Many businesses store their files in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and assume that’s all the data protection they need. It isn’t.
A cloud platform keeps your business connected and productive. But connected and protected aren’t the same thing. When files are deleted, overwritten or encrypted by ransomware, your cloud platform isn’t designed or obligated to get them back. That’s your job.
This is what’s known as shared responsibility. Your cloud provider keeps the platform running and the infrastructure secure. Protecting and recovering your data falls on you.
The risks are more common than most businesses realize. Here’s what you’re up against.
5 things that can go wrong in the cloud
Cloud platforms sync fast, which is great for productivity. But when something goes wrong, that same ease of use becomes a nagging problem. When a file is deleted, changed or encrypted, that change syncs across devices before anyone catches it.
The following are some of the most prevalent ways in which data loss occurs:
- Accidental file deletions: A staff member mistakenly deletes the shared folder, which results in the synchronization of the delete action on the cloud and other synced devices. This makes the files inaccessible to your staff, resulting in decreased productivity, and increased effort spent on finding what was deleted and restoring it.
- Data Overwrites: Your staff might overwrite a vital file with an incorrect version of it, without knowing it. The team will spend additional time searching for the original data in emails and various versions of files.
- Ransomware attacks on cloud-synced data: Ransomware could be used to encrypt a file on one device. In case this file is synchronized with others, the encryption will spread, making it hard to gain access to documents, projects or client information stored in the cloud platform.
- Outdated retention limits: Most cloud platforms retain data for a limited period, and any discovery of issues after that would result in more difficult data recovery. A missing file turns into a major business disruption in case it is associated with billing, customer services, compliance, or project delivery.
- Permissions issues: A minor permission error will either hinder your employees from accessing the documents they require or grant the wrong users access to confidential information. In any case, this will interfere with the business operations and force both the team and management to spend time dealing with the situation, which was not expected.
Cloud storage makes it easier for the team to access information from anywhere. However, the absence of a reliable recovery plan may turn this advantage into wasted effort and unresponsive customer support in critical situations.
Testing demonstrates your safety net is reliable
A number of organizations have backup systems implemented in their infrastructure. However, having one does not guarantee that all the backup data is fully recovered in case of outages, cyberattacks or losses of information. This is a dangerous situation to be in when there are serious issues happening in your organization.
The regular testing process will help to find any mistakes or corruption within the system and give your team a proper recovery plan.
It’s too late to figure out your data recovery process after downtime. You should already know what can be recovered, how much time is required for recovery and who is responsible for each part of the process.
This testing process provides a clear direction to your company allowing employees to resume work quickly, responding to customers timely and not panicking management team.
Resilience implies being aware of your ability to recover
No business is capable of preventing all types of disruptions – whether it’s downtime, ransomware attack, accidental data loss or any other problem causing interruption of the access to the important data.
When everything is prepared correctly, a disruption turns from an unpredictable situation into one with a clear procedure to follow.
It’s essential to have a reliable IT partner who will provide you with such foundation. It will ensure proper backup, testing of recovery procedures and minimize downtime.
Schedule a 10-minutes discovery call with us now and check if your safety net is in place to cover you when it’s really needed.