Failed Backups a Big Problem for SMBs

SMB IT organizations are experiencing data loss leading to revenue loss and brand damage due to failed backups, according to a new survey commissioned by GFI Software. The independent, blind survey was conducted by Opinion Matters with 200 IT administrators working in small businesses in the U.S.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Backup and Recovery

Despite its fairly limited scope, the survey does offer a perspective on the main issues faced by SMBs when it comes to keeping their data safe, as well as the prevalent attitudes about data backups. Overall, though, it does look like small businesses can do a much better job in terms of ensuring that data is properly backed up and maintained.

Based on the results of the survey, I highlight several areas that SMBs serious about data backups should look into.

Most SMBs Don’t Do Daily Backups

While one would imagine that small businesses would treat data backups mission critical, a surprising majority (53 percent) of IT administrators revealed they do not conduct daily backups. Nearly one-third of these say that the biggest reason they don’t back up their organization’s data every day is that it’s not an efficient use of their time.

In addition, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of IT admins said backing up data that frequently is “not necessary” or that there’s “not much data” to back up. Let’s hope that is not true. Clearly, more can be done to emphasize the importance of data backup.

Overwhelmed by Data

Busyness isn’t the only reason administrators don’t perform daily backups, though; 10 percent of IT admins said the biggest reason they don’t do so is because they have too much data. Other respondents say they lack the resources, efficient technology or sufficient storage space. Indeed, the majority of those from smaller businesses (50-99 employees) said daily backups are disruptive to workplace productivity.

Instead of continuing to rely on outdated manual backup procedures, it is obvious that SMBs need to invest in an appropriate data backup solution that can help them simplify data storage and perform autonomous data backups on a regular basis without any downtime.

Backed-Up Data Not Tested

Finally, nearly one-third (32 percent) of IT administrators surveyed revealed their organizations do not test their backup processes for effectiveness. On this front, the onus is on executives and IT managers to require and make provisions for regular tests of backed-up data and regular disaster recovery drills to ensure that data backups can be relied on when disaster hits.