Modern enterprises have started to hire specific services from reputable third parties rather than handling the tasks themselves. The business landscape in the hypermodern era has been significantly altered by these “as-a-service” business models. Disaster recovery for business data is one such service.
The cloud has become a major component of the IT architecture of any successful business and it is revolutionising digital service offerings. Now, managed service providers can offer complex cloud-based IT services. These include secure storage of critical data on the cloud, along with automatic backup and item-level disaster recovery.
Disaster recovery is a sophisticated service that can save an enterprise millions of dollars. If a business loses its files, information, customer details and financial records, then the outcome often puts companies in difficult positions.
Secure storage and complete recovery of files from cloud-based servers is an absolute necessity, so considering a managed service provider often removes the headaches around the maintenance and oversight of these services. Businesses prefer it if their IT resources can focus on strategic initiatives that benefit the company and the customers they serve, instead of scripting disaster recovery procedures themselves.
What is disaster recovery?
In the event of a cyber attack, a natural disaster, or a server outage, disaster recovery allows for a complete restoration of business records, information, applications and data. Cloud-based storage and backup is a modern service that can transform the way businesses manage their data and records and enables organisations to create redundancy.
When it comes to data recovery, a managed service provider will be able to support a business in its strategic objectives. This gives the company more time to focus on its core tasks while also providing a reliable and affordable option for digital storage and disaster recovery.
Business continuity and disaster recovery are complementary, allowing an organisation to continue operating with minimal disruptions to productivity. It only takes a few hours or days to recover and restore information, which is a far better outcome than complete data loss, business shutdown or, in the worst-case scenario, legal action.
Data recovery in the hyper-modern era
Disaster recovery services in the pre-cloud business world were centred around secondary servers that mirrored the company’s data centre. To allow the business to switch over to the backup server in the case of a catastrophic event, the entire IT architecture had to be replicated on the recovery site.
This was extremely costly to set up and maintain, not to mention very time-consuming for the company’s IT department. To ensure that the recovery site was up-to-date and functioning properly, it needed to be tested and updated on a regular basis. This consumed resources and was not always a successful endeavour.
Cloud-based backup and storage services are much simpler to set up, manage and keep up to date. Large companies use third-party service providers because they provide round-the-clock support and automated storage system maintenance. This enables the company’s IT department to focus on other objectives and in-house services for employees.
SEACOM Business conducts an in-depth analysis of a company’s digital systems and IT infrastructure to understand how they interact and what dependencies are present throughout the entire business. This enables them to completely understand the unique needs and processes of an enterprise before setting up the online backup and recovery system.
Why else is disaster recovery necessary?
The implementation of secure storage and recovery systems may be required of some enterprises by law, in addition to the obvious reasons for data recovery and business functioning. According to the South African Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act, customer information must be stored on a secure server to protect against leaks, hacks and loss.
In the worst-case scenarios, violating these regulations could result in a R10 million fine or a 10-year jail sentence. Large enterprises, including financial institutions, medical facilities and telecommunication providers, should invest in cyber security systems for their storage infrastructure, whether it is cloud-based or on-site, in order to safeguard the personal data of their customers.
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