Almost two-thirds of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fail to backup their business data on a regular basis.
This is one of the key findings of the Symantec 2011 SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey, which also reveals that SMEs generally do not have plans in place to ensure computer systems remain up and running in times of disaster.
In addition, more than half of SMEs have lost important data from their computers.
Failing to backup or protect important data can lead to the loss of critical information that is core to the operation and survival of a business, says Symantec.
“In many cases, these organisations were able to recover the lost data from backups, but around 70% of them have lost some data permanently,” according to the security vendor.
“The loss or corruption of this sensitive data could cause severe, irreparable damage to the finances or reputation of the business. With time and money not always freely available, SMEs can easily fall behind on computer and data protection,” states the report.
Symantec rolled out Small Business Check-Up, which is a tool that allows SMEs to assess their vulnerabilities to data risk and benchmark their business against survey results from 700 SMEs across EMEA.
The security vendor advises SMEs to have adequate protection for PCs and servers, and says they should implement password protection and encryption technologies. Encryption ensures that even if a laptop or USB stick is lost, the data a criminal obtains will be impossible to access.
In addition, Symantec urges SMEs to regularly backup business data, and to take a copy of the backup offsite or host it on a secure online service. If a fire were to break out, business data would still be safe.
The Symantec Small Business Check-Up is available here.
According to Forrester Research and the Disaster Recovery Journal, 50% of companies test their disaster recovery plan just once a year, while 14% never test. Disaster recovery best practices say the disaster recovery plan must be tested, revised, and updated regularly.
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