Backup vs. Business Continuity

The Difference Between Recovering Data vs. Business as Usual

If you think you are immune to downtime costs from data loss because you back up your data, you only cover half of your bases. In addition to having access to business information, you must have the systems and software available to keep operations running. Below are the main differences between what is traditionally called "backup" and what is considered an "intelligent business continuity" system.

Traditional Backup

1. It can take weeks to recover data after a disaster occurs if the data is recoverable
2. It has a high risk of failure due to heavy manual administration: 58% of downtime is due to human error
3. It is difficult to test if a backup is working properly
4. It is time-consuming and expensive to make a copy of, and store, backups in multiple locations: 61% of SMBs still ship tapes to an off-site location
5. It is challenging to prioritize important data, files and application

Intelligent Business Continuity

1. Downtime after a disaster is reduced to hours, minutes or even seconds
2. Fully automated backup processes require very little manual management
3. Automated screenshots are taken of each image-based backup to verify a successful backup
4. Each image-based backup is automatically saved in multiple locations for redundancy, local appliances and secure data centers
5. Critical data can be prioritized to be transferred off-site first

Proactive IT to Keep Business Operating

Many situations and IT threats can make your business vulnerable. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, 70% of small businesses that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year. Business continuity allows your company to recover information and the infrastructure necessary to return to business as usual. The investment in proactive IT could mean a longer life for your business.