Small business lack data protection

Small businesses lack the effective systems for preventing and recovering from data loss, according to an independent survey commissioned by Kroll Ontrack.

The survey interviewed IT professionals from companies across Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong to determine their practices of data erasure, data loss and data archive management.

Nearly half of the respondents experienced data loss in the workplace and 36 percent believe data loss could significantly impact their business. However, 49 percent of small companies fail to back up their data on a daily basis.

“The survey exposed a frightening approach to the storage, retention, backup and disposal of organisations’ valuable data,” said Adrian Briscoe, General Manager, Ontrack Data Recovery APAC, a division of Kroll Ontrack.

Briscoe said data loss could impact business productivity, however small businesses were less likely to have a policy for the preservation of data.

Briscoe added, “Many companies do a great job with rollout of their data management system, but then no one revisits it on a regular basis to make sure it is still functioning effectively.”

The survey also revealed nearly a quarter of companies had no formal policy for erasing sensitive data and respondents were also reluctant to seek the assistance of a third-party data service provider.

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