Many small businesses assume they’re flying under the radar – too small or obscure to attract the attention of cybercriminals. But it’s not just hackers you need to worry about. According to recent studies, human error, hardware failure, and natural disasters collectively account for nearly 80% of all business data loss incidents. If your business relies on its data to operate, it’s at risk – and it’s essential to have strong, reliable backup and recovery strategies in place.
In this article, we’ll explore three common causes of business data loss beyond ransomware, examining real-world examples and their devastating impacts.
1. Human Error: When Good Intentions Go Wrong
Human error remains one of the leading causes of data loss, accounting for approximately 32% of all incidents. Whether through accidental deletion, misconfiguration, or an employee mistakenly removing critical business data, the consequences can be severe.
The GitLab Database Deletion Incident
What happened? In 2017, an administrator at GitLab accidentally deleted the company’s production database while attempting to resolve a slow replication issue. To compound the problem, five different backup recovery methods subsequently failed.
The data loss triggered a significant service outage, affecting GitLab users worldwide and resulting in lost productivity and customer frustration.
What was the outcome? GitLab managed to recover some data, but the incident highlighted critical gaps in their recovery systems. They later revamped their backup and disaster recovery policies to prevent similar occurrences.
Lesson learned: Even well-intentioned employees can make critical errors. Having multiple, tested, and verified backup systems is essential to ensure data recoverability when disaster strikes.
Prevention Strategies:
- Implement proper access controls and permission structures
- Create automated backup and recovery processes that don’t rely on manual intervention
- Conduct regular staff training on data management best practices
- Establish clear protocols for handling critical data systems
2. Hardware Failure: When Systems Break Down
Hardware failure accounts for approximately 44% of data loss incidents, often leading to severe business disruptions if redundancy systems are inadequate or untested.
British Airways IT System Collapse
What happened? In May 2017, British Airways experienced a catastrophic IT system failure when an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unit at their data center experienced a hardware malfunction. When power was restored after a brief outage, a power surge damaged servers and distribution panels, leading to a total IT system collapse.
The airline was forced to cancel over 700 flights from London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports, stranding approximately 75,000 passengers worldwide. The operational and reputational damage was significant, with compensation costs and lost revenue estimated at £80 million.
What was the outcome? British Airways had to rebuild its entire IT infrastructure in the affected data center and implement more robust backup systems and redundancy measures to prevent similar issues in the future.
Lesson learned: Critical hardware components can fail unexpectedly, and without proper redundancy systems in place, these failures can cascade into major operational disruptions and data loss.
Prevention Strategies:
- Install comprehensive surge protection systems for all critical IT infrastructure
- Implement redundant hardware systems across multiple locations
- Schedule regular maintenance checks and hardware replacement before end-of-life
- Test disaster recovery procedures regularly to ensure functionality
3. Natural Disasters: When Nature Strikes
Natural disasters including fires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes account for approximately 3% of data loss incidents but often represent some of the most catastrophic and costly scenarios, particularly for businesses lacking robust backup and recovery strategies.
The Impact of Hurricane Helene
What happened? In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused widespread destruction across North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, resulting in extensive power outages and infrastructure damage.
Economic losses were estimated at US$35 billion, with countless businesses experiencing prolonged downtime and data loss due to destroyed on-premises servers and backup systems.
What was the outcome? Businesses without comprehensive disaster recovery plans faced extended operational disruptions, with some unable to recover critical historical data.
Lesson learned: Establishing a solid disaster recovery plan, including geographically redundant backups, is essential for businesses to mitigate the risks associated with natural disasters and ensure continuity of operations.
Prevention Strategies:
- Implement off-site and cloud-based backup solutions
- Create geographic redundancy for critical data and systems
- Develop and regularly test comprehensive disaster recovery plans
Protecting Your Business Data: Beyond Anti-Ransomware Measures
It’s easy to think that cyber threats and data loss are problems for bigger companies with deeper pockets. But in reality, small businesses are just as vulnerable – sometimes even more so. And it’s not just ransomware that can take you offline. Everyday mistakes, technical issues, and unpredictable events can all put your data – and your business – at risk. The good news? With the right backup and business continuity strategy, you can build cyber-resilience and bounce back from whatever comes your way.
Is your organization adequately protected against these common data loss scenarios? Consider conducting a thorough assessment of your backup and recovery systems to identify and address potential vulnerabilities before they lead to catastrophic data loss.
