The Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce recently organized a cybersecurity forum featuring speakers who shared advice with local businesses.
Small businesses face a wide range of challenges, and among them are cyber threats. Many brands with an online presence don’t have a disaster recovery plan in place, resulting in bankruptcy and data breaches when an attack happens.
According to FEMA, 40 to 60 percent of small firms never reopen after a data disaster.
“This shows that small business owners should be aware of the danger and prepare accordingly,” said Peter Lamson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of small business for Carbonite.
Jonathan Sparks of Expedient Technology Solutions also said that around 68% of small businesses did not have a written disaster plan in 2018.
“Technology can fail,” he stated. “We’re all human and mistakes happen. Mother nature has her own plans for us. The last thing is cybersecurity threats are on the rise. In 2019, 58% of cyber crimes targeted small businesses and world wide predicted losses are set to exceed $10.5 trillion by 2025.”
Sparks advised businesses to follow the 3-2-1-1-0 rule. Keep at least three copies of your data: one production and two backup copies on different storage media with one offsite backup, and create one immutable backup copy.
For decades, the 3-2-1 backup rule has been the most effective technique for data protection. A disaster recovery plan lowers the chance of losing all your data. However, as threats develop, so should your security measures. Immutable and air-gapped backups added to the latest 3-2-1-1 backup scheme provide a more powerful resistance against hackers.
Testing backups regularly is another crucial aspect of a disaster recovery plan. Testing will reveal flaws in the strategy. A good disaster recovery plan should be easy to understand and implement by users. You might not know who is in charge during a disaster, their technical expertise, or how they emotionally react to the circumstances. Lastly, update your disaster recovery plan regularly to reflect changes in the business.
A good recovery disaster plan may save you from bankruptcy and losses. So, whatever industry you’re in, you need to have one.
