Data storage can be a difficult task, especially when mistakes are made. Losing family memories from a corrupted hard drive can be devastating. Imagine a crucial business file you need for a meeting has gone missing or important personal or customer information has been stolen.

It’s time to keep up with the potential threats and keep your data safe! In this blog post, learn about common data storage mistakes and how to prevent them, so you can rest easy knowing your data is secure.

1. Insufficient Backup and Disaster Recovery

Everyone with essential data stored should always have a data backup and recovery plan. This includes having multiple backups for all data sources in case of emergency. Another data storage strategy is to add an offsite backup, which can be used during a natural disaster, data corruption, or a system failure.

Additionally, seamless backups should occur regularly, and the backup files should be checked periodically to ensure the backup and recovery system is working correctly. By not backing up data, users may never be able to recover their data if something goes wrong. To avoid this disastrous situation, users must work with an experienced data storage provider like San Storage Solutions to create the proper backup and disaster recovery strategy.

2. Lack of Data Encryption

Data that isn’t secured can be stolen or used in other harmful ways. Data kept on cloud servers, network-attached storage, smartphones, USB drives, or other removable media must be encrypted as the organization’s top priority..

A safe encryption system that includes multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, digital signatures, and secure access protocols should be implemented. Also, organizations shouldn’t share sensitive encryption keys or passwords since doing so could lead to data breaches. Organizations should regularly review and update their security methods to ensure they are protecting business data with the latest security standards from common cyber threats.

3. Ignoring Data Redundancy

Data redundancy is essential to data storage and can give you important backups of important information at the right time. Many people ignore data duplication, which is bad for their business. This can lead to data loss, possible downtime, financial losses, and even legal problems.

Every business should have a clear plan for keeping and backing up information to avoid making this mistake. This should include extra copies held in at least two different places.

Use storage methods with multiple copies, like RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). This duplicates or distributes data across various drives. This guards against hardware failures and makes data more accessible in general.

4. Underestimating Future Storage Needs

Needs to store data can change quickly. People who don’t think about how much storage they will need in the future often run into problems and risk losing info.

To prevent this, businesses should determine how much data storage they need. Find several providers who are qualified and able. Keeping a close eye on changes in both operations and the market.

Companies should use predictive analytics to predict how their needs for dynamic data will change correctly. Think about cloud-based storage choices that can be revised and expanded as needed.

Businesses can easily handle more enormous datasets by investing in storage solutions that can grow with them, like cloud and on-premises solutions. The long-term data storage costs should also be taken into account. So, businesses can spend money now on solutions that will be useful and scalable in the future.

5. Lack of Data Lifecycle Management

Not managing the span of data can lead to several problems, such as data loss and security risks. To prevent this mistake, organizations should set up a data lifecycle management strategy in which they regularly review how they store data and get rid of it when it has reached the end of its useful life.

Define clear rules for keeping, archiving, and deleting data based on what the law says and your business needs. Also, data should be sorted by how valuable it is.

Only people with the proper credentials should be able to view it. This ensures that data is stored efficiently, cuts down on storage costs, and lowers the risk of non-compliance.

6. Neglecting Regular Maintenance

If you don’t do regular upkeep, your system could crash, your data could become corrupt, and you could lose all your essential and valuable data. To stop this from happening, ensure that all data is backed up regularly in a safe place, set up automatic task schedules to ensure regular maintenance tasks are done on time, and scan systems regularly for malware and viruses.

Data maintenance should include cleaning, backing up, and looking for mistakes daily. Virus scans, storing, and dividing the hard drive into sections may be extra steps. Maintenance ensures that all tasks and system files are up-to-date, making the computer faster and safer.

7. Overlooking Data Security Measures

Data security steps are essential to keep sensitive information safe from people who shouldn’t have access to it, people who want to hurt it, or other bad actors. Data security rules that aren’t very strict are often overlooked, which leaves data open to theft or manipulation.

Organizations must spend money on solid data security steps if they don’t want to make mistakes when storing data. With multiple layers of security, it will be much harder for someone to view or change data without the correct permissions. Update security measures often and teach employees the best ways to protect data.

It is also essential to monitor and check systems that store data to ensure that all security rules are followed and that there are no security breaches. Overall, you should never forget about data security steps because it’s easy for sensitive information to get out, which can have terrible results.

Steer Away From These Common Data Storage Mistakes

Data storage mistakes can cost your business both time and money. It is essential to ensure data storage is accessible, secure, organized, and up-to-date.

With the right strategies, mistakes can be easily avoided. Invest in automation, data management, and storage solutions like cloud technology to ensure your data is as secure as possible.  

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from professionals if you’re uncertain. They can help ensure that common data storage mistakes are avoided.

Head over to our blog for more information, insights, and tips regarding data storage and many other topics.