Data Protection

Problem:

In today's service-oriented economy, the single largest asset held by many organizations is their data. Unfortunately, few have comprehensive data protection policies and systems in place, leaving their organizations unnecessarily exposed to huge losses generally associated with data loss.

Many business owners believe that if they install a backup device like a tape drive, they have done all that is necessary to protect their data. This couldn't be further from the truth! Here are some real-world horror stories that we have dealt with over the 30+ years we have been in the computer service business:

  • A client accidentally deleted one year's worth of data for one customer from their billing system and asked us to restore the database from tape. Unfortunately, the backups had been failing for three months! Their employee had religiously changed tapes every morning but never bothered to look at the screen or the logs to see if the backups had actually run successfully.

  • A client laid off an employee who then decided to get even before leaving the premises by deleting critical company files. Nobody noticed that these files were missing for over a week. Unfortunately, the firm's backup plan only called for a 5 day tape rotation and all valid backups had been overwritten.

  • The principal of a financial services firm used a laptop as his primary computer. This machine contained critical email that was required by the SEC to be retained for at least 5 years. Unfortunately, the laptop was stolen from a luggage carousel at the airport.

  • A client was rushing to finalize a PowerPoint presentation for an extremely important sales presentation. In their haste to make last minute changes, a member of the sales team inadvertently overwrote the most recent copy of the file with one from the week before, thus wiping out all of the work done that morning -- one hour before the presentation was scheduled to begin. Since backups were done nightly, the best they could do was restore the file from the day before.

  • A vendor visiting one of our clients decided to connect their laptop to their network. Of course, the laptop was infected with a virus which then proceeded to infect every other computer on the network. The virus then began to delete Microsoft Office files from the infected PC's. Only the file server was being backed up and employees had failed to save all critical files to the file server.

  • A small fire and subsequent water damage from overhead sprinklers and fire hoses destroyed a client's file server and backup tapes. Since no tapes were being stored off premises, the firm lost all of its electronic data including their customer database, accounting system, Word/Excel documents and graphic image files. The firm declared bankruptcy two months later.

These stories only point out a handful of the possible ways your organization can be harmed by not properly protecting your data.

Solution:

High Caliber takes a comprehensive, three step approach to helping its clients protect their data. We call this methodology AIM:

1. Audit

Here, our experienced consultants go over your organization's systems, policies and procedures with a fine tooth comb so we can document how data is currently being handled and protected. Using this information, problem areas are then identified and alternate solutions are proposed in a comprehensive final report and presentation to management. We can work in conjunction with internal IT staff or act as a completely independent consultants.

2. Implement

If necessary and desired, our skilled network engineers can help design and implement systems, policies and/or training necessary to reduce the risk of data loss.

3. Monitor

Ongoing monitoring and oversight of data protection measures is the only way to make sure your data continues to be protected, day in and day out. These services include regular backup monitoring and testing, spot "mini audits", ongoing employee training, and periodic reviews of systems, policies and procedures to insure continued compliance.

High Caliber has developed this proven methodology over the 30+ years we have been in the computer service business and can bring it to bear on your organization to reduce the substantial risks associated with data loss.

Benefits:

There is nothing worse than losing data. Ask yourself what would happen to your organization if someone stole your file server and all of your backup tapes. Or if an employee accidentally or maliciously deleted accounting files. How long would it take and how much would it cost to reconstruct critical databases, accounting files, Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents, email, voice mail and all of the other data buried inside your organization? Most organizations would agree that having experts come in and address these issues is well worth the investment.

Protecting your data goes way, way beyond just backing up every day. Consider these chilling facts:

  • 93% of the companies without data protection and disaster recovery plans were out of business within 5 years of a disaster.

  • Of businesses that lost their records, 44% never reopened and 30% of those that did failed to survive beyond 3 years.

Why not give us a call and let us conduct a comprehensive Data Protection Audit of your organization? We will go over your systems, policies and procedures with a fine tooth comb so we can document how data is currently being handled and protected. Using this information, problem areas will be identified and alternate solutions proposed in a comprehensive final presentation to management.

Email or call us today ( 212-684-5553 ) to learn more about how we can help your organization protect itself from data loss.

  Related Services:

    DataGuard Data Protection Newsletter
    Disaster Planning
    Email Archiving

 



Do you have a technology-related problem?
Contact us for a free consultation!