Small and medium size businesses (SMBs) are at the greatest risk of collapse, following a serious incident of data loss as the result of a disaster or security breach, according to tech expert Susan Campbell.
Campbell is concerned that many SMBs fail to grasp the potential severity of data loss when on-site systems are taken down and she cites figures which show that an alarming 70 per cent of developing businesses which are hit by such events are forced to close within 12 months, because they cannot cope with the financial strain and damage to their reputation.
The increasing reliance on digital storage solutions for all aspects of operation can leave businesses dangerously exposed, should a lynchpin service fail or a device become corrupted or go missing, according to Campbell.
She points out that while no one can be expected to predict when a natural disaster, loss or theft will impact a business, it is sensible and necessary to plan for such eventualities. By backing up data and having contingencies in place to account for disruption to in-house systems, it should be possible for small firms to remain operational, perhaps winning clients if there is widespread disruption impacting the competition.
Campbell describes such disaster planning as having the ability to resuscitate a business which has been hit by a catastrophic event, which renders standard data management systems inoperable. This type of investment is seen as critical by many experts, even as IT budgets are being squeezed within SMBs.
Among all these pieces of advice it is perhaps the 70 per cent failure rate of SMBs which suffer data loss that stands out the most. While it is not necessary to understand the systems which govern data within your business, it is easy to see that if you are inadequately prepared for unpredictable events, the impact upon your business can be terminal if you are a small operation.
Campbell acts as a contributing editor to online tech resource TMC Net and her assertions should be relevant for a number of UK businesses.
