliable BDR strategy.

There are more events that can cause the collapse of a business than most business owners realize. Other than the publicized cyberattacks, factors like cloud-based threats, the increasing number of remote employees, and any natural disaster can damage an unprotected one.

Most of these are events that no one can predict or prevent. Using a robust BDR solution is the only way to keep your data secure from current external threats.

Signs of a Reliable BDR Solution

solid BDR plan

By now, we have established the importance of having a backup and disaster recovery plan for any business. But then, not all BDR plans are equal. How do you know if the one you have will work for you? In week 3, we tackle this concern in our blog post called “How Do You Know If Your IT Provider Has a Solid BDR Plan for You?“.

If you have a reliable IT provider, there’s a chance they have designed a great BDR solution for your company. But if you want to know how effective your BDR strategy is, check if it includes the five vital components: proactive measures for disaster recovery, priority for critical functions, emergency response procedures, secure data backup, and routine testing.

How a Managed IT Provider Can Help with a Reliable BDR Plan

Now that it’s clear how crucial a BDR plan is for your business, the only thing left is to bring in the right IT provider. So that they can design and implement a suitable plan. We have provided reliable backups and disaster recovery strategies for small and midsize businesses for years.

If you want a system that will give you the most protection, call us, and we will set you up! And don’t forget to download our FREE BDR infographic. It’s full of tips to help you learn about the BDR solution we offer.

How To Know If You Have a Solid BDR Plan?

solid BDR plan
Cybersecurity, Data Backup, Security, Technology, , , , ,

Data backup and disaster recovery are two of the most critical services businesses expect from an IT provider. It is especially crucial when malware attacks are so frequent that your business can easily crumble if caught without adequate preparation. That is why you will need to have a solid BDR plan.

If you have an IT provider, there’s a good chance they’ve already set up a BDR plan for your business. The question is, how do you know if this plan is any good? Will it protect you in the event of a nasty cyberattack? Will it help you get your business back on its feet after suffering the effects of a natural disaster? Is the protection it gives your business worth the money you are paying for it?

Crucial Elements of a Solid BDR Plan

Many business owners are not tech experts; therefore, they hire IT providers to manage their technology needs. But even without professional expertise, you can tell how solid your BDR plan is by checking if it satisfies the following areas.

Proactive Measures for Disaster Recovery

There are many causes of disasters, and a sound and solid BDR plan should have proactive measures for each possibility. From natural disasters to system failures caused by human error and everything in between, your BDR strategy should have it all covered.

Priority for Critical Business Functions

Each business is unique and has its own set of critical functions. That means there is no single solid BDR plan that works for everyone. You know that your IT provider has given you the best solution if they have taken the time to understand your business and have identified the crucial elements that need the highest level of protection.

Emergency Response Procedures for a Solid BDR Plan

During an emergency, it is critical to have a timely response, as this would be very helpful in mitigating risks and preventing further damage. A solid BDR plan should incorporate an emergency response protocol that includes IT support for keeping the company’s data and network as safe as possible.

Secure and Reliable Data Backup

The point of a data backup system is to have a secure copy of all your business data that you can use for recovery in case of a disaster. A solid BDR plan would backup data in cloud storage, which offers a high level of security and is in a separate location from your business.

Routine Testing and Reviews for a Solid BDR Plan

Even the most solid BDR plan can eventually become outdated, especially with the rate at which technology changes. Also, as your business grows, the risks might also change. Therefore, a reputable IT provider always does routine testing to check the integrity of your systems and makes adjustments to ensure that it keeps up with all the changes.

Evaluating Your Current BDR Strategy

Look at the BDR solution your IT provider has set up for you and see if it meets all the above requirements. If it does, then you should be in good shape. But if anything seems off or not up to par, it’s time to consider upgrading to a better BDR plan.

At our company, we have been keeping businesses prepared for worst-case scenarios for years. We specifically design BDR solutions to meet each client’s needs. You should include a solid BDR strategy in the list of your small business needs. You can familiarize yourself with the many benefits of a BDR plan by downloading our FREE Infographic.

If you want to experience peace of mind for your business, call us today, and we will set you up for a free consultation.