If you ask an IT manager what their biggest fear is, they will probably give you an answer along the lines of having data stolen or damaged or not being able to recover important files. Unfortunately not everyone pays as much attention to the security of their data as someone who works in IT (and understands the threats), but the reality today is that your data is always at risk. Even if you’re not tech-savvy or you only store personal files on your computer, there are still things that can happen that would be devastating if your data is not protected and backed up on a regular basis. Here are a few of the most common threats that everyone can face when it comes to data security.
1: Weather-related damage or natural disasters
We pay a lot of attention to the human causes for data loss, and those are very important to address, but there is also one thing that none of us can predict and that everyone is equally at risk for: weather-related damage or data losses. The year 2020 highlighted many of these risks with record-breaking weather disasters, from severe hurricanes, record flooding, and tornadoes to wildfires that ravaged tens of millions of acres of land along with homes and businesses. In the midst of the disaster you probably weren’t thinking about the security of your data, but when the natural disaster is over and you have to put your business or your life back together, the reality of data loss can be devastating. Cloud-based storage ensures that your data is backed up somewhere besides your computer’s hard drive, so no matter what happens to the computer you can always get those files later.
2: Stolen data
There are several ways that your data can fall into the hands of a nefarious actor. That can include deliberate hacking that occurs when you are accessing WiFi networks or working from a laptop computer or your phone, or it can happen when you leave your laptop in an Uber by accident or have it stolen from your car parked in the driveway overnight. If you don’t have any backup at all, or your backup is in the form of a hard drive that can also be hacked or stolen, you may find that your data is lost forever. You may also get a note from the hackers that your data is being held for ransom and you can only retrieve it if you pay. Neither of these situations are good, but if your information is backed up to the cloud you don’t need to pay the ransom or worry about whether your laptop will ever be retrieved.
3: Human error
There are a lot of things that put data at risk from outside sources, but one of the most common is actually simple human errors that lead to data loss. Not storing information properly, failing to back something up, or accidentally deleting important file structures can lead to data loss. Once it’s gone, it often cannot be retrieved.
Cloud-based storage can protect against all these issues and other data security challenges. Start your free trial today at Storage Whale to see how easy it can be to protect your business and personal files from loss.