Directive Blogs

Building a gingerbread house is a perennial tradition in many, many households. Those with experience know that precise, careful preparation leads to a successful, long-lasting final product, while rushing and cutting corners usually leave you with a crumbling, fragile mess.

Much of the same can be said of your business’ data. This essential operational resource is terrifyingly susceptible to a litany of threats and issues that could easily bring your processes tumbling down… hence, why the 3-2-1 Backup Rule is a core element of successful business continuity.

Let’s take a moment to consider the recipe for a reliable, disaster-proof backup, and how it aligns with the process of making a gingerbread house.

Remember tape backup? For some SMBs who have moved on, this form of data backup is a clunky and frustrating relic of the past. But if you aren’t remembering it and are instead still dealing with it, you might be experiencing some operational frustrations of your own. Today, we want to cover a better solution—one that takes the unpredictability out of business continuity.

It is remarkable how much more capacity our data storage tools have than they had upon their initial invention, and how much data we’ve amassed in that time. The first-ever commercial hard drive was the size of two refrigerators, and held a mere five megabytes of data. For context, that’s about five photographs. Today, hard drives hold exponentially more data, and it is critical that you are doing everything you can to protect this data from any circumstance, from fire, severe weather, or cyberattack.

So, are you? Too many business owners aren’t sure… but there’s a way you can be. 

What would you do if your entire infrastructure were impacted by ransomware all at once? Do you have a contingency in place to address this risk, or are you going to “wing it” in the face of such a threat? The smart answer is that you’ll be prepared, and a data backup and disaster recovery solution (or BDR) plan will help you do just that.

Any business can face a variety of disruptions, from natural disasters to cyberattacks. While many organizations understand the importance of preparing for the unexpected, not all of them have a solid plan in place. A well-crafted business continuity plan (BCP) is crucial for protecting your employees, customers, and bottom line.

Here are some key dos and don'ts to consider when creating your business continuity strategy.

You know your business needs data backup, but do you understand why? Simply put, your business is at risk of total annihilation if it doesn’t have a plan in place to recover lost data, and you don’t want that impending doom hanging over your head. If you’re wondering where to get started, here are three types of data that you should absolutely prioritize with your backups.

That said, you want to back up all data if you can, but these are three that we think are especially important to consider.

We need to talk about something that is as exciting as watching water boil, but it might just save your entire business one day: backing up your data.

I know, I know. You're busy doing your thing, closing deals, and you’re busy. The last thing on your mind is where your files are outside of your server. The truth is, it’s not very interesting, but it sure is important.

We’ve all felt that mini-panic that happens when our personal technology glitches. Not a great feeling. That’s just if your microwave is on the fritz, or your smartphone fell in the toilet. We all depend on multiple devices each day, but for a business owner who is responsible for so much, technology failure really isn’t an option. This month, we thought we’d go into how technology outages can impact a business to give you a better perspective of just how much is at stake.

Technology is meant to be the wind in your business' sails, propelling you forward, simplifying tasks, and making operations smoother than a freshly paved highway, right? Sometimes, it is! Other times, it feels more like a mischievous gremlin has been let loose in the engine room, and certain seemingly small habits can escalate into full-blown operational nightmares.

Here at Directive, we've seen a pattern or two. Today, let's shine a spotlight on three common technology missteps that might be silently sabotaging your productivity or even worse, leaving your digital doors wide open.

For small and medium-sized businesses, a data backup plan might seem difficult or even impossible to implement without the right in-house IT expertise. That’s no excuse to neglect data backup, though. Today, we want to share the 3-2-1 backup rule, which is an ideal standard to aim for.

Do you know what goes into a successful data backup strategy? If not, know that your business depends on these contingencies to confidently face the challenges of today’s business world. Today, we’re breaking down the essentials of a sound backup strategy—and trust us when we say it’s more complicated than you think.

There are, plainly and simply, too many ways that a modern small or medium-sized business can experience an issue that puts their IT out of commission in one way or another. Each one can hit one of these businesses particularly hard in the wallet.

Let’s review some today and discuss how they can be resolved.

Cyberthreats aren’t just occasional inconveniences, especially nowadays. They are constant, evolving, and some are so highly sophisticated that you can hardly blame yourself if you fall victim to them. This is why proactivity is so important. Businesses that take a reactive approach to cybersecurity find themselves in a never-ending cycle of damage control. Without a purposeful cybersecurity strategy, any organization faces recurring breaches, data loss, and ultimately a situation where customer distrust can result in the company's financial ruin. This month, we thought we would take a look at why having a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that addresses these risks is so critical for the modern business to accomplish.

When your business’ data is so crucial to your successful operations, there are certain precautions that you simply need to take for the sake of your business’ longevity. One such precaution: data backup.

Your data is the gas that powers your business’ engine, whether you’re referring to project files and intellectual property or financial info and customer records. As such, imagine what it would mean if your business ran out of gas… or, more accurately, it was siphoned out.

There are plenty of reasons why a business might lose some or all of its data, ranging from cyberattacks to hardware failure. Unfortunately, there isn’t any real reason your business won’t be one of the unlucky ones.

This makes it imperative that you prepare for this eventuality. Let’s discuss how to do so with the help of data redundancy.

Today—March 31st—is World Backup Day, an annual reminder to think about how well you’re protecting your data. Is your business prepared to prevent—or recover from—a data loss disaster? And while you’re at it, have you taken steps to back up your personal information as well?

Running a business is basically a never-ending series of potential disasters just waiting to happen. Some are easy to fix, change a process here, tweak a strategy there—but others? They can completely derail your operations if you’re not prepared. That’s where smart technology steps in to save the day.

Let’s look at some nightmare scenarios that could spell disaster unless you have the right IT in place.

Running a business is already confusing enough without worrying about security at all times. Whether you’re a small business owner or a multi-level enterprise, security is just as important for all the same reasons. Today, we want to share a couple of security strategies you can implement today to feel better about the current state of your infrastructure moving forward.

Every business’ worst nightmare is a data loss incident, and if you’re caught unawares, such an incident can set you back financially and operationally for months. Today, we want to cover some of the common data your business collects that you absolutely need to have backed up. If you don’t, you could become subject to serious fines due to regulations and other industry-specific mandates.

Data Backup and Disaster Recovery (BDR) isn’t your average data backup solution. In fact, it’s far from any traditional backup tool that you might have used in recent years. Here’s how BDR is changing the way that organizations approach business continuity and ensuring their continued success and sustainability.