Can You Take on Data Recovery by Yourself?

Today's businesses have a lot to be concerned about - not only are cyberattacks occurring at an increasing rate, but disasters can also occur at any time. While we don't want to think that these situations can happen to us, they are becoming a more likely part of our reality for every organization. Will you know what to do to recover your data in a timely, efficient manner if your systems go down?

Businesses remain unprepared

When disaster strikes, you want to be ready to combat it in order to minimize downtime and potential losses. However, there are numerous companies that still don't have a capable recovery plan on hand. According to the 2014 Disaster Recovery Preparedness Benchmark Survey, 73 percent of participants worldwide received a failing grade. These respondents also encountered major consequences as a result of their negligence. A quarter of businesses lost data center connectivity for hours - sometimes even days. Nearly 20 percent experienced losses from $50,000 to $5 million, and 36 percent lost critical applications. With these types of costs, are you fully confident that you will be able to recover on your own?

Are you prepared to handle data recovery by yourself?

Chaos and limited resources

As a small business, your assets and personnel are extremely valuable because you only have a finite amount you can leverage. If a disaster happened, there would likely be a lot of chaos trying to delegate responsibilities and ensuring that data can be retrieved. But what if you're unable to do so because your physical copies were destroyed or you no longer had an Internet connection? This will create more problems when you try to manage it yourself. You also may not have a dedicated IT staff member, which means that you're relying on your own tech savviness to guide the organization. Data recovery can place a lot of pressure on your shoulders, and if you're not able to deliver results, it could end up costing you the business.

Team up with a data recovery partner

Unless you have a dedicated IT staff with a comprehensive recovery plan, your best bet is to find a data recovery partner that will provide the type of support you need. As Infosec Institute pointed out, there will be less risk because you'll know who to call when an emergency arises. You'll also be able to rely on your partner's expertise and get faster, preferred service that would not be possible when handling data recovery yourself.

"Having an existing relationship with a recovery firm puts your team at ease during an emergency. It also allows for proper contact to be established," Infosec stated. "Be proactive in your evaluation of a data recovery provider early on, don't wait until an emergency."

Handling data recovery by yourself can place a significant strain on your resources and end up with considerable costs. For more on determining if you're up to the task or if you need a capable provider, check out our video blog!