Whether you lose data through a natural disaster, cyberattack, hardware failure, or human error, the consequences can devastate your business, perhaps beyond recovery. This is why implementing a robust disaster recovery (DR) plan with purpose-built tools is essential for businesses across industries. Such a plan may seem prohibitively expensive for small businesses like yours, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right strategies and affordable solutions, you can prepare your organization to recover swiftly from any disaster.
Let’s explore affordable DR solutions that can help protect your small business's critical data and maintain operational continuity.
Data backups for all budgets
Data backup is the cornerstone of any DR plan. When you regularly back up your critical data, you ensure that a copy can be restored in case of a disaster, averting prolonged or even permanent downtime. The following backup solutions come in a range of prices, including affordable ones:
Cloud backup services
Services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox have affordable plans for small businesses with no upfront purchases required. These platforms provide scalable, secure storage and easy access to data backups from anywhere.
Network-attached storage (NAS)
NAS devices deliver unmatched cost-effectiveness for local backups. By connecting them to your network, you can enjoy automatic backups and data redundancy 24/7. Brands such as Synology and QNAP offer trusted NAS devices that can be configured according to your particular needs.
External hard drives
If you operate a very small business or have a tight budget, external hard drives can provide a simple and cheap backup solution. Regularly scheduled backups to these drives can ensure data safety; however, you may need to back up manually and secure the physical hard drives to ensure they are not destroyed or compromised during a disaster.
Read also: What to do if your backup plan fails: An SMB’s guide to disaster recovery
Redundant systems that don’t break the bank
Redundancy entails having duplicate systems or components to take over when the primary system fails, ensuring operations can continue with minimal or no disruptions. Some ways you can build redundancy include:
Virtualization
With virtual machines (VMs), you can operate multiple operating systems on a single physical machine. If one server fails, a VM can quickly be restored on another machine. Some popular affordable VM tools are VMware and Oracle VM VirtualBox.
Cloud-based redundant systems
If you already use services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, adding a cloud-based redundancy option can cost less than acquiring them piecemeal. Each of these popular platforms allow you to run redundant servers and storage in the cloud, ensuring high availability and quick recovery.
Employee training: Low-cost but high-impact
Training your staff in data backup security practices and recovery procedures guarantees that everyone is prepared to respond effectively during a disaster. Better yet, it involves no purchases or subscriptions. You may need to hire knowledgeable consultants and instructors, but this expense provides an outsized return on investment. Consider exploring:
Online training programs
Leverage free or low-cost online training platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning to provide employees with DR-related training. Note, though, that these courses may be more suitable for entry-level and non-tech-savvy employees, while leadership and IT employees will need more advanced instruction.
In-house workshops
Conduct in-house workshops and training sessions to educate employees on your DR plan. If you partner with a managed IT services provider (MSP), this kind of training could be included (or negotiated into) your service level agreement.
Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS): An all-in-one solution
DRaaS solutions boast comprehensive disaster recovery capabilities, often including ongoing monitoring and management. While seemingly an expensive option, consider that with DRaaS, you don’t need to purchase any hardware or continuously spend time maintaining your DR solutions. This may provide a better value for you, especially in the long run.
Leverage managed IT services for disaster recovery
Partnering with a local, reliable MSP such as XBASE Technologies can be a cost-effective way to implement and maintain a comprehensive DR plan. Our DR services have been trusted by small businesses in Toronto for over 30 years. With our expertise and up-to-date solutions, we can enhance your DR capabilities to prevent data loss at all costs. Best of all, we charge an affordable fixed rate perfect for growing businesses. Talk to an XBASE specialist today.