The last few years have created several new challenges for agencies in terms of preserving their data. Most of these agencies are not aware of how to preserve their data effectively, whereas some do not take preserving their data as an important task.
This lack of awareness and negligence in agencies and businesses sometimes costs them in the form of serious data loss or legal penalties. This is where the implementation of best practices can be a savior. To learn those practices, keep reading the article till the end.
Best Practices for Maximizing Data Preservation for Your Agency
Below, we have shared five best practices for maximizing data preservation for your business.
Use Secure Storage Solutions
The primary practice to maximize data preservation for your business is to use a secure storage solution. You can use some on-site or third-party solutions.
Cloud storage services such as Google Drive or Amazon Web Services offer secure and scalable options. Companies can use these pre-made solutions for storing both critical and non-critical business data. The best thing is that these services come with built-in security measures and easy accessibility across devices.
Along with secure cloud storage solutions, physical storage solutions such as external hard drives or network-attached storage (NAS) systems can also be used for a hybrid approach to storing sensitive data.
Utilize File Conversion Tools for Long-Term Preservation
File systems and file formats also play an important role in data preservation. As time passes and new technology takes over, older file formats can become outdated. Such outdated formats might pose a risk to the long-term accessibility to your business’s data. To prevent this issue, utilizing file conversion tools can be an effective way to preserve your files in a widely accepted format that ensures longevity.
For example, converting image files from JPG to PDF can help preserve the quality of the document. While JPG format is great for images, PDFs can be a more versatile and widely supported format which makes them a deal for archiving. However, if you have the excuse of not knowing how to change the file format from JPG to PDF, you can simply use any online tool like JPG to PDF Converter. Such tools allow you to change the file format with no hassle.
JPG to PDF and even Word to PDF conversion is a common business practice. PDF is considered a more secure and universal file format that can be encrypted and password-locked when required. And it can be opened as-it-is on almost all the device types. That’s why PDF is a preferred file format in business.
Implement Regular Backups
Most of the data solutions that many companies use are not immune to technical issues or cyber threats. This is one of the reasons that it is preferred to have regular backups; it is one of the most effective ways to protect your data. Regular backups ensure that copies of your files are stored securely so that in case your data gets lost or corrupted, you can use those files.
The best thing to perform is that you must include both onsite and offsite backups. When we say onsite backups, we mean storage devices such as hard drives, while offsite backups include cloud-storage devices. If you are having scheduled backups weekly or monthly, it ensures that your data is always up to date and that the most recent versions of your documents are available in any case of emergency.
However, it is important to understand that simply having the backups is not enough; regularly testing and verifying the backups ensure that data can be stored quickly and accurately when needed. Many organizations overlook this step, and when they access their backups, they see that they are corrupted or outdated.
Adopt Strong Security Measures
Data security can be considered a component of data preservation. If strong security protocols are being implemented, it helps prevent unauthorized access and ensures the integrity of your stored data. These security protocols can include anti-virus software and firewalls that will help to protect your systems from malware and cyberattacks.
While adopting all the possible strong security measures, it is also suggested to use strong passwords or enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. Agencies should also conduct penetration testing frequently to identify weaknesses in the security infrastructure. They should also perform security audits to assess compliance with data protection policies. Most importantly, they should regularly update their software and systems to patch vulnerabilities.
Establish Clear Data Retention Policies
Establishing clear data retention policies is also efficient in maintaining a well-organized data storage system. These policies define how long the data would be stored in the company’s records, when they should be archived, and when they should be deleted.
For example, financial records of the company might need to be stored for years, while less important data can be deleted or archived after a shorter period. By the creation of these guidelines, you can ensure that your business is keeping only the most relevant and useful data, which would also reduce clutter, and this way, the storage costs would also be minimized.
It might also help you to stay compliant with the policies and regulations of your business as if your business would also have some policies like deleting some certain type of data after a specific period of time.
Conclusion
To protect valuable information from known and unknown threats, maximizing data preservation is important for any business or agency. Such measures are now mandatory to ensure business continuity and maintain compliance with regulations.
We have mentioned the five best practices for data preservation. We discussed secure storage solutions, utilizing file conversion tools, implementing regular backups, adopting strong security measures, and establishing clear data retention policies. Your business can save its data from loss, theft, and legal complications by implementing these five basic techniques.
