The Most Common Forms of Data Loss

Data loss can strike at any time, which is why it’s important for businesses dealing with a lot of data to be prepared for the worst. Unfortunately, only a handful of businesses have a recovery plan in place. Is your business one of the handful?

Luckily, knowing the ways data can be compromised can help you prevent data loss from happening. With that in mind, here are a few of the more common ways to prevent data loss:

Computer Viruses

All it takes is one compromised USB to release a virus throughout your network. Invest in a robust antivirus program to help prevent this. You can also enforce a rule prohibiting your employees from plugging USBs into workstation computers.

Human Error

The most common form of data loss is human error. It’s easy to momentarily lose concentration and accidentally delete or overwrite an important file. You can prevent this by limiting access to certain files, or setting documents to open in a “read only” format.

Despite your best efforts to prevent data loss, however, there is still a chance for things to go awry. The only way to prevent data loss is to create backups of important files. An effective backup method would be to use a cloud service. Your files are backed up on remote servers but can still be easily accessed from anywhere in the world. At the same time, the lack of a physical server keeps it safe from accidents like power surges or hardware failures.