Your business’ data is one of its most valuable assets. When you lose data, you don’t just lose sensitive information about your operations. Trust from your clients and employees, revenue, and time all suffer when a data loss occurs.

Furthermore, if you don’t know how to properly recover your data, the loss could be permanent.

In short, data serves a vital role in the success of your business. So if you don’t take preventive measures to protect your data and have a data recovery plan in place, you may experience damage to your reputation and your operations.

Once you experience a data loss, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to recover what was lost. However, you can take preventive measures and protect your data from loss by partnering with Waterdog Computer Works. Our IT experts design solutions that are unique to your business. Learn about the long-lasting IT solutions we offer. 

How Data Loss Occurs

Data loss is oftentimes a matter of when not if. And although hardware failure or natural disasters are inevitable, you can still take measures to ensure your data remains safe.

A business has the potential to lose data in several ways. But with the right steps, your data can remain safe and accessible.

Hard Drive Failure

The hard drive in your computer can fail. And over time, it’s almost a guarantee that it will. Instances like electrical surges, water damage, or exposure to magnetic fields can all cause a hard drive failure.

Additionally, dropping your device or having a heavy object impact your PC may also result in a hard drive malfunction.

However, did you know that improperly shutting off your computer can also be risky? When a device is turned off without proper shutdown procedures, like when the power goes out, your hard drive builds up imperfections. Eventually, these can add up and cause the hard drive to break down.

Furthermore, power surges can actually overload a hard drive with static energy and even fry parts of the hardware.

Signs Of Hard Drive Failure 

Pay attention to your computer’s processing speed. If you notice it’s behaving sluggish, and low-taxing programs are taking a long time to open and run, your hard drive may be on its way out.

Additionally, if your PC tower seems to be unusually hot, freezes often, or you hear strange clicking or skipping noises, make sure your data is backed up before the hard drive fails.

Malware & Viruses

Phishing emails, accidental virus installation, and compromised passwords can all result in data loss. Especially from malware and viruses.

The reality is that people make mistakes. We’re all prone to messing up now and then. But unfortunately, this is exactly what hackers and cybersecurity attacks are counting on.

When data loss happens because of malicious intent, it’s much harder to recover your data and restore your entire network’s integrity. Since ransomware, in particular, encrypts your data, you essentially get locked out of accessing your information.

Hackers hold data hostage through ransomware and demand high-dollar payouts. Do not pay this. There is no way to know that they will even return the data or even delete it on their end. If this happens to you, get in touch with an IT professional immediately.

Accidental Deletion

We just mentioned human error as a cause of data loss from malware. Well, human error can also just be from deleting a file on accident.

For example, the hotkey command “Shift + Delete” won’t move a file to the computer’s recycling bin. It will actually permanently delete the selected file(s).

6 Things You Can Do Yourself To Prevent Data Loss

While data loss sounds intimidating to resolve, there are steps you can take that can help you prevent data loss.

1. Maintain Your Machines

First off, keep your computers in dry and clean spaces. Make sure you’re cleaning it now and then with an air duster.

If your machine ends up getting wet somehow, unplug the device and let it dry out before turning it back on.

Furthermore, if your hard drives are getting up there in age, think about backing up your data on the cloud or an SSD, and then replace the hard disk.

Backing up your data often is the most important step you can take to prevent data loss.

Lastly, always remember to properly turn off your computer. While power outages are unpredictable, you can invest in quality surge protectors to keep your machines safe from electrical frying. Or better yet, think about investing in an uninterruptible power supply.

2. Connect With IT Professionals

While taking the steps above are great first actions, IT experts can help you go even further in preventing data loss. Additionally, IT professionals understand how to recover data if the unfortunate occurs.

Waterdog Computer Works has over 19 years of experience helping business owners of all sizes and industries find reliable IT solutions. When you reach out to us for data loss prevention, we can create a data loss recovery plan and implement innovative IT support to ensure you never lose sensitive information. Contact us today to start the process. 

3. Onboard Cloud Storage

Keeping all of your data on your computer’s hard drive is risky. And even though they’re the standard place for us to keep our data, cloud storage is much safer.

When you store your data in the cloud instead of storing it in hardware alone, you ensure that even if a machine fails, your data isn’t lost.

Furthermore, cloud storage is encrypted. This means that it’s much harder for hackers to gain access to your data.

If your business is operating remotely, then cloud storage allows for business operations to continue seamlessly.

Additionally, if a fire or flood were to happen, cloud storage protects your business from natural disasters.

4. Implement Remote Monitoring & Management

When you use an IT solution like remote monitoring, your network proactively resolves any potential threat to your data. For example, IT experts can monitor your devices for updates, locate and resolve any network vulnerabilities, and change user passwords. All before an issue arises.

Because compromised passwords can lead to data loss, this is a great way to stay proactive.

[Related: How Remote Monitoring Saves You Time And Money

5. Educate On Ransomware And Phishing

Teaching your employees how to recognize phishing emails is another essential part of preventing data loss.

When your team understands phishing attempts and consequences, ransomware can be avoided.

Furthermore, when employees know basic, but good IT practices, you can actually make your operations more efficient.

[Related: Rules & Tips On How To Keep Your Remote Workers’ Data Secure

6. When Data Is Lost, Can You Recover It?

Sometimes, try as we might, data loss still occurs. The good news is that there are some things you can do to recover your data. Although, the process is a little tricky, and you should always reach out to professionals for support.

There are steps you can take to try and repair the hard drive if small internal parts have become faulty. Or, through programs online, there are ways to create an “image” of your drive and then restore lost files. The process is similar to backing up your data.

The best way to recover data is to take preventative measures.

The IT Experts For All Your Data Protection Needs

When you partner with Waterdog Computer Works, we implement IT solutions that are specific to your business. One size does not fit all in IT. Every business has its own unique needs, which is why we work to understand where your IT is now, your goals, and how we can best support you.

Losing your data is a huge setback. Reach out to us today to learn how we can protect your data so you can focus on your business.