(Or What Do You Get When You Mix Irish Jokes with a Security Article?)
Luck is not a strategy, even on St. Patrick's Day! Your network security and data are too important to leave to chance. Hoping that hackers, employee mistakes, hardware mishaps, or natural disasters won't find you is like the answer to this Irish joke: Why shouldn't you iron a four-leaf clover? Answer: You might press your luck!
Having a backup plan is a must. Options you could consider are USB Flash Drives, External Hard Drives, NAS, and Cloud Storage. Take a quick look at each and determine which makes the most sense for your business. Finding and implementing a backup system will help you avoid being the answer to this Irish joke: Why shouldn't you borrow money from a leprechaun? Answer: Because they're always a little short!
USB Flash Drives
At the very least, you can use USB flash drives for backing up data on computers. Flash drives are affordable and portable, but they can also be easily misplaced. These are not the best choice for storing business data long-term. They are a lot like the answer to this Irish joke: How did the leprechaun win the race? Answer: He took a shortcut.
External Hard Drives
External hard drives are also affordable and portable. They have the lowest cost per gigabyte compared to other backup devices. Quick transfer rates allow users to back up large amounts of data quickly.
However, using external hard drives requires you to update your backups regularly to include new files. And because they are portable, you run the risk of the hard drive being misused or stolen. If that happens, you will be saying what the leprechaun said when the video game ended: Game clover!
Network-attached storage (NAS)
NAS is a server dedicated to storing data. It can operate either wired or wirelessly. NAS also offers data redundancy by making a backup of your backups, which gives your files added protection.
But NAS has downsides too. It cannot scale beyond system limits, so additional hard drive bays need to be purchased if you need more capacity. NAS is also vulnerable to malware, though it can be configured to help with protection. And here is an Irish joke that has nothing to do with this section. How can you tell if a leprechaun likes your joke? Answer: He is Dublin over with laughter!
Cloud Storage
Cloud storage is becoming increasingly popular among businesses. Why? 1) It allows users to access their data from anywhere on any internet-connected device; 2) It enables businesses to pay for only the resources they use; 3) and cloud service providers handle the installation, management, and maintenance processes.
However, you need to make sure your Cloud Service Provider implements sufficient security measures, including robust cybersecurity protocols, and rigorous data regulation compliance. Like this Irish joke says: Are you a lucky pickle? Answer: I am kind of a Big Dill. Cybersecurity on cloud storage is a big dill . . . or deal!
As we said in the beginning, luck is not a strategy. Your network security and data are too important to leave to chance. Each of the backup methods described has trade-offs, and you need to determine which is best for your business. If you do, you'll be able to boast just like this Irish joke: Do people get jealous of the Irish? Answer: Yes, everyone is green with envy!
Backup and be safe. Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Article inspired by a TechAdvisory article and Internet Irish Jokes!
