By now, everyone should know that backing up important files is one of the most essential steps a business can take to reduce IT downtime.

Despite this, many businesses don’t take disaster recovery seriously because most don’t know what to back up, how to perform a backup, or how to successfully restore files and data.

This is where managed services, specifically managed data protection services, can help.

Improve Disaster Recovery

One of the biggest problems with disaster recovery is a lack of knowledge and expertise. When you put your disaster recovery in the hands of a team or individual without the necessary skill, you run the risk of prolonged downtime when things go south.

Turning to a skilled and trusted partner who provides you with managed data protection services eliminates these problems. They will work with you to determine:

• What files and data do you need to back up
• How often do you need to back up
• What type of backup best suits each type of data
• Where you should store your backup files

These service providers will also take the time to perform the most important step in a solid backup and recovery plan: testing. Many businesses that try managing their own backup and recovery find out they did something wrong after disaster strikes; had they regularly performed the right tests, they would have caught these mistakes before it was too late.

Prevent Ransomware Attacks

According to SafeAtLast, the average cost of a ransomware attack on businesses is $133,000.

Once your business is hit by a ransomware attack, your files are locked and inaccessible. There are only two ways to get these files back. One is to pay the ransom. This is not only costly, but there’s also no guarantee that you will get your files back considering cybercriminals aren’t necessarily the most trustworthy individuals. This also opens the door to future attacks because these cybercriminals will now know that you are willing to pay the ransom.

The only other way to deal with these attacks and prevent IT downtime is with a solid backup and recovery strategy.

Managed data protection service providers understand what kind of data these cybercriminals are targeting in ransomware attacks. They can help you make sure that you are taking the steps to protect this data from this type of attack.

The money you spend ensuring that you can successfully recover from a ransomware attack will likely pale in comparison to the cost of the ransom you would pay in an attack.

Other Disasters

Ransomware is not the only area in which a proven disaster recovery plan pays off.

Other types of disasters threaten your data as well. Data loss can occur if you encounter system failures or an unfortunate natural disaster like a fire or flood.

Should any of these events hit your business, you run the risk of data loss. For larger companies, the average cost of IT downtime is $100,000 per hour. This scales proportionately to the size of your organization. However, you can see that no matter how big or small your business is, those costs add up.

Having a partner that specializes in managed data protection services can ensure that your data is backed up safely and properly so that your business is up and running without having to suffer large costs because of downtime.

Even if you have an IT staff that has been handling your backup and recovery, it helps to have an outside expert look at your processes and policies regarding disaster recovery.

Either way, utilizing a managed backup service takes a tedious process out of the hands of your IT staff and frees them up to work on more strategic initiatives that will help your business grow.

At Elevated Tech, our managed data protection service fortifies growing Houston businesses. Whether you have been taking measures to protect the data of your business on your own or your business is currently outpacing its data protection solutions, our data protection services work to optimize the productivity and efficiency of your business. We take the tasks you shouldn’t have to handle off of your hands and ensure that your data stays current and readily available when you need to retrieve it, no matter the circumstance.