As we have already discussed, it is of the utmost importance to protect your business data. That kind of data has value, and not just to yourself. Competitors and criminals can also put it to use, and that is why it must be protected very well indeed. When you are planning for the protection of your data, it is also very important to separate the crucial data from the less-important or non-important data. How can you do that? Let’s talk about that subject a little more.
What Is “Mission-Critical Data?”
For our purposes, we are defining “mission-critical data” to mean any piece of data that is essential for the normal operation of your business. So, if that data is used on an everyday or near-everyday basis, it definitely falls into this category.
You might start by talking to your stakeholders, as well as other important people in your organization. They can give you a good idea of what data is essential. Just ask them: “what kind of data loss would render the company unable to operate?” From there, it’s a simple matter of prioritizing the data into various “levels” of importance.
Protecting The Most Critical Data
In general, the most effective way to protect your critical data is through the use of a backup system. This can take several forms, but the goal is always the same: Make sure that the important data can be easily replaced if it should happen to be lost.
One of the most important things here is to make sure that your backup plan is saving the right information, and that it is prioritizing its work based on the level of importance that information might have. Regardless of how you save your backups, you should be able to control the scope of the backup.
The most common method these days is cloud backup. The cloud may have some disadvantages on a security level, but it really shines in the convenience department. All you have to do is access that external cloud server and you can re-download your lost data quite easily. Even still, it will take time to download and install the backup.
Security Matters
Backups are, of course, meant to protect against data loss. If that data loss is not a deliberate act by a cyber-criminal, then it’s probably just a data crash or an accidental deletion. That is no big deal. However, if you should find yourself dealing with data loss as a result of cyber-crime, you need to think about the security of your backups.
If you are using an offsite external server (or servers) to store your backup files, don’t connect it to your normal network. The network that is used by standard users is going to be the least secure, as it must remain relatively easy to access. You will need to create a private and hidden virtual network so that your backups cannot be easily targeted.
If you have chosen to go with cloud backup, your choice of provider will make a huge difference here. If you go with the cheapest possible provider, don’t be surprised when the security is lacking. On the other hand, nobody wants to overpay, either. When you go with PCH Technologies, you can count on secure cloud backup with no hassle and at an affordable rate.
Don’t Be Afraid To Do Some Testing
Sometimes, it can be very hard to determine which files and folders are the most essential. That is why you should not be afraid to do a little testing. Instead of risking your actual system, however, you should use virtualization.
There is some very good free software out there that allows you to create a “system within a system.” Since that inner one isn’t real, it can be deleted and reloaded at will. Thus, any mistakes or damage will not be permanent. It’s kind of like a sandbox in which you can play safely, and that is why some people will refer to a virtual testing ground using this term.
Conclusion
Determining your mission-critical data does not have to be a difficult chore. Instead, it can be a simple process that happens in cooperation with the most highly trained professionals. If you are in need of such services, PCH Technologies can help. We have been serving the South Jersey area for decades and are well equipped to offer the best service in the business. If you would like to know more, you can call PCH at (856) 754-7500.