Tag Archives: backup recovery

Business Continuity Tips for Solopreneurs

Data Backup, , , , , ,
Solopreneur using a laptop to research for her business' backup recovery plan

Researching for your business’ backup recovery plan.

Business continuity is what keeps your company running even when interruptions occur and disaster strikes. From holidays to natural disasters, your brand needs to remain available and functional at all times. Here in the digital era, customers expect 24/7 access and support. For larger businesses, this type of continuity is par for the course. But for solopreneurs and small businesses, it can be tough to keep your business online and rolling 100% of the time.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and services you can implement to automate your business process and protect yourself from business interruptions.

Conduct Business on the Cloud

The cloud is the single most useful development for small and solo-run businesses today. Cloud services and data storage make it much more difficult for information to be lost or for your online services to go offline. A website server on the cloud will serve itself more efficiently to customers across the globe and cloud-based services will be more consistently available to you and your customers.

The more you can do on the cloud, the better. Just be sure you are working with high-quality and cyber-secure cloud partners.

Customer Self-Service Technology

Online self-service has finally put the 24/7 into small business availability. While you may need to sleep and attend to personal matters, your customers can still attend to their own needs through online tools. A good search feature and information database (or just a well-written FAQ) page can minimize your customer’s need for direct live assistance, while a smooth e-commerce site can continue taking in orders even when you the business owner are offline.

Stay Flexible with Co-Working Spaces

Being a solo business owner can mean needing to check in on business no matter where you are – or if there’s an office available. When you’re traveling, your computer breaks, your internet is interrupted, or your home office is down for maintenance; remember that there are always co-working spaces available in every city. There you can find all the office equipment and high-speed internet connection you may need. With co-working spaces, you can continue to conduct business when your normal office access is interrupted.

Partner with Department Outsourcing

Solopreneurs and many small businesses don’t have the staff to provide full departmental services. You don’t have a customer service call center, an accounting and legal department, or a marketing team. Fortunately, the outsourcing industry was designed for entrepreneurs to hire on any department they need for however long the work is needed. While your business is growing from the ground up, you can achieve full-service business continuity by partnering with outsourced department services.

Always Have a Backup-Recovery Plan

Last but certainly not least is backup recovery. A backup recovery plan is a two-prong method to ensure your digital assets are never at risk of being lost or ransomed from you. Take regular (daily/weekly/monthly) backups of your work computer(s) and all your files. Archive these backups and develop a quick-engaging plan to deploy these backups as needed. Whether data is lost to encrypting ransomware, an error in your server, or an accidental tap of the ‘delete’ key, you can always ‘reload from save with a well-built backup and recovery plan.

Running a business on your own is exhilarating, challenging, and also impossible for one person to do 24/7. Fortunately, there are business services available to expand your one-person team with outsourcing, cloud access, automation, and even co-working spaces if your normal business location is disrupted. Most importantly, know when to reach out and outsource at the right times. Here at SystemsNet, we are proud to offer IT services to small and medium businesses and would be proud to be your go-to source for IT support for your solo business. Contact us today to start talking about your company’s IT needs.

Backup Disaster Recovery and Dealing with Computer Viruses

Anti-virus, Data Backup, ,
20161118

A backup disaster recovery plan can ensure that, if you’re affected by a computer virus, your information will remain safe.

When you’re in the workplace, you always need to have a plan for combating viruses. Hackers are becoming tricker in their tactics, and it’s imperative that you’re outwitting them. In fact, viruses and other malicious software, should always be a cause for concern in the workplace. While it’s true that those aren’t the only disasters which may occur, they certainly leave the most lasting impact. For example, let’s say there was an unexpected power failure, or liquid spilled onto your keyboard. While these are damaging, at worst, you might simply lose any unsaved files.

With computer viruses however, some of these erase all the data on your hard drive, and make your device completely inaccessible. What is the best way to deal with these attacks? First of all, you need to have a disaster recovery plan. That way, even if your device does become infected, all your files are easily recoverable. However, just because you have a backup disaster recovery plan, that doesn’t mean you should seek out computer viruses, or be laid back about your security. We’ll get back to this discussion, but in the meantime, let’s look at the best way to actually combat these attacks from cybercriminals. After all, a recovery action plan is one thing, but you want to deal with these threats directly as well.

Anti-Virus Software

Even the most inexperienced businesses know that anti-virus software is the most common way to deal with…well, viruses. Whether you’re using McAfee or Kasperky Security, network protection is great for preventing your computer from getting infected. Without security on your computer, the Internet is a dangerous minefield. One wrong move, and you could be taken out.

