Combat employee negligence by standardizing your tape backup process
Data loss is quite expensive. According to an international survey conducted by IBM and Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach or significant loss is close to $4 million. While such a breach would act as a stumbling block for most large corporations, such a loss could spell bankruptcy and closure for many small and medium-sized businesses. That’s why it makes sense for companies to streamline the process they use to store, relocate and archive data assets like backup tapes.
Adding and updating data archiving technologies is an important part of preventing employee negligence from converting into revenue loss. This overview acts as a quick guide for IT asset managers searching for the right software tool to handle this task efficiently. This proactive approach could very well save the business from a catastrophic breach or storage failure.
Robust tracking capabilities minimize data loss
Resource management becomes tricky for IT professionals when important data exists simultaneously on tape, on paper and stored on the company’s data center. When IT asset location is difficult to distinguish, employees are more prone to accidentally deleting an important piece of customer information. This scenario comes with revenue-threatening consequences, emphasizing the need for a means of reliably tracking data assets as they travel from one end of the business to another. IT asset management tools compatible with a long list of scanners and backup apps will be extremely helpful in this regard. Companies will be far less exposed to audits and customer litigation when every piece of data is accounted for.
Reliable documentation reduces risks and improves compliance
Asking employees to perform daily, complex documentation following every data asset adjustment is tantamount to inviting a compliance auditor to the business and leaving all the doors unlocked. Even the best employees can make mistakes, and micromanaging IT workers to prevent data loss contributes to an unproductive work environment, according to Business News Daily. In that way, companies that devise a way to naturally limit occurrences of human error can address productivity problems from multiple angles.
One way that businesses can address this issue is by investing in an IT asset management tool that performs documentation automatically. A fully realized platform will allow users to customize the type of information collected and customize documentation to fit standards set by compliance officials. Taking this responsibility out of the hands of employees not only reduces their anxiety but also eliminates unnecessary threats to customer trust.
Intuitive interfaces make business – wide deployment a sure decision
It’s only natural for companies to expand as they get more successful, just like it’s common for data assets like backup tape to get lost in the shuffle while businesses perform a reorganization. Considering how much IT managers have to account for when updating operations to account for added scale, automating as many steps in the offline asset management process as possible will make the transition considerably smoother.
It may even make sense for companies to integrate an IT asset management tool into their operations just before a big move or expansion. This strategy will ensure that items are scanned, archived and documented every step of the way. Remember scalability when selecting backup tape storage management software, as a tactical purchase in the present could end up saving businesses some major cash later down the road.
Automated alerts account for forgetful employees
While backup tape storage is extremely reliable, even these tools must eventually be replaced and updated. The downside to the long-term reliability of backup tapes is that it can be difficult to keep track of their expiration dates. Thankfully, automated tracking solutions typically are able to keep a close eye on the performance life.
When backup tapes reach the end of their life cycle or are almost overloaded with data, an IT asset management platform will automatically send out notifications to keep IT employees up to date on these developments. In addition to reducing the total amount of info that staff members need to keep track of, expiration reminders go a long way toward avoiding compliance failures.