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Now that small businesses have gotten their hands on digital tools, they are in a much stronger position to startup. No longer to backend systems require thousands of dollars of investment. Now all that is needed is a simple subscription and access to the internet.

 

But with all of this new opportunity comes risk. For many entrepreneurs and small businesses, all their data might be contained on just a couple of devices. Their entire operations could be dependent on a couple of pieces of software and the hardware inside their computers.

 

Many people in this situation don’t have a plan for dealing with problems, should they occur. They just assume that the worst won’t happen to them and don’t bother protecting themselves. But protect themselves, they must. Back in the days when records were physical, companies often protected their data by storing it in fire-safe cabinets. Now small businesses have to do the same with their digital data. Here’s how:

 

Create Software Escrow Agreements

 

In today’s world of cloud computing, many businesses rely on cloud services. But what happens if the company behind the cloud service you receive goes bust? Then what? This is something that happens all the time and can leave companies in big trouble.

 

LE&AS explain that there is a solution. It’s called a software escrow agreement. Here a third party company takes into its possession the code for the software your business uses. Should the software company go out of business, the code will be released to the user. Thus, the software escrow is a way for companies to protect themselves in a SaaS world.

 

Backup Your Backup

 

Most companies think that if they have backed up their data on the cloud, then they are safe. But here’s the problem: the cloud isn’t a perfect system. In fact, many people lose data they thought they had safely stored in the cloud. What’s more, data recovery on cloud platforms can be difficult. Cloud operators aren’t allowed to look at your files individually. And so it’s almost impossible for them to trace files, should they be lost.

 

Experts recommend that companies back their data up on multiple cloud platforms to minimise risk.

 

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Monitor Your Hard Drive Health

 

Hard drives are one of the few mechanical devices in your computer. Every time you want to extract information from a hard disk, it has to spin up and get read by a pin. Over time, this physical mechanism can wear out. Ultimately, it will fail. Often, though, you can get a lot of warning for when your hard drive is about to fail. Special software can warn about impending problems before they result in data loss. It’s always best to take action before a problem develops into something more serious.

 

Check If Your Backup Is Working

 

Because backups are so infrequently used, it’s hard to know whether they are working or not. Experts suggest that businesses create test files, delete them, and see whether they can be restored. This helps to make sure that the backup is actually doing its job.