Expert Tips: 6 Ways to Fight Data Loss
Whether you use a powerful computer worth tens of thousands of dollars or just an ordinary mobile phone, one careless moment is all it takes to lose all your data. Bear in mind that data is worth far more than hardware, so knowing how to protect data effectively and avoid data loss is a real art! Today we introduce 6 techniques for fighting data loss and improving the security of your data.
- Back up regularly
“Backing up” may be an old refrain, but effective backups are a tremendous help in better protecting your data: even if the device that stores the data develops a problem, we can still recover the data from the backup. At the same time, think carefully about where backups are kept. For example, back up the data to several different locations at the same time, so that even a natural disaster will not leave the data beyond recovery.
- Use security software appropriately
Another major cause of data loss is hacking! Incidents such as the recent intrusion at McDonald can also lead to data loss, so suitable security software is a great help in preventing data loss caused by hacking! You should also update your security software regularly to make sure it can effectively guard against the latest attack methods.
- Keep backup devices in a safe place
Besides the security defences on your computers, backup media should also be kept in a safe place, so that the physical devices are not damaged by flooding, fire or other hazards. In the past, banks and governments backed up to tape, and the backup tapes were also physically moved to different locations at regular intervals for safekeeping, so that even if something went wrong at location A, the backups would not be affected. Although a business may not have a second site dedicated to storing backup hardware, simply keeping the backup devices at another safe location is a workable approach.
- Encrypt all data
Besides making effective backups, encrypting the backed-up data is a must: even if the backup media are unfortunately stolen, hackers will find it harder to crack the encrypted files.
- Ensure a stable voltage
In data centres large and small, many companies spend money on deploying backup power, and larger data centres even use diesel generators to drive the backup power, ensuring a continuous and stable supply of power and voltage. Why is a stable voltage so important? The main reason is that an unstable voltage directly affects how computers run and can compromise the integrity of stored files. So, for the data you care about, it is time to consider deploying backup power.
- Keep learning
Last but most important is to keep learning the latest IT knowledge. IT is advancing by leaps and bounds, and keeping up with the latest IT knowledge at all times will help you improve your methods and skills for protecting data. At the very least, you will know how to deal with a problem when it arises, ultimately reducing the amount of data lost and limiting the consequences.
Well, those are the few small tips we wanted to share with you this time. Do you have any data-protection tips of your own? Why not share them with us!
