5 steps to prevent data loss

Data loss is no joke and it’s something your company needs to prevent as much as it can. Unfortunately, many only learn to prevent it after data loss has happened. You don’t want to be in that situation and with these tried and true methods, you hopefully won’t have to.

When data loss happens, your whole business can be put on hold, especially if you rely heavily on eCommerce. It can be costly to recover data and it’s even possible to lose important data forever, so it’s vital that you take the steps needed to protect your data as much as possible. To get started, here are 5 steps that you can take to prevent data loss.

1. Perform regular updates.

Updating your website, its plugins and all your computer’s software can feel annoying, but we cannot stress enough how important it is to do it.

These updates very often patch weaknesses that previous versions had. Weaknesses that expose your data. It’s a good idea to work them into your schedule so that you can avoid the thought of, “I have to finish this work before I can do the update,” because that can lead to you forgetting them. Especially after a long day.

2. Backup backup backup.

In one of our earliest blog posts, we discussed how to maintain a WordPress website and this step was one of the most important. Backing up your data regularly can save you a lot of time and money.

It’s important to have more than one backup of all your data. We recommend keeping one locally and one in the cloud. That way, if all else fails, one of those two backups can save you. Much like the previous step, it’s best to schedule backups so that other work doesn’t get in the way of this very important practice.

“The last thing you want is for that hard work to disappear.”
Stuart Smith, Junior Digital Communications Co-ordinator at Web2Web

3. Get protected by an antivirus.

A virus can come from a number of sources which makes them a very serious threat to your data that can also slow your business operations to a halt.

Preventing this one from happening is very simple, all it takes is investing in an antivirus program. These will scan new data and programmes for potential risks. You can still run into a virus, even with an antivirus. That is why it’s important to update the antivirus and have backups, just in case.

4. Take care of your hardware.

One of the most important part to prevent your data from loss is by taking care of the hardware that stores it. This means keeping it away from areas with dust, in areas that don’t get very hot and most importantly in South Africa, avoiding high voltage and power surges.

With an unpredictable load-shedding schedule, it can be very easy to leave your hardware exposed to a power surge that can damage it. This, dust and heat can lead to breakdowns that could have been avoided. Put a backup system in place to avoid interruptions in power and keep your desktop computers unplugged when load-shedding could happen.

5. Create a disaster plan for your business.

When an emergency like data loss happens, it can get even worse when nobody knows what to do. This is why it is very important to create a disaster plan that everyone learns and can take action on if something like data loss happens.

This practice will minimise the damage done and allow for an easier and faster recovery process. It’s best to make this plan with experts that can teach everyone in the company what to do when an emergency happens and set a system in place that everyone can follow.

Make your website a safer place for business with Web2Web.

You don’t need someone to tell you how important your data is, so we know you understand how important it is to prevent data loss. Your business website, just like everywhere else, needs to have this same level of protection.

This means updates, backups, security like antiviruses and someone who can assist you when the worst happens. Web2Web offers enterprise-level website maintenance and management to supply those exact services.

If you want your data to be safer than ever, contact us today and we can find the solution for you.