Tag Archives: data recovery

IT Compliance and Why It Is Important for Your Business

Compliance
Cybersecurity, Security, , , , , , , ,

In running a business, there are a lot of important matters that need to be taken care of. Even if they are not really in line with the core competencies of the business. One such matter is IT compliance. In the last few weeks, we have been talking about compliance and how it is important to your business.

What Is IT Compliance?

One of our recent blogs gives a brief but enlightening overview of what IT compliance is all about. In a nutshell, it is the process of complying with the rules, regulations and requirements set by a third party, which aim to reduce the risk for your organization and allow you to operate within the location or industry under their jurisdiction.

IT Security

How Is IT Compliance Different from IT Security?

IT security is another term that we are all familiar with, especially these days when online fraud, data breaches and other kinds of cyberattacks are so prevalent. In another recent blog, we list the differences between IT security and compliance, and also how they are similar in some ways.

The Similarities

IT Compliance and security can be quite confusing to a lot of people, with many mistakenly thinking that they are the same concept. This is understandable as both do have to do with the protection of your organization amidst the threat-filled online environment. That is, both reduce the risk for your business and let you operate more smoothly.

Also, both compliance and security are vital for gaining and maintaining the trust of your clients. By showing that your system is secure and fully compliant with all industry and legal standards, you can attract customers and build a positive reputation much more easily.

The Differences

One of the primary differences between IT compliance and IT security is that the former is only to fulfill the requirements set by a third party, while the latter is done for the actual protection of one’s business or company. As such, IT security usually involves much more stringent safety measures and protocols that aim to keep your system as safe as possible.

Another difference is that IT security is an ongoing process that needs to be maintained 24/7 while compliance is done as soon as the requesting party is satisfied. The requirements for compliance remain more or less the same for a very long time, while security needs can change very often as it needs to address the continually evolving strategies used by hackers day in and day out.

Achieving Compliance

Why Compliance Should Be a Team Effort

Compliance is considered by many as routine work that only requires the minimum requirements set by a third party. With that only one individual is working on compliance for the company. But compliance is actually a much more significant and much larger task than that. In yet another blog, we discuss the reasons why compliance should be a team effort for any organization.

Among these reasons is that there are plenty of discussions that need to take place before full compliance is complete. Some of the most crucial issues to talk about our email encryption, data encryption, firewalls, backups, data availability, and storage. If you don’t work on these matters, it can lead to fines and penalties for your company. Worse, it could leave gaps in your security system that hackers can easily get through.

We have a 10-step guideline that you can follow if you think there is a hacker in this infographic.

But of course, we don’t want things to go that far. To minimize the risk of that happening, you need to put due effort into compliance. It won’t be practical or wise to expect just one person to complete this sensitive work. We highly recommend delegating the work to a team of experts who can guarantee that all requirements are complete. This will let your organization be fully compliant in no time at all.

To find out more about how we can help, just call us today and we will schedule a free consultation!

5 Ways Preparing for a System Failure Should Be Part of Day-to-Day Operations

Data Backup, , , , , ,
Preparing for a System Failure as a Part of Day-to-Day Operations

Being prepared for a disaster should be  standard operating procedure

System failures can take everything. But if you plan ahead, you’ll have the infrastructure to set everything back in place. Instead of just relying on a disaster recovery plan and intermittent maintenance, build these five practices into your business’s usual operations.

1. Back up your actively changing data multiple times throughout the day.

System failures strike at the worst possible time. That includes in the middle of the day and right after your peak selling hour. If your systems don’t back up data frequently throughout the day, you may lose completed orders and sales without any way to notice the loss. This includes both online sales with customers anticipating deliveries or service and in-store transactions that won’t be totaled up into your third-party service until the end of the day.

Automate restore points that capture the frequently used programs or the systems that handle day-to-day operations. You’ll capture the vast majority of what you need without filling up your cloud in a week.

2. Save deeper system restore points regularly and don’t delete them.

But just capturing the active data entries every hour or every quarter of an hour isn’t everything you need to keep your business safe. Also schedule deeper data recovery downloads that capture everything. These larger restore points can be scheduled less frequently depending on the size or urgency of your business. Also be sure to set the schedule for low-activity points so your network isn’t overloaded.

These deeper packets of data are important because a system failure can wipe out everything. Having the day’s input won’t matter if the entire database is gone. So use these as insurance against complete wipeouts and then filter the transactional changes back in.

Deeper restore points also protect your company from slow-growing threats. Some network errors don’t immediately cause problems. Instead, they corrupt critical data or code behind the scenes. Save these points for as long as possible so you can reach weeks or months back to salvage uncorrupted data.

3. Run disaster recovery drills so everyone knows what to do.

Once you have your data saved and your system restores automated, the biggest problem in the event of a system failure is people. Train your employees so they know what to do once everyone goes down. Also, make sure you have hard copies of your data recovery and business continuity plans so people can find the procedure.

But there’s going to be panic if your company hasn’t gone through this before or if it’s been a long time. So hold drills every so often, and train new employees on what to do

4. Make your monitoring system notice the signs of an incoming system failure.

Usually, a system failure seems to strike out of nowhere. But they have lots of invisible warning signs that your employees just didn’t see. Network outages, old hardware, and more are all signifiers that increase your risk. A buildup of corrupted data or an increasingly unsteady code is noticeable as long as you know where to look.

So strengthen your system by adding monitoring software that can identify potential warning signs. Set threshold points where your IT staff or service knows to deal with the problem while it can still be prevented. Problem prevention can seem less urgent than dealing with customer tickets or a task requested by the executive team, but it can only be ignored for so long.

