Your Backup Does Not Always Prevent Data Loss... Here's Why

People who back up their personal or company information know that they can recover their files if they experience any data loss. This creates a very reassuring situation. But does the backup taken really work?

The results of a survey once again revealed the importance of this issue. Unexpected interesting findings emerged as a result of the survey.

Backup Schedule and Media Type

Two-thirds of participants stated that they usually back up. Only a quarter said they preferred higher technology for data storage. Cloud backup providers have also increased their popularity. Compared to last year, the number of people using cloud services to back up data has doubled.

Portable hard disks used as backup media are also quite popular. According to last year's results, the number of users storing data on this magnetic device has doubled. While a very large part of users (44%) do daily backups, more than 18% of survey participants stated that they keep their data safe once a week, and 16% do this only once a month.

However, approximately one-third of the 1,000 people who participated in the survey reported experiencing data loss once during the past year. 35% of those who reported experiencing data loss admitted that they did not have a completely up-to-date backup. The numbers look a bit brighter for the rates of people who accessed their data: 67% were able to access almost all of their data and 13% were able to recover three-quarters of the lost data. Unfortunately, the situation was not so positive for the 12% whose backups were corrupted and whose data could no longer be retrieved.

Despite backing up, not including all devices used in the backup process can be shown as a possible reason for data loss. To ensure reliable storage of data, mobile devices such as cell phones or laptops should also be included in the backup media.

Backups Do Not Provide Complete Protection Against Data Loss

Despite the increasing awareness of the need to have a secure backup, unforeseen data loss can still occur for many different reasons. Therefore, to get a good result when backing up, we recommend that you follow the steps below:

1. Use backup software

It is necessary to invest in an appropriate backup solution. You must definitely set aside the necessary time to create an appropriate backup plan for all devices used.

2. Automatic data backup

It is recommended that backups be made at least once a day. In manual backups created in a single day or within a few hours, loss of sensitive data may occur. Automating backup with backup software will prevent human errors.

When the backup is successfully created, using a software tool that automatically sends you a report by email will also be a safe step. This also ensures that checks are done faster and more reliably. The completeness and functionality of backups should be checked regularly to ensure data recovery in emergencies. Data that doesn't work when you try to restore will make your problem unsolvable.

3. Don't forget mobile devices

Make sure that the mobile devices you always use are also integrated into your backup routine. This way, your critical data won't be lost while on the move. This data should also be regularly included in the backup process.

4. Backup space capacity

The space used for backup will become insufficient over time. It is important that the backup software warns you by email in such situations, and that this space is checked and made available during routine checks. It will be healthier to allocate space suitable for the backup size used in the storage device or cloud space and think long-term.

5. Protect your backups against malware

It is important that the backups taken are stored offline in different physical environments if possible, to protect them against malware such as Viruses & Malware, which have become popular recently, such as ransomware hunting.

6. Protection from disasters and theft

No matter how correctly the backups are taken, the security of the environment where they are stored is equally important. You should take precautions against disaster situations such as fire, water/flood and theft situations, and develop storage habits in different locations at routine time intervals.

If something has still gone wrong, if you are experiencing data loss or a damaged backup problem, we recommend that you contact a data recovery expert. You only have one chance for data recovery work in many problem types. Therefore, instead of trying your own methods that could cause more damage, it would be best to have an expert take a look.