SECURITY

Online Data Backup: Storing and Securing E-mail

By TMCnet Special Guest
James Brenzel, CEO, KineticD
  |  September 09, 2013

For most of us in the corporate world, the very thought of losing those important messages stored in our email is more than we can fathom. Unfortunately, it happens more than you would expect. A clever hacker, a bad storm or one devastating mis-click can make our email, and the invaluable information stored within, disappear for good.

Email has brought a new era of efficiency to our day-to-day communications. Thus, the information kept in our email accounts often ends up being the most crucial to protect. Who hasn’t spent time searching through our inboxes and trash to find that one bit of information we so desperately need? For these reasons, backing up your email should be a top priority.

Emails Aren’t as Safe as You Think

Most business owners are often spread too thin to think about something as “trivial” as backing up important data. Could your company survive if your business emails vanish? If not, then it is time to rethink your backup procedures.

There are a surprisingly large number of threats that can cause the loss of an email (or even an entire account). It is safe to say that we have all accidentally hit the delete button, only to realize you just lost a critical email from a client.

Where is Your Email Actually Stored?

To assess your current backup and recovery options and create a backup strategy to protect the thousands of emails you have been collecting, ask yourself the following questions:

1.      Where does your organization’s email live? Is it on an application like Outlook, Eudora or Entourage, and how are you backing up this data?

2.      Have you backed up your data to more than one location, in case one becomes corrupt, lost or stolen?

3.      If you are using a cloud email provider, like Gmail, do you know how to restore your email if it is lost or your account is compromised?

The Answer to Data Protection: Online Data Backup

So how do you protect email accounts from potential threats? Many companies choose to copy emails to a corporate server or local hard drive. Others burn this critical data to CDs or DVDs on a regular basis, while many still rely on the antiquated tape backup method.

While these methods are better than nothing, choosing to backup email files to an external hard drive or flash drive is problematic. For one, they tend to be forgotten, misplaced and/or stolen. They are also vulnerable to viruses and hardware malfunction. Furthermore, the responsibility of implementing the backup often falls to those who are already overworked.

How to Choose a Cloud Data Backup Partner

Assuming you’ve decided to partner with an expert to backup your data, how do you know whom to trust? Ask questions and do your research:

1.      Do they provide onsite and offsite protection? Is there a way to easily backup your data to a secure offsite server? Can you keep a local copy of large application and data files, such as Word or Outlook?

2.      What is the backup software like? How easy is it to operate, what data does it defend and most importantly, how much effort is needed to complete your daily, weekly and monthly backups?

3.      How long has the service company been around? Lean towards companies that have been in the business for at least a few years. Cloud service providers tend to come and go.

4.      Does the datacenter meet security certifications? A third party, such as SSAE16, should have already audited potential providers.

5.      How much space do you actually need? Don’t buy a motor home if you only need a golf cart. Seek out a company that will allow you to grow without charging you for space you don’t need.

Ideally, find a way to “set it and forget it” – eliminating the possibility of user error. Finally, test your backup solution regularly.

Wrapping Up

With everyone now so reliant on email, even a temporary loss of access could spell disaster for organizations of all sizes. The best cloud solution will provide your company with easy, efficient support for disaster readiness and recovery of critical data. The knowledge that your data is safe and secure is worth the trouble of a little planning.

Jamie brings over 15 years of experience in investment banking and entrepreneurial startups to his role as CEO of KineticD. Jamie holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario.