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Protect your data when disaster strikes with the HPE server portfolio for small businesses

Natural disasters, viruses, data corruption—just a few things that keep small business IT teams up at night. Learn how the HPE server portfolio helps teams create workable backup and disaster recovery solutions.

HPE small biz-disaster recovery-blog.jpgFloods, storms, fires—these powerful natural disasters can demolish a small or midsize business if it's not careful. But natural disasters aren't your only calamity-related concerns. Man-made disasters and malicious acts also keep IT teams up at night. Viruses, ransomware, data corruption, accidental data loss, and even malicious data deletion by employees are just a few worries of today's IT teams. What's worse is that these threats constantly evolve, creating a moving target.

This cluster of threats makes it more important than ever for you to back up your data. Choosing IT solutions that enable resiliency, such as the HPE server portfolio, can address these concerns and help you retain access to your data even if the worst should happen.

Why backup and recovery plans matter

Today's businesses exist and thrive on data. Data loss and disruption are costly, not just due to internal business losses, but also because they can lead to loss of reputation and legal expenses. Costs can easily reach the multi-million dollar range as a result of business downtime, recovery time, consumer outreach, regulatory fines, PR operations, legal fees, and more. Many small businesses find these losses devastating, to the point that some cannot sustain them and are forced out of business, CSO noted.

Even if a business manages to avoid disasters like ransomware and data deletion, the specter of natural disaster still looms. Weather-related natural disasters have increased, exacerbated by population growth and urban concentration. Every business, large or small, requires a backup and recovery plan that reduces the risk of downtime when a disaster of any type strikes.

4 questions to ask about your recovery plan

What constitutes a sufficient backup and recovery plan will differ from business to business. If your small business currently has no plan or hasn't revised its plan in a while, it's a good idea to review a few key questions:

  • How frequently should your business execute backups? Perhaps your business rapidly generates data that is critical to its operations, making a backup necessary every 30 minutes. Or perhaps backing up data is only be necessary once per day. The right answer boils down to how much data your business can afford to lose.
  • Where should backup files reside—on premises, in the cloud, or both? If your backup files only reside on premises, how will your business recover if it's hit with a disaster like a flood, fire, earthquake, or tornado? For most businesses, only having files on premises is unwise. However, if all your backup files are only in the cloud, then you risk losing time during the recovery stage. For many businesses, Hybrid IT is the best option. It allows you to have on-premises backup to expedite the recovery process, as well as cloud backup so files can be accessed if on-premises backups are destroyed.
  • How often will you test your backup plan? School kids practice fire drills every year. This teaches the kids what to do in an emergency, and it reduces panic because they are familiar with process. The same idea can be applied to your business. The recovery process can be stressful, so just having a plan is not enough. Your team should practice the plan, ensuring the process works and recovers the right amount of data for your business.
  • Who is on your recovery team and how are roles defined? Your plan should identify the members of the recovery team, describe each person's role, and indicate if team roles differ depending on whether files are recovered from on premises or from the cloud. It should also define a chain of command so that if one person is unavailable to fulfill a role, it's clear who should adopt the role instead.

Hybrid IT strategies create resiliency

The HPE server portfolio offers small businesses storage and backup solutions that draw on the benefits of Hybrid IT. These server solutions are sized specifically for small businesses and are preconfigured and validated for common use cases. They provide easy and affordable alternatives for network-attached storage.

These options allow you to store, back up, and share files from a secure, centralized server. From there, data encryption, secure remote access, and a combination of local and off-site backups keep your data protected and available for access during emergencies. The right on-premises server, along with a smart portfolio of off-site backups, will guard your data come what may.

A backup and disaster recovery plan that embraces Hybrid IT helps you shield mission-critical apps, no matter what natural or man-made disaster may occur. With planning and practice, you can design a plan that removes the risk of business downtime.

Discover affordable IT solutions for your small businessSMB for Dummies.jpg

Ready to take the next step? Check out the SMB Hybrid IT for Dummies Guide. Because there are no “dumb” questions!

Or are you ready to purchase? Visit the HPE Store.

 

 

Ronda Swaney.jpgMeet Server Experts blogger Ronda Swaney. Ronda is a content marketer focusing on IT, technology, and healthcare for CXOs, consultants, and entrepreneurs. She advises clients on how to best communicate their messaging by taking complex material and simplifying it to engage both tech geeks and the uninitiated. Connect with Ronda on Twitter: @RondaSwaney

 


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