The survey found that a significant number of SMBs don't implement safe backup strategies, despite well-documented risks for loss.
A third of small and midsize
businesses (SMBs) allow employees to select their own method of backup for
their data at work, essentially passing the buck when it comes to data
protection, according to the findings of a survey conducted by online backup
service provider Mozy.
The corresponding report
noted that the tendency for small businesses to let employees choose their
backup methods was of concern because companies that dont provide formal
policies rely instead on uncoordinated backup practices that can leave business
owners susceptible to significant risks in the event of data loss.
The Mozy survey of more than
640 SMBs was conducted by independent research firm Compass Partners to identify
employees and executives habits and attitudes about backup and data security,
with survey participants including professionals in the financial, real estate,
medical, construction and legal industries. The survey found that a significant
number of SMBs
dont
implement safe backup strategiesdespite well-documented risks for loss of
sensitive client and company data. The survey found 60 percent of companies
surveyed do not budget for any form of backup, and only 15 percent of SMBs use
remote, automatic online backup.
Of those businesses that do
data backups regularly, the survey found the most prevalent methods are those
that can most
easily
be lost, stolen, deleted or destroyedsuch as external hard drives (53
percent use them) without some type of online backup connection, company
servers (36 percent) and USB thumb drives (31 percent). In addition, 10 percent
of professionals surveyed say they email themselves copies of documents as one
form of backup.
The reality is that
businesses often ignore backup options until after they have suffered the
consequences of data loss, said Mozy general manager Russ Stockdale. With
World Backup Day this weekend, it provides a timely reminder that professionals
need to take steps to implement companywide backup policies and practices that
ensure business and client data are protected.
Across all industries, risky
behavior surrounding sensitive data protection is common, the survey found, and
when data is lost, it is rarely recovered. In the last year, nearly 50 percent
of all businesses surveyed reported that an employees hard drive had crashed,
and in 72 percent of the cases, data was not fully recovered.
Professionals should take
the following steps to implement backup practices, Stockdale explained.
First, find a secure and reliable cloud service to complement a local backup
device, which by itself can easily be destroyed, damaged or misplaced. Second,
the off-site service chosen should automatically back up data, be user-friendly
and should emphasize data security and privacy through a strong encryption
method. Finally, companies should extend backup policies to include strategies
for protecting the data on mobile devices, as analysts predict a surge in
employees using personal smartphones or tablets for business purposes
throughout 2012.
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