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Are you aware of data loss prevention techniques?

Marc Redhead 31 Mar 2022

Marc Redhead is an IT & Business Systems Administrator at Nomad Digital based in the Newcastle Head Office. Marc joined Nomad in May 2018 and has experience working with a range of cloud technologies.

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Imagine losing everything.

Your most important life moments, memories and important documentation is gone. It’s a scary thought and one which we would rather not comprehend. From mobile phones and tablets to computers and hard drive devices, it can be a reality for so many of us with loss of data being more common than we realise.

Today mark’s World Backup Day, a day to raise awareness of preventative measures we can put in place to backup files and keep data secure. There is no better time to set aside a couple of minutes of your day and ensure the safety of your files and precious memories.

LOSS OF DATA

You can never predict when data loss activities will strike, so it is best to be prepared for all scenarios. Here are some of the most common ways data can be lost:

  • Accidental Deletion – Data can often be deleted in error by users, either by accident or when tidying and reorganising files and folders (particularly in large quantities). It is important to double check files and folder contents before deleting them to ensure nothing is overlooked, especially if the data is stored locally on your device and not backed up.
  • Hard Drive Failure – Hard Disk Drive’s (HDD) are mechanical devices with multiple moving parts making them more prone to failure. Portable devices with data stored locally on HDD’s can commonly lose data because of this. This is however becoming less frequent, with more devices using Solid State Drive’s (SSD) – which cannot guarantee full data protection but are far less prone to mechanical failures.
  • Malicious Action – Malicious action such as ransomware, malware or falling victim to phishing campaigns could lead to data being deleted or even encrypted making it inaccessible to the user. In some cases, this can be impossible to retrieve. Having data backed up in a separate location means it is not lost forever.

IMPACT OF DATA LOSS

Losing valuable files and important data can be devastating from a business perspective, particularly when long hours have been spent working on projects or vital customer data is lost – which can lead to potential fines, loss of business and damage to a company’s reputation.

Perhaps more importantly the loss of personal files can be more upsetting, with personal photographs and videos commonly stored on mobile devices without being backed up and valuable keepsakes can be lost as a result. With 113 phones lost or stolen every minute (World Backup Day, 2022) it is key to be protected and save heartache by backing up files on a regular basis.

PROTECTING DATA

There are multiple actions that can be taken to ensure data is both backed up and better protected, with one of the most important forms of storage being a reputable cloud solution. They allow you to store files ensuring they are protected in the case of device failure and can be restored if they are accidentally deleted or corrupted. They also allow you to access the files on multiple devices should you need to.

If you do have to store files locally on your device, you should look to back them up on a separate device i.e. external drives, as soon as possible to minimise the risk of data loss.

It is beneficial to password protect your data no matter where it is stored, avoiding repetition of the same password, and enabling Multi Factor Authentication where possible. Utilising a password manager, for example, LastPass to store passwords in an encrypted vault can be a very useful tool when it comes to password protecting data across multiple systems.

At Nomad Digital, we utilise a range of tools to help secure not only our own data, but our customers’ data too. Our internal documents are securely hosted and backed up in cloud-based solutions and we use encryption, VPNs and centralised access control on our laptops and mobile devices. We manage a range of database applications for our customers, each of which has its own backup policy.

SUMMARY

Today is about preventing data loss. Backing up sensitive and important data at regular intervals will benefit you and your business in the long run.

For more information, please visit the World Backup Day site.

Let’s get ready to protect our data together!

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