However, having anti-virus software for your company isn’t enough; you need to have the right security as well. For example, have you installed the most recent software available, or have you been using the same program for years? Many hackers look for security holes and vulnerabilities in outdated software. If you’re not using the latest anti-virus software, for example, it might be easier for them to attack you.

One thing that makes these programs great isn’t just the network protection, but it secures you while you’re on the Internet as well. Many programs now have safe features which block malicious pop-ups on websites, and even warns you of sites that are dangerous. If you make a careless mistake and go to the wrong site, for example, you’ll be prevented from going any further. Overall, anti-virus software is one of the most important and basic tools for protecting your business.

Now that we’ve discussed the basics for protecting your business, let’s get back to having a disaster recovery plan. It may not combat viruses directly, but how is it effective when your business is under attack?

The Effectiveness of a Backup Disaster Recovery Plan

First of all, it’s effective because it makes the cybercriminal’s attack, completely ineffective. They lose all sense of power, and no longer accomplish their goal. In fact, let’s look at it this way. Let’s say you had multiple backup methods, storing your data via a flash and cloud computing. If a hacker infected your computer with a virus that erased the files on your hard drive, you’d have nothing to lose. You might need a new computer, and you’d still have to get the virus off, but your data is safe and sound. All files are still stored on your portable device, and even accessible via cloud (the Internet).

Overall, you can’t have one without the other. Combating viruses directly is important, but what if you need to recover your data, and don’t have a recovery plan? On the other hand, don’t completely rely on a backup plan, without having programs to combat these viruses, either.

For more information about the importance of having a backup disaster recovery plan, especially when dealing with malicious software, feel free to contact us today at SystemsNet. We look forward to hearing from you, and assisting you in the best way possible.

The Importance of Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR)

Data Backup, ,
20161028

Cloud backup is a valuable part of a backup disaster recovery plan that ensures your data is secure.

Businesses rely on a complex network of servers to maintain their business operations, but their owners may not understand the various risks that exist in the present landscape. It’s important for business owners to choose different forms of protection against threats and to provide for disaster recovery. A comprehensive plan includes how to back up on-premise and off-premise servers.

Is Your Company at Risk?

Business servers and employee workstations are vulnerable to risks from inside and outside the organization. Your machines could have greater needs for backup disaster recovery (BDR) than you realize. It’s important to conduct a risk assessment to identify the key threats that could affect your servers. While yo might not buy a preventive solution for every risk, you can choose protective solutions for each server.

Do You Need More Equipment?

Your company may also decide to purchase special equipment that physically backs up data stored on each server. Even if you purchase one solution, bear in mind that your backup devices may also sustain damage. Some business owners mistakenly believe that sufficient protection for new servers many spending money once. The reality is that business servers require additional protective measures over their lifetime. Business owners like you need to prevent the actions of malicious people who target businesses. They’re constantly finding new ways to hack business IT systems.

Protecting Servers on the Premises

Some of your servers are located on-premises, and others are at other sites. It’s easy to believe that your building’s security systems can protect all servers, such as security personnel physical inspection of all work areas at night, employee monitoring software, and employee user profiles with frequently changed passwords. Even with these security practices, every server that you own could be compromised. For example, an employee could accidentally delete information or intentionally damage a business machine. Any disruption to a server’s normal operations produces downtime. If multiple servers go down, then your company cannot meet its obligations to customers.

Avoid Downtime

You don’t want downtime in your company. The longer the downtime, the higher the costs to your business. Without adequate backup solutions, important business data could be lost forever. You want to avoid the negative impacts on customers and business partners. You should invest in a comprehensive solution that will back up your data and take over for damaged servers.

Considering the Risks

We have only covered some risks to normal operations, which could be everything from hackers to building fires. A good backup disaster recovery provider will get your servers back up within minutes. If an adverse event damages on-premise machines, your server applications and associated data are immediately backed up. Their respective tasks are assigned to remote servers. Your business applications shift to the cloud and continue to run. For this peace of mind whenever adverse events affect your on-premise servers, count on a relationship with our virtualization company. We want to serve your needs.

What If Your Servers Are in the Cloud?

Not all businesses rely on internal servers, especially organizations that are subject to government regulations for protecting consumer data. Many applications are in the cloud, which means you aren’t able to physically protect servers at their exact location. An external provider’s servers may also sustain damage or total loss. What your company might need is a comprehensive solution that provides backup and recovery solutions to both internal servers and cloud-based systems.

Get Protected

It pays to use proven disaster recovery partners in ways that fit your company’s existing network of servers. Discover the benefits of backup disaster recovery through a partnerships with our company. For more details, please contact us today.