Make Sure Your Staff Understands How Data Disasters Come to Be

Disasters lurk around every corner in the workplace, even on an end-user level. All employees of a business should understand how to identify specific office disasters and what to do when they are encountered. We’ll discuss some of the most common (and deceptive) disasters, as well as how your team should handle them on the off chance they show themselves.

User Error
People make mistakes; it’s a fact of life. Unfortunately, making mistakes in the workplace carries with it a stigma of being chastised, slapped on the wrist, or punished, making it enticing for employees to either not admit to mistakes, or actively seek to hide them from those who should certainly be notified of them. As a thought leader and professional in a business environment, you need to take some time to sit down with your employees and reinforce the fact that it’s okay to own up to mistakes--especially when they cause downtime or lead to considerable issues for your organization.

Hardware Failure and Technology Issues
Users need to speak up if they are experiencing technology troubles. Productivity suffers if users aren’t getting the most out of their technology. Think about it--if your workstations are constantly at odds with your workers, they can’t get anything of substance done. Hardware failure in particular is nasty to deal with, as it can cost your business a considerable sum while keeping your employees from getting work done. Have them report anything out of the ordinary with your devices before they suffer the consequences.

Phishing Scams
This goes hand-in-hand with user error to an extent. Phishing scams are known to cause considerable trouble for even the most hardened business professionals. These scams convince users to send their sensitive credentials to them by posing as tech support or other professionals within your organization. Some even take this step a bit too far by posing as your organization’s CEO. Be on the lookout for suspicious messages that shouldn’t be sent your way, and never hand over information unless you can guarantee the authenticity of the sender.

A good data backup system can go a long way toward mitigating issues for your business. To learn more, reach out to us at (703) 821-8200.