Not only do data losses and downtime cost Canadian enterprises an average of about $1.2 million each year, but they also result in lost business and reputational harm. All companies struggle to recover, but for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which comprise 98 per cent of the Canadian economy, compromised data and downtime may spell financial disaster.
With mobility creating new challenges, and the amount of data growing at unprecedented rates, the volume of compromised data and costs of recovery are growing as well. According to a recent study, Canadian organizations experience cyber assaults more than once each day, with 87 per cent reporting at least one successful breach in the past 12 months. Newsmakers in this group since 2017 include dozens of major organizations in Canada, such as Bell Canada, Loblaw Companies Ltd., the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, McDonald’s Canada, Dalhousie University, Canada Revenue Agency, and WestJet Rewards.
There are no guarantees that even the most sophisticated systems will suffice in preventing a cyberattack. There are, however, strong indicators that an investment in security, backup and disaster recovery will reduce the impact and costs related to data retrieval, work interruptions, tarnished reputation, and violation of legislation around data security.
One way to mitigate the risk is to partner with a value-added cloud solutions distributor, such as ITCloud.ca, to establish a proactive security process. Distributors will boast a range of attributes, including monitoring ability, recovery infrastructure, advanced supports, and market size. The best advice is to look for an experienced provider that offers the best combination of technology and services. From a peace of mind perspective, ITCloud.ca’s Canadian data storage is also a plus for companies operating in Canada.
ITCloud.ca also ticks the other boxes for best practices in supervised data security. The Quebec company’s supervised online backup of files, folders, databases and virtual machines features proactive 24/7 monitoring performed by expert technicians who will call to rectify the situation if a problem occurs with the previous day’s backup. In addition to the company’s flagship SBackup, an online service for business that ensures daily backups are operational and secure, ITCloud.ca also offers MedicBackup, a solution tailored to the medical profession, Office 365 Backup, and Replica, a versatile, full image backup and recovery appliance.
Because some small businesses have small IT security budgets, ITCloud.ca also offers two low-cost, online backup solutions. ProBackup and LTBackup have the same level of security as SBackup, but they don’t offer the direct intervention of technicians. Both are windows-based and operate with all types of files and folders.
Also light on resources is ITCloud.ca’s Bitdefender solution, a world leader in antivirus and antimalware. As cyberattacks become ubiquitous, it pays to be prepared for network disruptions and downtime. It also pays to leverage the experience and resources of one trusted partner, like ITCloud.ca. With so much potential for system-wide disruption and damaged brand reputation, there’s tremendous peace of mind in enlisting the help of an expert to protect the assets that keep a business up and running.
