There is no other way that you can keep your data protected other than incorporating best practices for data protection. And you wonder why businesses will go that extra mile to keep their data safe. More so, business owners will not mind writing off checks in a bid to get data management systems to be put in place.

As the business and the digital world evolves, data management has become a critical aspect of any given organization, whether big or small, and one thing has led to the other. Developers are tirelessly creating solutions such as https://ottomatik.io/ to make the whole process comfortable and practical. Protection of data is more than backing up your data. To guarantee complete protection when disaster strikes, more practices should be incorporated. The following are some of how you can secure your data from unforeseen danger.

1. Evaluate your data

Yes, all data is essential. But, you need to assess the data you have. Why? Evaluating your data will help you know which one is most used and which one you may need at hand in the event of a disaster.

By categorizing your data and knowing where it stands in the organization, you will be able to implement a data backup and recovery that is effective. Remember that over time, your data keeps increasing. Not all of it carries the same magnitude. Noting how expensive data backup can be, you would want to prioritize the one that is most vital to your business continuity.

2. Establish recovery time and choose the best storage

Loss of data could cost your organization a lot. You are likely to lose money, your clients, sensitive data, and worse still, have your reputation tarnished. To ensure business continuity, it is essential to identify your recovery time, such that your business will not be much affected by the downtime.

It is crucial that you know that most backup solutions have different recovery time. Do not take the speed of recovering your data for granted. It holds so much weight, and for this reason, you need to be picky when it comes to selecting a solution for your data protection. It should be able to align with your needs.

3. Collaborate with a trusted partner

To be guaranteed that your data is in the right and safe hands, you have to work with an experienced SaaS provider. Conducting background research on the provider could be helpful. The perfect partner will help you keep your data secure and at the same time provide you with a non-complex and an integrated set of data management tools.

An all-around provider will give you limitless options for your data recovery and safeguard your data.

4. Sensitive data should be encrypted

You can never be too sure with data backup. It is for that reason that you are advised to encrypt data that you feel is sensitive. Encrypting your data completes the whole equation. Why is it so important?

Remember that data can be compromised in transit, by hackers and unauthorized users. Encryption minimizes exposure. Much can be avoided with encryption, for instance, damage due to a security breach. Also, it is vital that you confirm that your cloud backup process is vetted and encrypted.

5. Be careful with laptops and devices that have your data

As most of the data protection practices are geared towards securing the data center, portable data is mostly sidelined. However, it is something that should not be ignored. Laptops and phones get stolen or lost every other day.

Most of the data is offsite or on the move: which is why you need to be extra careful with your laptop if you are in a public setting. Include your phone and laptop in your data recovery plan.

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6. Have a disaster recovery plan

Write a DR plan. There is so much you can forget amidst the confusion of risk. Why it is essential that you write down a plan that you can follow.

Take some time to think through the most likely risks that your data may be faced with and a comprehensive contingency plan.  In the process, you should come up with options that are cost-effective and assess them. Once that is done, you should test the idea and fix any areas that may have loopholes. If the plan turns out successful, then you can incorporate it into your policies.

7. Do a regular backup

Do not wait until the worst happens for you to implement data backup; it is essential that you schedule a regular data backup. Use of tools or solutions that automate the process for you will make everything simple for you.

The advantage of a regular backup is that it makes all the subsequent backups that you will carry out simple and fast. Regular backup is the best way to protect your data from unanticipated disaster.

8. Implement the 3-2-1 rule

What does 3-2-1 mean? You should have three copies of your data, which two will be stored in separate storage media and one stored offsite. This strategy eliminates the possibility of a single point of failure.

If disaster strikes at your offsite storage, you still have two copies left and so on. It may seem a bit tedious to create three copies of data, but it shall for sure be worth your while.

9. Keep backup in a safe location

Keeping your data safe encompasses putting in place access restrictions too. It does not matter where your storage location is, be it in your office, your study at home, or even in your car.

You should control the access to the rooms at every moment someone can access the room the data is at risk of manipulation or even damage. Also be careful when choosing offsite storage, having your data stored in areas prone to natural disasters may not be the best idea.

10. Backup your data to a secure cloud

Not all cloud backup is safe: which is why you should get yourself hosted services. The good thing about a cloud storage host is that they ensure that the provider takes responsibility for the security, updates and business continuity.

Cloud storage providers today have incorporated different cloud gateway services and security measures that you probably cannot achieve on your own. While choosing your provider, it is important that you confirm that the multiple services they offer suits your needs. Also, remember that it is okay to carry out comparison shopping to find a cloud that has a comprehensive disaster preparedness.

If you manage to get yourself the perfect one, you can rest assured that you will save on backup costs, reduce downtime and boost the overall performance of your data management system.

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11. Protect your website from malware

Hackers and malware are among the most notorious cause of data loss. It is therefore important that

You protect your data and site from being hacked. There are various measures that you could take to guarantee protection. Hackers will upload malware to steal your data and uploading phishing scripts that could lead to you or your workforce giving out client’s credentials.

Various practices could help you take care of that. For instance, ensuring that your content management system is up to date, move to HTTPS that offers secure hosting and securing your password. Also, you can use a website protection firewall to keep trespassers away.

12. Train your employees

A majority of lost data can be attributed to human error. It does not necessarily have to be stolen or manipulated to lose valuable data. Accidents happen, and files are deleted by mistake. To mitigate this, it is crucial that you train tour workforce in data management.

You can outsource a trainer or even use backup solutions that have training as part of the package. If you instill back up knowledge, you will reduce the likelihood of persons handling any data backup processes making errors. You could even get your IT team to do work shadowing with your providers for them to learn a thing or two about data management.

Something that is mostly ignored is, teaching your employees is how to protect equipment that is used to handle data. You can train them on what to do if they lose their phones and laptops and simple recovery plans that they can implement.

13. Test your backup and recovery

Have you been able to locate the perfect provider? Great! It is good that you have been able to do some research on them and been able to get in touch with their other clients. The feedback you get from your assessment may leave you satisfied but, it is essential that you put the solution to the test. And not less than two times.

Of what importance is it? Recovery testing will not only let you know whether what you signed up for is actually working, but it is also an excellent way to understand the consequences that your business may have to face in light of downtime.

Such knowledge will be helpful as you will be able to put plans in place that will help you contain such a situation. Also, you can use the recovery test to have your employees know what they will be in for in case data is lost.

Testing your restore keeps you posted on whether your data has been corrupted in the process or not.

If you keep the mentioned tips in mind as you employ data management systems, you can rest assured that your data is protected and secure at any given time.