Data loss is the Achilles’ heel for most businesses. It mostly involves losing files when they are accidentally deleted, or the data is corrupted.
In other cases, existing data may be rendered unreadable through physical damage of hard drives or formatting errors.
Data loss has negative implications on your business.
It means losing time and in the process, money, trying to recover, or restore the information you lost as it is essential for the business.
This loss will inevitably have a lasting impact on your business’ financial health.
For that matter, here’s how businesses lose data and how to stop it.
Human error
Humans are prone to error, and in the business setting, they can lead to data loss.
Such errors include unintentionally deleting data files or sections of documents.
Additionally, employees can end up overwriting important files or deleting important documents unknowingly- files that are important to the business.
Human error also extends its ugly tentacles to major causes of data loss, such as hard drive damage, software corruption, hard drive formatting, and liquid spills.
The most effective way to curb data loss through human is proper training in data handling.
This training ensures that employees are aware of the mechanics of data processing in the company and how the backup systems work.
This process can mean sensitizing them on saving files manually.
Furthermore, automation at the workplace can reduce the amount of time humans interact with data. This cuts on the risk of deletion.
This involves employing the use of data backup software such as file synchronization software.
If data was accidentally deleted or overwritten, recovering it may be as simple as searching in the Recycle Bin of the computer.
In other cases, you can access previously saved forms of the document. In extreme cases, you may have to result to file recovery software.
Viruses and Malware
Viruses and malware in businesses are responsible for the theft and deletion of data and can cripple business operations and even destroy their functionality.
They can also lead to a data breach.
A virus makes its entry into a computer either through an email-based attack or phishing, which is when an employee is tempted to click a corrupted link.
The virus or malware then gets into the computer system and either steals or damages files.
You can protect your computers from malware or viruses using the right anti-virus software.
Ensure that the anti-virus systems are updated regularly. Also, run scans regularly to spot viruses before they incur damage.
Hard drive damage
Hardware malfunctions are the leading causes of data loss with the hard drive as the primary perpetrator.
Hard drives experience crashes due to mechanical issues and in some cases, human mishandling or misuse.
They can also be damaged when a computer overheats from overuses or build-up of dust inside the computer.
Hard drive malfunctions can be prevented by firstly, working with your computer appropriately and keeping it away from excessive dust.
You should also backup data regularly on an external drive or on a cloud server.
You can also opt to buy computers with solid state drives or SSDs as these are significantly better than traditional hard disk drives.
They have no moving parts, making them more durable. They are also less likely to crash or malfunction.
However, computers with SSDs tend to be slightly more expensive.
Data loss need not bring business operations to a halt in your company.
Ensuring your employees are sensitized on saving files as they work and employing data software will save you loads of time and money that you would otherwise have spent recovering lost data.