Small businesses are a crucial part of the economy, but they often operate with limited IT resources, leaving them vulnerable to data loss, system failures, and cyberattacks. A single incident—whether it’s a natural disaster, ransomware attack, or accidental file deletion—can jeopardize operations and erode customer trust. The National Cybersecurity Alliance reports that 60% of all small businesses that experience significant data loss end up closing permanently within six months of the breach. That’s why having a strong backup and disaster recovery (BDR) plan isn’t just a smart move—it’s essential.
Wondering how your small business can stay safe with a backup and disaster recovery plan? In this article, we’ll explore the risks small businesses face, the basics of backup and disaster recovery, and how working with a managed service provider (MSP) can help ensure your business stays protected and resilient in the face of disasters.
What Cybersecurity Risks Do Small Businesses Face?
Many small business owners assume that hackers only target large corporations. However, the reality is that small businesses are a prime target because they often lack advanced cybersecurity defenses. According to a report by Verizon, over 40% of data breaches target small and medium-sized businesses.
Here are some of the most common risks small businesses deal with:
- Phishing Attacks: Employees receive deceptive emails that trick them into giving up sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.
- Ransomware: Cybercriminals encrypt a company’s data and demand payment for its release. Without backups, recovery is nearly impossible.
- Hardware Failures: Hard drives crash, servers overheat, and equipment becomes outdated—leading to unexpected data loss.
- Human Error: Human error is the leading cause of downtime. This category includes everything from accidental file deletion to misconfigured systems.
- Natural Disasters: Fires, floods, earthquakes, and storms can damage servers or physical documents, leading to major data loss and operational disruptions.
The consequences of these events can be severe: data loss, regulatory fines, downtime, and damaged reputation. That’s why proactive planning is crucial.
What is Backup and Disaster Recovery?
Backup refers to creating copies of data that can be restored if the original data is lost or corrupted. These backups can be stored locally (on external hard drives or servers) or offsite (in the cloud).
Disaster recovery (DR), on the other hand, involves a broader plan to restore business operations after a major disruption. This includes restoring systems, accessing backup data, and ensuring critical applications continue to function.
Together, backup and disaster recovery provide a safety net that keeps your business running when unexpected events occur. These plans effectively minimize downtime, reduce risk, and ensure business continuity in the event of disasters.
Components of a Successful Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan
Creating a strong BDR plan doesn’t have to be overwhelming. When creating this plan, every small business should include the following key components:
1. Regular Data Backups
Automated, scheduled backups ensure that your data is consistently protected. Backups should be performed frequently enough that no critical data is lost in case of an incident—ideally, multiple times per day for essential systems.
2. Offsite and Cloud Storage
Storing backups offsite, such as in the cloud, protects your data from physical damage like fire or theft. Cloud storage is scalable, secure, and easily accessible in an emergency.
3. Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
- RPO defines how much data you can afford to lose. For example, if you back up every hour, your RPO is one hour.
- RTO defines how quickly systems need to be restored after a failure.
These metrics help prioritize systems and plan response strategies accordingly.
4. Business Continuity Planning
This includes strategies for keeping operations running while systems are being restored. It might involve remote work capabilities, temporary systems, or alternative communication channels.
5. Testing and Updates
A plan is only effective if it works when needed. Regularly testing backups and running disaster recovery drills ensures your plan is up-to-date and your team knows what to do in a crisis.
Partnering with Managed Service Providers for Backup & Disaster Recovery
For many small businesses, managing a comprehensive BDR plan internally can feel like a challenge. Managed service providers, or MSPs, can make planning and preparing much simpler and take this important task off of your team’s plate.
MSPs specialize in providing IT services, including backup and disaster recovery, cybersecurity, and cloud management. Here’s why partnering with an MSP is a smart move for small businesses across industries:
1. Expertise and Support
MSPs bring expert knowledge and experience to design, implement, and maintain your BDR plan. These providers stay current with evolving threats and industry best practices.
2. Cost-Effective Solutions
Building your own infrastructure for backups and disaster recovery can be incredibly expensive, which is inaccessible for many small businesses. MSPs offer scalable, affordable solutions tailored to your business size and needs.
3. 24/7 Monitoring
Many MSPs offer constant monitoring to detect and respond to issues before they worsen and become disasters. If something goes wrong, these providers are already working on a fix.
4. Compliance Assistance
If your business is in a regulated industry, such as healthcare or finance, an MSP can help ensure your BDR strategy complies with laws like HIPAA or GDPR. By outsourcing to a reliable MSP, small businesses can focus on growth and day-to-day operations, knowing their data is safe and recoverable.
5. Backup & Disaster Recovery: Axcient BCDR and GoodSuite
For businesses seeking trusted backup and disaster recovery, GoodSuite has partnered with Axcient Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) to provide a seamless, reliable, and comprehensive solution to protect your critical data and keep your business running smoothly. Learn what we offer and why your business can benefit from these solutions.
Why Choose Axcient BCDR with GoodSuite?
- Reliable Protection: Automatically back up your critical files, systems, and applications—on-site or in the cloud—with zero manual effort.
- Fast Recovery, Minimal Downtime: Instantly restore your systems after a cyberattack, outage, or hardware failure. Get back to business in minutes, not hours.
- Ransomware Defense: Tamper-proof backups keep your data safe from encryption and destruction. Recover clean versions quickly—no ransom required.
- Full Business Continuity: Virtualize your entire IT environment in the cloud during disruptions, so your team can keep working without missing a beat.
- Scalable & Cost-Effective: Flexible storage options and transparent pricing make it easy to tailor the solution to your needs and budget.
- Expert Management from GoodSuite: We monitor, test, and support your BCDR plan so you can focus on running your business with peace of mind.
- Compliance & Trust: Meet regulations like HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS while showing customers and partners you take data protection seriously.
Protect Your Business with Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
With backup and disaster recovery services, your small business can operate with confidence, knowing your systems and data are protected. These backups can prepare you in the face of any disaster that comes your way, allowing your business to get back up and running swiftly.
For all your backup and disaster recovery needs, GoodSuite can provide top-tier solutions to your small business. Our team of experienced professionals has delivered high-quality services to businesses throughout California for over 25 years, empowering organizations to operate more securely. We tailor our backup and disaster recovery services to each business’s specific needs with customized solutions.
Interested in our services? Request an assessment online or call us today for more information.
