How To Avoid Data Loss

You know how important data loss prevention is to your shared hosting company, It is important to prevent from this kind of situation, when you have the chance.

It is easy to see how this can happen: storage devices today are highly complex and high capacity. As a result, errors are bound to happen when organizing data. But you can keep your data safe by relying on best practices!

Manager of data recovery operations Jeff Pederson for Kroll Ontrack, a data recovery, ediscovery, and information management product provider, said, "With data stored in multiple locations and on multiple devices, loss at any level can be very detrimental, putting IT administrators in the hot seat to provide fast issue resolution and minimize downtime.

Under such extreme pressure, IT teams may be overlooking established ITIL best practices for IT service management in the pursuit of urgent issue resolution, leaving organizations at risk for data loss."

Let's look at common mistakes made by administrators so you can ensure your shared hosting company doesn't make them!

Not Properly Documenting And Executing IT/Retention/Backup Procedures

This occurs when: a) a new server is put in place but IT has not idea it is receiving data, resulting in a lack of backup for that data, or b) IT administrators decommissioning a server that is actually still in use, leading to data loss.

Not Updating Anti-Virus Software/OS

Are you guilty of clicking the 'Remind me later' button when asked to update your OS or anti-virus software? Whether you put it off due to time constraints or otherwise, doing this can put you at risk because you are missing out on important bug fixes and security patches, leading to data loss or a security breach.

Not Backing Up Properly

In a customer survey, Kroll Ontrack found that 60 percent had a backup plan in place when there was a data loss, but it didn't work correctly, resulting in the loss. If you don't follow your backup plan and test its functionality on a regular basis, data loss will happen.

Accidental Data Deletion

This happens a lot: a company needs to recover critical data after it was deleted because an administrator things the server is out of commission, even though it holds relevant data. You must verify the data is no longer needed prior to deletion.

Not Ensuring Effective Security Policies

To protect yourself from breaches in security and data loss, you must make sure that only the administrators who need access have passwords, and if one of them leaves the company, change the passwords immediately. You'd be shocked to learn how often a disgruntled ex-employee logs in and manipulates or deletes important data!

How can you minimize your risk, and if there is a problem, how can you fix it?

-Make A Plan. You should set established policies and procedures and document them, going back to review these procedures to keep them as up-to-date as possible.
-Don't Panic. If data loss occurs, don't rush to correct the problem. Hasty decisions can lead to downtime or even more data loss, adding to total expense and your work load.
-Trust Your Skills. Don't let your boss push you to make a move you will later regret. Use your technical experience, and remember that you are the expert here. Save your boss from future problems by doing what needs to be done instead of doing "whatever it takes."
-Know The System. This is a given. Know the capabilities of your storage network and what it will take to restore lost data.
-Call An Expert. If you are in over your head, call a data recovery company to help.