Revealed! The most common causes behind company data loss

In the digital world, one of the biggest issues facing business managers is the constant threat of data loss. One moment a file is available and the next it’s gone! It can cause havoc with your workflow and prevent projects from being completed on time. And when important developments are delayed and deadlines are missed, it’s the bottom line that’s going to suffer the most.

Of course, some data can be recovered, but knowing why some of these precious files – including digital assets – go missing in the first place, the stronger your business will be. Data loss prevention is essential for any business, large or small, so let’s take a look at some of the most common causes and how you can prevent it.

Hackers and cybercrime

It’s certainly a startling realization, but it’s true. Some data loss can be directly attributed to hackers, cybercrime or even data that has been stolen or compromised by disgruntled employees. Your IT department will be in charge of ensuring your firewalls and malware systems are up to date. But don’t become complacent. Consider implementing Digital Asset Management software to take the security of your digital files a step further.

DAM software capabilities allow you to create specific user-profiles and allocate certain permissions and levels of access. This means you can keep your most sensitive files and digital assets protected from malicious activity. By limiting access and creating permissions with specific expiry dates you can lock down your data as you see fit. It’s the perfect solution that will run consistently with your current online security systems.

Human error

Human error and accidental deletion is one of the biggest causes of data loss. Sometimes, these things happen! Whether someone has deleted a file, overwritten it, deleted important sections of text or alterations to digital assets…the list goes on. Thankfully, one of the best ways you can minimize human error and data loss is by adequately training your team. Simply knowing the difference between files that are automatically backed up and others they have to save manually could save you money and resources.

Hard drive errors

Just like we can’t always rely on our teammates to handle data responsibly, it’s not always easy for our hardware to do the same. Hard drive errors are one of the leading
causes of data loss across businesses. Whether it’s worn out over time, has crashed due to mechanical or internal issues, it’s been dropped, damaged by liquids or it’s overheated, hard drive errors are costly and frustrating in equal measures.

Backing up your hard drives onto an external drive or a cloud – again, DAM software can help you here – keeping them well maintained and free of dust, will ensure your hard drives are in the best working condition possible.