Common Threat to Data Loss: Environmental Hazards

Pre-covid, many people would not have considered how big the threat of environmental hazards could be to data security and data loss. Environmental hazards are health risks that unexpectedly shut down access to business buildings, equipment, and records and is the final in a list of nine of the most common and costly threats to data loss. The nine most common threats to data loss including environmental hazards are hardware failure, human error, power loss, data and software corruption, weather incidents, natural disasters,  vandalism and theft, and malware and viruses.

All of these hazards can cripple operations, disrupt access to critical systems, and lead to permanent data loss if not properly mitigated.

The Impact of Environmental Hazards on Data Loss and Recovery

Environmental hazards don’t just threaten physical infrastructure, they jeopardize data security and continuity of operations. From natural disasters and pandemics to power failures, these disruptions can shut down access to business systems, damage critical hardware, and corrupt or destroy essential data. When organizations lose access to records, equipment, or applications, the resulting downtime and data loss can cripple service delivery, breach compliance requirements, and lead to lasting financial harm.

Examples of Environmental Hazards Affecting Data Systems

1. Flooding: Floods can damage physical hardware and data centers, leading to data loss. For instance, during Hurricane Harvey, several data centers experienced significant flooding, resulting in operational disruptions. (VaultTek blog – Weather Incidents)
2. Wildfires: Wildfires pose a threat to physical infrastructure, including data centers. The 2023 Maui wildfires caused extensive damage, highlighting the vulnerability of data systems to such events. (Maui Now) (VaultTek blog – Natural Disasters)
3. Earthquakes: Seismic activities can disrupt power supplies and damage hardware, leading to data loss. (VaultTek blog – Natural Disasters)
4. Pandemics: The COVID-19 pandemic forced many businesses to shut down physical offices, limiting access to on-premises data and systems. A study found that approximately 200,000 U.S. businesses closed permanently due to the pandemic’s impact. (Invenio IT)
5. Power Outages: Unexpected power failures can cause hard drive crashes and data loss. Approximately 30% of all data loss and IT downtime is caused by environmental factors like power outages. (AVTECH) (VaultTek blog – Power Failure)
6. HVAC Failures: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning failures can lead to overheating of servers, resulting in hardware damage and data loss. (AVTECH)
7. Landslides: Landslides can destroy buildings and infrastructure, leading to loss of access to data systems. (VaultTek blog – Natural Disasters)
8. Severe Storms: Storms can cause physical damage to infrastructure and disrupt power and network connectivity, affecting data accessibility. (VaultTek blog – Weather Incidents)
9. Air Quality Hazards: Airborne contaminants like chemical fumes, gas leaks, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like industrial solvents can corrode servers and networking equipment, leading to hardware failure and data corruption. Air quality hazards can also compromise access to data and prolong downtime of critical systems.

Environmental hazards significantly contribute to data loss incidents. For example, 96% of businesses experienced an outage in a three-year period, with 95% experiencing at least one brownout. (Comparitech)

Moreover, 93% of companies that couldn’t recover their data within ten days of a disaster filed for bankruptcy within a year. (LLCBuddy)

The COVID-19 pandemic alone caused an estimated $14 trillion in economic damage to the U.S., underscoring the profound impact of environmental hazards on business continuity. (USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service)

Preventative Measures Against Environmental Hazard-Induced Data Loss

Environmental hazards pose significant threats to data integrity and business continuity. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities in traditional business models and underscored the importance of proactive measures. By implementing robust data protection strategies organizations can enhance their resilience against such hazards including:

1. Regular, Robust, and Redundant Backups: Regularly backing up data using a combination of onsite backups – such as the VaultTek Tekmate appliance, tailored to your infrastructure – and offsite backups housed securely in geographically separate U.S.-based data centers ensures rapid recovery and provides protection against regional disruptions.
2. Follow the 3-2-1 Backup Principle: The importance of adhering to the proven 3-2-1 backup principle cannot be emphasized enough. This strategy is designed to reinforce data protection and availability in the event of an environmental hazard.
3. Data Encryption: Secure sensitive information through encryption, especially during backup transmissions. By encrypting your critical files with the highest level of security makes stolen data unusable to unauthorized bad actors.
4. Update Systems and Software: Ensure all systems and software are up to date to protect against known vulnerabilities. A disciplined patch management process for operating systems, software, and network infrastructure is key to data protection. Timely patching security gaps significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access or data corruption.
5. Install Reliable Security Software: Use reputable antivirus and anti-malware solutions to detect and prevent threats and routinely update it to ensure the latest cyber threats will be neutralized.
6. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enhance security by requiring multiple forms of verification for system access.
7. Employee Training: Routinely educating your team on data protection best practices can help prevent phishing, malware, and other social engineering attacks. Develop a comprehensive incident response plan and provide ongoing employee training to ensure swift recovery and reduce downtown.
8. Restrict User Permissions: Limit user access to only necessary systems and data to minimize potential damage from breaches.
9. Regular Security Audits and Disaster Recovery Plan Checks: Conduct periodic security assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities and regularly address and test your Disaster Recovery Plan to ensure business continuity and data restoration following an incident.

By integrating these recommended best practices, your organization can significantly strengthen its data defense against unexpected environmental hazards ensuring your valuable data stays secure and accessible when you need it most.

Best Defense is Proactive Data Backup and Recovery Plans

Environmental hazards pose serious threats to businesses, disrupting daily operations and limiting the ability to effectively support customers. By proactively preparing for when a disaster strikes and applying effective protective strategies, organizations can greatly improve their resilience.

At VaultTek our philosophy is “Safeguard today, prepare for tomorrow,” highlighting our commitment to delivering comprehensive data security that ensures readiness whenever threats arise. We specialize in providing robust, forward-thinking solutions that protect your critical data from evolving threats by unauthorized actors and sudden-impact environmental hazards.

We leverage the proven 3-2-1 backup principle, offering triple-layered protection for your data: a local backup through our Tekmate appliance specifically configured to your organization’s environment, plus two geographically dispersed backups securely stored in distinct U.S.-based data centers. With dedicated support from VaultTek’s professionals, you can trust in our expertise to maintain the accessibility, security, and integrity of your data.