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Maxell Warns Businesses to Backup Computer Files to Avoid Data Loss

(Oct 23, 2007)-- For the second consecutive year, Maxell wants to remind businesses everywhere to protect themselves against critical data loss. The “Maxell Fall Backup Day” initiative purposefully coincides with Daylight Saving Time “Fall Back” as the perfect time to institute a back up of computer files and an ongoing data protection plan. This year, “Maxell Fall Backup Day” occurs on Friday, November 2.

“Most businesses today are heavily dependent on information that is crucial to daily operations, making data management no longer just an extra precaution for businesses that can afford to do it,” said Al Dripchak, technical manager of Maxell. “Proper data management through regular backups is the only safeguard against costly and sometimes inevitable business failure resulting from major data loss.”

When critical operational information such as sales histories, inventory figures, or accounts receivables are lost, a business can expend valuable time and resources in an attempt to recover that information. According to Gartner, 40 percent of businesses that suffer an interruption of their operations fail within five years.

Data storage experts at Maxell cite technological advances and increased networked communications as being among the causes of an explosive growth in the digital landscape. There is simply more information than ever before. Market research and analysis firm IDC agrees, predicting an increase of 740 percent of company data between 2006 and 2010. Regular backups to ensure accurate and up-to-date data storage have never been more imperative.

Businesses without a sound data protection plan, leave themselves vulnerable to the many threats that can corrupt, destroy or deny access to critical information. Natural disasters, theft, viruses, equipment failure, human error and even broken water pipes can strike at any time and without warning. According to a recent report from the IT Policy Compliance Group, human error, such as lost laptops, user error and violations of policy, accounts for three-quarters of incidents where sensitive data is lost. PCs, laptops, and mobile devices are the most common channels for such leaks.

Beyond basic archiving and backup, Maxell data storage experts remind business owners that government regulations such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley are now mandating the security, accessibility and retention of information. These regulations make it even more critical to evaluate current record-keeping practices and storage security infrastructure to ensure requirements are being met. Those who do not properly comply could face stiff criminal and financial penalties. Business owners should check with their legal counsel as to which regulations apply to their business and the liabilities that could be incurred.

Data storage options have grown to accommodate business requirements on many levels. Maxell has developed the following advice built on its experiences in premium recordable media over the past 30 years.

* Give yourself a good look in the mirror. In order to determine what type of media will best fit the needs of your business, examine your current data storage requirements and estimate future growth of data. Various media is available, such as high capacity tape, CD or DVD formats, including WORM (Write Once Read Many) for regulatory compliance and encryption technologies for sensitive data. As a general rule when calculating how much and what type of data storage capacity you’ll need in the future, consider that company data will double every 18 months.
* Commit to a schedule: While data is ever-changing and growing, backup of computer files needs to be done on a regular basis. Once you’ve done a full assessment of your system and files, and ensured your file histories have been recorded, continue with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backups, to keep incremental data including HR records, e-mail, contracts, accounting, and sales data current.
* Leave no stone unturned: In today’s mobile business environment, information is constantly on the go, while being subjected to variable and sometimes unfavorable conditions. Make sure your data backup plan considers all the moving parts of your business. Laptops, mobile phones, blackberries, PDAs, instant messenger, email, and home office computers need to be considered when evaluating your storage needs.
* Avoid a false sense of security: Nothing can be more risky than believing you are protected against data loss, only to find out that is not the case. Double-check your backup tapes every few months to ensure the information is recorded correctly and the tapes remain undamaged. Scratches and debris can corrupt individual documents, or make the entire media unreadable. Most importantly, keep your backup copies at an offsite location to increase the odds that one set of information will always be safe and secure from data threats.
* Take extra precaution: When it comes to credit card numbers, social security data, along with customer and employee personal information, you can never be too safe. While loss of information can create financial liabilities and penalties in the short-term, loss of sensitive data can also hurt brand reputation in the long-term. Encryption technologies can offer safe data storage allowing only authorized persons access to information by using the right “key” that can decode or “decrypt” the information. According to a recent study by The Ponemon Institute, data losses cost U.S. companies an average of $182 per compromised record in lost productivity, customer turnover, and direct incremental costs i.e. legal, audit and accounting fees, administrative expenses, and other costs. For a small to medium-sized business, these costs can be crippling.

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