We’ve rounded up a whole bunch of backup and disaster recovery statistics that highlight the importance of best practice and will hopefully motivate you to take action today, rather than putting off backing up your files until tomorrow.

3/5 of backups are incomplete and half of data restores fail.

Even if you make the effort to back up your files, it doesn’t mean they’re always 100% effective.

That’s right, a backup can fail and you may not realise until it’s too late.

Regularly checking your backups is essential to ensure that – if it comes to it – your files can be restored fully, with no missing data.

We recommend monitoring your backups every few weeks, or as often as you can. This way, you can discover any problems almost straight away, and only have to deal with a few days of data loss, rather than months.

17% do not backup business data at all.

Almost 20% of businesses admit to not backing up their files at all. Neglecting to back up is generally more common among sole traders and small businesses, with medium-sized to large businesses usually being more on it.

Do you fall into the 20%?

If you do, consider how long it would take to get your business back up and earning money if you lost all of your files and applications.

3.8 million UK businesses do not adhere to backup best practice.

Out of those who use backups, many do not follow best practice, such as an offsite backup and regular monitoring.

Half of the respondents to one survey admitted that their backups were kept on a separate system, but within the same office.

We strongly recommend following the 3-2-1 backup method; three copies of your data, stored on (at least) two different types of device, with one of these located offsite.

Read our guide on How To Set Up and Maintain Backups here.

But, what are the chances of data loss for my business?

Data loss is estimated to be up 400% since 2012, with around four million UK businesses at risk of losing data due to their insufficient – and non-existent – backups.

Remember, you can lose your data in a number of ways:

Cyberattack.
Damage to equipment.
Faulty machines.
Loss of devices.
Accidental deletion.
Malicious intent by an (ex)employee.
Natural disaster, such as a flood or fire.
Burglary or theft.

You are not immune. Everyone says it won’t happen to them, until it does.

Is losing data that bad for my business?

60% of businesses shut down within six months of data loss.

93% of companies that lost data for 10 days file for bankruptcy within one year while half file immediately.

31% of targetted attacks focus on businesses with fewer than 250 employees and 1/5 small businesses will be hacked within one year.

Hackers are turning their ugly heads to smaller businesses just like you, who are typically ill-equipped to deal with a cyberattack. While it used to be just the big guys getting attacked, now anyone and everyone is at risk.

40% of SMBs who manage their own network are affected.

Yep, if you manage your own network and use the internet for more than simply email, you’re very likely to have your network accessed by a cybercriminal, if you haven’t already – half of businesses are unaware when they’ve been breached.

A quality backup strategy and disaster recovery plan are essential for any business. Data loss can be extremely detrimental to your company. By securely storing and managing multiple copies of your most important data on and offsite, your office can recover quickly if disaster does strike.

We work closely with you to install, configure and monitor backups, providing a proactive resolution that allows you to continue doing what you do best. If you’d like any more information about backups or disaster recovery, please get in touch with a member of our team right now.

Sources:

IT Pro
Gartner Group
National Cyber Security Alliance
Richmond House Group
Symantec
Boston Computing
National Archives & Records Administration in Washington DC