| Here in the 21st Century, the thought of someone | | | | organization's tombstone. |
| dead set on crippling the company by hacking into its | | | | In today's business world, just about all companies |
| database is a business owner's worst nightmare. If | | | | depend, to greater or lesser extents, on electronic |
| it's not actually #1 on the list, it's at least in the top | | | | data storage and a strong, secure internet presence. |
| five Worst Things That Could Happen. | | | | So how does one best meet those very real needs |
| Unfortunately, without strong safeguards in place to | | | | without exposing the business to apocalyptic |
| prevent it, such a scenario is entirely possible. In | | | | destruction from crackers (evil hackers, intent upon |
| some extreme cases, it's even likely. | | | | doing damage)? |
| Consider the situation of an employee you've decided | | | | One universally acknowledged way - and probably |
| you're going to have to fire. If that employee is | | | | the surest way - is to move from on-site server and |
| currently a member of your IT department, and if | | | | media-based data storage to an online data backup |
| you don't block his or her access in time, what's to | | | | system. |
| stop them from taking your entire company down | | | | With an online data backup system, data is safely |
| with them when they're let go? The startling - and | | | | stored on an offsite computer -- and only the |
| scary - answer is: Very little, if all your data is stored | | | | business owner has the key to de-encrypt the |
| on tapes, CDs or servers right there in your offices. | | | | information. That means it's safe from sabotage by |
| Maybe you'd be quick enough to prevent a | | | | disgruntled or unscrupulous employees - or by anyone |
| disgruntled employee from damaging your database | | | | else out to harm your business. Beyond the |
| before you could show them the door - but what | | | | recognized safety factor of that, however, other |
| about an unknown, less-than-honorable low-level | | | | pluses are there's no salaried time involved in backing |
| staffer, IT or otherwise, who's been approached by | | | | up and storing your vital customer and other business |
| an unscrupulous competitor offering big bucks for | | | | data ... there's no chance for human error to occur ... |
| some sneaky, internal sabotage? No one likes to | | | | backups can be scheduled for the middle of the night |
| think it of anyone working for them, but pretending | | | | ... and there's no chance of a tape, CD, server or any |
| that 100% of the people on any staff are honest | | | | other media-based system being corrupted. |
| and completely trustworthy doesn't make it so. The | | | | With so many things to worry about in running a |
| sad truth is that some people can be bought - and if | | | | business today, online data storage and backup |
| they are bought by someone who's out to hurt or | | | | offers companies the security of eliminating at least |
| destroy your company, pretending that it "couldn't | | | | one of those worries easily, quickly and reliably. |
| happen here" could be the epitaph on your | | | | |