Although the loss of business-critical data is costing UK businesses millions of pounds each year, recent reports suggest that a considerable number of organisations are not taking the preventative steps needed to protect their information, putting themselves at significant risk.

The financial implications are huge, and 80% of businesses that suffer major data loss close within 18 months. Darren Kirby, managing director of Rockford IT, a managed service provider, is warning companies across the UK to consider what they would do if the worst were to happen, and is urging them to build a disaster recovery plan into their business model.

A disaster recovery system is one of the most important investments a business can make, but many don’t realise they need it until it’s too late. Server downtime, for instance, will strike all organisations in some form, and it can not only have damaging financial implications, it could also impact its reputation and stakeholders.

Many small and medium-sized organisations assume they can’t afford critical data protection and server recovery, but it should be a question of whether they can afford not to have it. Even larger organisations with some form of disaster recovery are losing data because their systems aren’t saved in real time and backed up automatically.

Human error and software malfunction are the main reasons that organisations lose critical data, so organisations should not only focus on prevention, but formulate plans to minimise the effects. Educating employees to be aware of the causes and potential consequences can make a real difference.

In addition, some businesses are choosing to use remote servers that encrypt data and store it in real time, so if disaster strikes it can be restored from its last position. In recent years, some organisations have moved away from traditional server rooms in favour of external cloud-based storage systems, primarily as a disaster recovery procedure.

Such systems provide a secure platform where data can be stored away from environmental factors and hardware failures or power surges. Cloud also enables users to access data wherever their location, and is not only cost effective, but doesn’t have any limit on the amount of data that can be stored.

Rockford IT specialises in managed IT solutions. Server recovery is an important part of that mix, and it offers Mirrornet’s server recovery solution. This provides real-time comprehensive backup and restore solutions for physical and virtual environments.

Using mirroring technology to safely replicate data, coupled with robust testing systems, businesses and organisations can rest assured that their data is secure and accessible in the event of a disaster. Rockford IT’s value comes from taking time to understand customers’ IT systems and priorities and working to a detailed project plan so that should the service be invoked, customers will speak to a technician who understands their needs and the solution.

Rockford IT is a managed IT solutions and service provider with more than ten years’ experience in managed hosting, communications, IT security and disaster recovery solutions. The company has two high-security data centres in Telford and one in Liverpool. As an ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified company, a Microsoft Silver Partner and WatchGuard Expert Partner, Rockford IT prides itself on being an extremely competitive and experienced company in the IT sector, with customers ranging from small businesses to multinationals throughout the UK and beyond.

See also: Mastering disaster – Do you have a contingency plan?