How Manufacturers Avoid Data Loss with the Right Technology

Loss of data can be devastating to any Massachusetts business, but it can mean especially expensive downtime for a manufacturer.

Downtime can cost a factory between 5% to 20% of its productive capacity and can result in multiple problems including backlogged orders, missed delivery deadlines, overtime costs, and emergency IT costs.

IT solutions for data loss cover a wide range of areas because data loss can occur in multiple ways. If you don’t use a layered prevention strategy, then you can find yourself suffering the consequences.

Some of the ways that data loss can occur in a manufacturing facility include:

• Faulty hardware or software system
• Employee error
• Data breach
• Ransomware infection
• Overwriting
• Migration problem
• Hard drive crash
• Lost or damaged mobile device

Most of the informational assets of a facility are now kept in digital format (invoices, client records, workflow diagrams, etc.), which means protecting your data from loss needs to be a top priority.

Safeguards to Prevent Data Loss in Your Facility

Managed Back Up of All Devices/Endpoints

One way that manufacturers avoid data loss is to use a reliable managed backup and recovery solution for all their endpoints. This ensures that every computer, mobile device, or IoT device that stores data is not the only place that data is retained.

A mistake companies often make is to not have their backups managed, which means using a trusted IT pro to ensure backups are working properly and don’t get stalled.

If you never check on your backups, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise right when you need to restore that data. Backups that aren’t managed can run out of space, stall due to a software problem, or be accidentally turned off by a user.

Having a backup of all device data can also save you from the costly consequences of a ransomware attack. 96% of companies that have a reliable backup and recovery solution are able to recover quickly from a ransomware attack.

Managed Back Up of Cloud Application Data

Cloud storage is not the same as a cloud backup and recovery solution. Data in applications like G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 need to be backed up or it can be lost to overwriting, accidental deletion, ransomware, or other causes.

Smart manufacturing facilities will have managed backups in place for all data that is stored in SaaS applications to both ensure it’s always available if they need it and that it’s not lost.

Anti-phishing Software

Ransomware is one of the major causes of data loss. Once it infects a system, it encrypts files and makes them inaccessible.

94% of all malware, including ransomware, is spread via phishing email, so the ability to filter phishing out of user inboxes can significantly decrease your risk of falling victim to a successful attack.

Document Security Applications

One type of data loss is through accidental deletion. Data can also be leaked accidentally, which is when a secure file is shared with a party that it shouldn’t be.

One of the best ways to automate document security is by using sensitivity labels, which is a feature in certain Microsoft 365 plans. Sensitivity labels allow classification labels to be automatically applied to files as they’re created. They can also be applied manually by the user.

For each label, you can set certain security policies that are applied to the document automatically, such as:

• Encryption
• Do not copy
• Watermarks
• Printing or sharing restrictions
• Document tracking
• and more

Mobile Device Management

Mobile devices do a lot of the computing tasks in a manufacturing environment because they allow for freedom of movement by personnel throughout the plant. But mobile devices are also more susceptible to data loss due to their ability to be lost, stolen, or damaged.

Using a mobile device management application, like Microsoft Intune, can ensure you keep track of all the devices (company and employee-owned) that have access to your cloud accounts, data, and on-premises assets.

Mobile device managers have safeguards that can help prevent data loss, such as:

• Remotely lock a device
• Automated updates
• Tracking of device location

Cloud Application Security Broker (CASB)

With most data now being stored in the cloud, it’s important to secure cloud accounts and know who is accessing them.

Using a CASB can help you avoid data loss from a cloud account by improving access security and monitoring so you can keep unauthorized people from gaining account access.

Do You have a Reliable Monitored Backup & Recovery Solution?

Cleartech Group can assist your facility with reliable monitored backup and recovery solutions for your devices, on-premises data, and cloud account data to keep you protected from a costly data loss incident.

Contact us today to discuss your backup & security options! Call us to chat at 978-466-1938 or reach out online.