5. Train everyone to save in the cloud and not on the hardware.

Virtual computer systems have made system failures both better and worse. One of the best benefits of switching to the cloud and virtual machines is that a physically damaged server won’t ruin your business. But that’s only true if the employees actually make use of the virtual tools. Strap the company computers and devices to reduce local storage. If you have to leave local storage in place and your company has a server in the storage room as part of your legal requirements, automate that backup. Also, make sure employees are clear on where to save their documents and projects.

Go to SystemsNet here for more backup procedures and the tools you need to optimize your disaster recovery plan.

Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Plan: Preparing For The Worst

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Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) Plan concept with laptop on water

Be prepared and you can weather the storm

Recently, multiple sudden natural disasters have left millions of people stranded on roadways, stranded at work, or left in their homes and unable to leave, and without electricity, All of these sudden floods, thunderstorms, hurricanes, etc. should all serve as a reminder that we have to be ready at all times just in case a disaster does strike. Today’s weather is completely unpredictable, and with the winter season approaching, there are sure to be more unpredictable weather on the way.
Regardless of where your business is located, it is always important to have a full Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) plan in place. If you have an effective BDR in place, you will be able to effectively respond to any type of disaster that takes place. Whether you currently have a Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) plan in place or not, we encourage you to ask yourself these questions:
What would your business do if you ever lost access to data?
How long do you think it would take for your business to recover from a major loss?
If you no longer had access to your server, would your business be able to survive?
How much do you think it would cost to recover from the loss?
Many businesses do have a backup solution ready just in case a disaster happens, but not every business will be able to recover quickly when something does happen. If your business loses data or if there is a power outage, it can be difficult for some businesses to restart their operations quickly. For some businesses, the entire operations can be shut down if there is no access to the server for less than two days.
When creating a Backup Disaster Recovery plan, it is very important that you start by making preparations for the worst possible thing that can happen. When you start by preparing for the absolute worse, you should have an easier time resolving the issue when something minor occurs.
Are you making plans to have a telecommuting plan in place just in case your employees will need to access business data from a different location? When your employees who have access to the data can obtain the information when needed, this will keep your business from losing revenue. Your employees will be able to access vital business information from their new location until they can gain access to the workplace again.
When your employees are able to use file sync services and cloud services, all employees will be able to do their jobs despite the disaster that took place. The use of these services and technologies can be the difference between losing revenue and bringing in revenue. When employees are equipped with the services they need while they are working from home or another location, they will be motivated and prepared to get their work done every day, regardless of where they are working from.
A BDR plan can save your business from completely losing everything and closing its doors for good. When you back up your data in off-site locations and other locations, you will have your business operating again in little time. You may also be able to run your business from another location.
Do you think it is time to rethink and reevaluate your current BDR plans? Are you ready to develop a Backup Disaster Recovery plan that will allow your business to continue operating despite what type of natural disaster or accident takes place? For more information on backup and disaster recovery plans, please do not hesitate to contact us today for more information. Our team is here to help your business plan for any unforeseen events.

Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR): Disasters Do Not Take Breaks During The Summer

Data Backup, , , ,
Business man in summer heat on laptop wishing he had a Backup Disaster Recovery (BDR) plan

Planning ahead is key to minimizing the impact of data loss

Summer can bring a variety of things your way, including great weather, long days and nights, and the occasional sunburn. Those things should be at the top of our list of concerns during the summer, right? Unfortunately, there are many other things businesses have to be concerned about during the summer. There always seems to be a major difference between how we think things should be and how they actually are.

Business owners should always make it a priority to backup files so no information will be lost in case there is an unexpected event or emergency. If any information is lost during an event, the files can easily be recovered when you have your files backed up. Unfortunately, too many businesses fail to have a Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) plan. The commitment to creating a Backup Disaster Recovery(BDR) plan seems to disappear during the summer. We encourage business owners to dedicate some time, energy, and effort into preserving all their data.

You Will Never Know When Disaster Will Strike

Many business owners fail to put as much energy into a BDR plan in the summer because they feel that they only have to worry about certain disasters during the winter or various areas of the year. While the winter does bring its own threats, summer can also have devastating impacts on businesses. Summer brings extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, etc.

Snowstorms can result in power outages, but floods, storms, and heat waves can also result in power outages. If your business is not ready for the impact of a power outage, you can find yourself in a situation that will not be easy to get out of.

It is important for business owners to remember that natural disasters, threats, and the risk of data loss can take place during every part of the year. Natural disasters can have a significant impact on your business, especially due to their ability to increase downtime due to data unavailability.

In addition to natural disasters, hackers do not take breaks during the summer. Businesses are the targets of half or more than half of attacks. As a business owner, you are not able to predict when a disaster will strike, but you will be able to control how your business will be able to make a recovery if a natural disaster or threat to data does strike.

Why Is A Backup Disaster Recovery Plan Important?

Your business’s BDR needs will not be the same as the business’s next door. A BDR will involve multiple processes that will include planning, testing, and monitoring the responses to various types of threats and failures. When you are thinking about taking a vacation to the beach, we encourage you to make some room to think about BDR. It may not be fun to think about now, but if you are ever hit by a disaster, you will be glad you took some time to create a BDR.

You do not want to be added to the list of businesses who lose nearly millions or over millions of dollars trying to recover from a loss of data. Many businesses also have to close their doors for good because they were never able to recover from the data loss. Constantly engage in BDR discussions and ensure that all information that is essential to your business can be recovered easily and quickly.

Disasters and threats can occur throughout the entire year, and it is important that you take the necessary precautions to ensure that losing data will not result in losing your entire business. Contact us today when you are ready to ensure your data will always be available.