It’s often said that data is the life blood of a modern business. If that’s the case, your server is the beating heart. That’s why server backups are so important – when a server goes down, the business often just stops – and it doesn’t always restart again.
If you’re running Windows Server, it’s vital that you have a backup of your business data – and here’s why.
Version Control
Sometimes, computer users accidentally overwrite their files, or want to roll them back to a previous version from a few weeks ago. But if you don’t have a Windows Server backup from that time, you’re stuck with the most recent version.
Server backups give you version control, which is extremely useful if any of your data – such as a PDF scan of a certificate – gets corrupted.
Accidental Deletion
User error is like gravity – so long as you’re on Earth, it’s a constant you can rely on. People accidentally delete files, folders, emails, and other vital bits of data. There are several reasons why this data might not end up in the Recycle Bin, and without a backup, that data is gone for good.
Disgruntled Employees
Without a Windows Server backup, any disgruntled employee can hold your business data hostage. On the lower end, an employee can delete their own work out of spite as they go out the door, making it hard for the business to operate. And on the more disastrous end, they could delete much more than that – or put a virus on the system that corrupts all your data.
In short, having a backup of all that data means no matter what kind of tantrum they potentially throw, you’ve got a safe copy on hand so all that sabotage is completely thwarted. Sure, you could sue them for damages, but without a business backup it’s not going to get your data back.
Hardware Failure
Hard drives fail. Power surges happen. Your servers can suffer any number of hardware-related failures, and the risk only increases with time. If you don’t have a Windows Server backup, then any moment you could lose the entirety of your business data to a hardware failure. The cost of setting up some backup software and a good backup scheme is nothing compared to losing all that data.
Software Failure
Software failure can lead to corrupted data, and if you don’t have any copies, this can have massive consequences for your business. Corruption can occur before you properly detect it, by which time it’s too late unless you have a server backup on hand.
Natural Disasters
Nobody expects fires, floods, storms or earthquakes to hit their business – but when it happens, everyone always wishes they had a backup. It’s one thing losing your place of business, but another thing entirely to lose all your customer and business data.
How to Back Up Your Servers
For Windows Server backups, the number one software is currently BackupAssist. It’s affordable for SMBs and is specifically tailored to users of Windows Server, so you know it’s reliable. The free fully featured 30-day trial is available here.
