We aren’t being alarmists when we say an unexpected disaster could put you out of business. As we all watch the news and see the flooding all over right now, it’s very much a reality. Even if you aren’t on a flood plain, odds are that you’re in an earthquake, tornado, or hurricane zone, and there’s always potential for a fire. Risks are everywhere, and if you don’t have a good disaster recovery plan, even a minor disaster could cripple your business.
The Cost of Lost Data
Backing up data is important, but how easily accessible are your backups? Do you keep them onsite, or nearby, where they might be lost in a local disaster? Let’s take a minute to look at the cost of lost data. For one thing, you wouldn’t be able to service your current customers, and you would likely lose them. A major data loss like that wouldn’t be easy to keep quiet, and it would certainly tarnish your reputation and make getting new customers even harder.
The Cost of Lost Equipment
Technology is expensive and replacing it would be a budget buster, but let’s look beyond the obvious. Unfortunately, most firms can’t run to Best Buy to purchase an Exchange Server. So there’s loss: The time it takes to order and receive the equipment and the cost of rush processing and shipping. If you don’t have a backup, you’ll be paying employees who aren’t able to do their jobs. Then there’s the time it takes to get the equipment installed and configured and the data restored, not to mention the cost of the person who’ll be doing all of that for you.
The Cost of a Lost Office
In the insurance industry, this is called a total loss. This could occur due to a fire or a flood, but there are other reasons why you may not be able to return to your building for days or weeks. Your equipment may be salvageable but probably not. So on top of possibly irretrievable data and lost equipment costs, you have a workforce who can’t go to work. You also have customers or clients that you can’t serve, and if they have to go somewhere else in the interim, it’s hard to know whether they’ll come back when your company resumes business.
Luckily, there’s one solution that can save you in all three scenarios while adding value to you and your staff every day that a disaster doesn’t take place. Cloud-based compute with data storage offers effortless backups, easy data restoration, and the ability to work offsite when necessary. Want to learn more?
