Failing to plan is planning to fail, according to writer Alan Lakein. Though this famous phrase was coined way back in the ’70s, it’s every bit as relevant now as it was then, and in no case is this truer than it is with business continuity. After all, can you imagine what would happen to your business if it suddenly lost its most important data?
Data has become the most important commodity in the modern world. Without it, you don’t have a business – it’s as simple as that. Today, economies of scale have led to a situation where technology has improved enormously to the extent that you can keep your data and systems safe in almost any eventuality. With a managed services provider on your side, protecting your business from disaster is even easier.
Implement the Most Effective Security Measures
If you’re running a small business, chances are you can’t afford to maintain your own in-house IT department or have your own off-site server for keeping your systems safe from things like natural disasters or human error. At the same time, you can’t afford to take such risks with the data and systems your business uses to accomplish its goals and processes.
There was a time when smaller companies struggled to keep up with big enterprises due to the limitations of the technologies that their budgets could accommodate. Big businesses never had to worry too much, since they could generally afford to maintain their own dedicated IT departments and proprietary IT systems. However, partnering with an MSP means you’ll be able to use the same cutting-edge technology too, and that also means having the latest and most effective security and disaster-prevention measures on your side.
Enable a Robust Disaster-Recovery Strategy
A lot of companies close their doors to business for good if they suffer from a major catastrophe such as a severe data breach or natural disaster. However, there’s a lot more to protecting your business than manually backing everything up to tape drives and having them moved to an off-site storage facility. In fact, it’s safe to say that this approach is woefully outdated.
The cloud offers the ultimate disaster-recovery solution by taking your data off-site and using automated data backup and synchronization systems to eliminate human error. Many MSPs offer tailor-made business-continuity strategies designed to ensure your systems are back up and running as soon as you need them.
Host Your Apps and Data Off-Site
Migrating to the cloud is all about reducing your dependence on in-house hardware and software resources to the extent you’ll have a fully virtualized environment that your employees can access from anywhere. However, not only does migrating your data to the cloud enhance accessibility, it also keeps it protected from any disaster that might befall your workplace.
Cloud providers have a vested interest in keeping your data safe. To that end, they have access to the latest technology, such as steady power supplies (UPS) and redundant server systems stored in multiple locations around the country and beyond. This way, even if your primary business premises is affected, your employees should still be able to do their jobs by accessing the apps and data they use for work from home or anywhere else as long as they have an internet connection.
Unless you have a truly massive IT budget, attempting to avert the effects of disaster all by yourself is unlikely to get you too far. That’s why OC-IT is proud to offer its disaster recovery service, which provides rock-solid business continuity with industry-leading technology and automation you can depend on. Call us today to find out more.