Keeping a safe distance from large mammals with large canines should be obvious, especially when they can weigh more than a couple of tons. But what’s obvious to one person may not be so obvious to another.
On a recent excursion to the Central California coast I had the opportunity to observe elephant seals, mammals so massive they can grow to more than 16 feet and weigh more than 5,000 pounds. Elephant seals are fascinating animals, but there are some critical facts to keep in mind when you’re watching them in close proximity. According to the clearly visible signs posted nearby where the seals congregate, here’s what observers need to know:
Elephant seals…
- are large
- have teeth and bite
- are faster than you think
- are wild
Seems obvious, right? And in case that information isn’t convincing enough, here’s the last bit of advice on the sign to anyone who might think elephant seals are cuddly critters: For your safety and theirs, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. It’s the law.
When I returned to work the following week, I was thinking about my adventure at the elephant seal rookery and what I learned. It really was a treat to observe them and see them thriving, especially when you consider that at the end of the 19th century they were nearly extinct. That got me thinking about data protection. You may be asking, “What? Elephant seals and data protection?!” But when you consider the information on the signs that warns rookery visitors, and the importance of protecting your data, it’s not such a stretch, especially when you realize that many businesses don’t do the obvious by adequately protecting one of their most important assets—their data.
Why do you need data protection? The EMC Global Data Protection Index (GDPI) discovered some critical facts. The GDPI found that of the organizations surveyed, 52% of them suffered unplanned system downtime in the last 12 months, and 29% suffered data loss. Whether it’s a cyberthreat (36% of organizations reported internal or external security breaches, according to index) or hardware failure (hardware failure is still the number one cause of data loss and/or system downtime, according to Index), a massive data breach can happen faster than you think. In fact, once they gain access to a system, it takes just six minutes for cybercriminals to compromise an organization, and they can do that successfully 60% of the time. Those numbers have a lot of bite (think very large canines)!
When you consider that many industry and government entities require that businesses conform to standards for safeguarding and retaining data, it’s not much of a stretch to say that protecting your data is the law. And backing it up is an important aspect of your data protection strategy. Don’t ignore the obvious! Data is always at risk of being lost, stolen, damaged, or corrupted. The signs are all around. Your data is critical to your success and everyday operations, and business continuity depends on the availability of your data. Don’t let your data—or your business—become extinct! One way to ensure it doesn’t is by implementing the right solution. Check out how Dell EMC Mozy’s enterprise-grade cloud backup solutions can give you that peace of mind.
So if I were to revise the elephant seal signs to instead caution business owners who are not yet confident in their data protection readiness, here’s how I would do it:
Your data…
- is important
- is valuable
- must be accessible
- must be safeguarded
And just to underscore that: For the safety of your business, BACK UP YOUR DATA. It’s essential!