Data loss statistics (2018) show increasing serious data loss threat. This article introduces the main causes of data loss and tips for data loss prevention, and highlights the value of regular backup.
Data loss has long been a contentious issue. Security breaches are rocking 2017. As cyber attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and more frequently occurred, new research warns that 2018 could be the worst year yet for data loss incidents. Respond to the increasing data loss threats, the easiest backup software provider AOMEI call on all users to back up their data regularly.
Techopedia explains “Data loss is any process or event that results in data being corrupted, deleted and/or made unreadable by a user and/or software or application. It occurs when one or more data elements can no longer be utilized by the data owner or requesting application.”
World are collectively creating a massive amount of data on a daily basis, according to research from tech giant IBM, global devices generate around 2.5 billion gigabytes (GB) of the stuff every day. It is reported that about 70% of business people have experienced (or will experience) data loss due to accidental deletion, disk or system failure, viruses, fire or some other disaster. And 60% of companies that lose their data will shut down within 6 months of the disaster according to the Boston Computing Network’s Data Loss Statistics. 31% of PC users have lost all of their files due to events beyond their control.
Almost everyone faces the problem of data loss at some point in their lives. Data loss is a serious problem and in some cases the data is not recoverable. A study show that 46% of users experience data loss every year! This figure makes sense to know about the most common causes of data loss so that benefit from them and avoid any future mishaps.
The most 31% said that hardware/system failure causes the data loss
Most people store their data on hard drives. Hard drives fail every day for a variety of reasons. While some failures occur simply because the hardware becomes worn out, others fail prematurely due to external factors like overheating, water or fire damage, exposure to magnetic fields, impact due to being dropped. There are also internal factors that can cause a failure like software or file corruption. In the US alone, 140,000 hard drives crash each and every week. About 60% of hard drive failures occur due to a mechanical failure, while the other 40% are a result of misuse. Simple drive recovery can cost upwards of $7,500 and success is not guaranteed.
29% said data loss due to human errors
Human error is also one of the most common causes of data loss. Normally, there are two kinds of human errors causing data loss, one is clicking Delete or Format button to erase something by mistake and another one is causing physical damages because of dropping or failing storage device by accident.
29% said cause of data loss were viruses, malware or ransomware
Asked which technologies bring the most risk in terms of data loss, 42% of IT pros think that ransomware is the technology that brings the most risk to businesses. There are new viruses that pop up every day that put users’ data at risk. According to a B2B international survey, 35% of IT specialists reported that their companies had lost data due to malware infection. Preventing and detecting ransomware became increasingly difficult in 2017 as the number of ransomware variants increased by 46%. Security experts expect ransomware attacks to continue to multiply and predict that a business will be attacked every 14 seconds in the next two years. Even worse, the hackers behind these attacks use to exploit security flaws to bypass traditional anti-virus software.
Other reasons
Computer and device theft also can’t be ignored. Statistics show that as many as one in ten laptops will be stolen or lost over the lifetime of each computer, and the FBI states that left unprotected, only 3% of lost or stolen laptops are recovered. According to research, a laptop is stolen every 53 seconds, 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute.
While physical devices may be vulnerable, more and more people intend to store their data on Cloud. However, cloud storage is not totally safe either. It is reported that 32% of companies surveyed lost data from the cloud, of these instances, 47% were due to end-users deleting information, 17% were users overwriting data, 13% were because hackers deleted info.
Prevention is always better cure. With proper precautions and safeguards in place, data loss can be prevented. On the one hand, adding strong data access controls and security mechanisms on data storage assets. AOMEI offers easy tips to protect data:
There is nothing that can replace backup to prevent data loss and avoid expensive recovery. Regular and security backup is a disciplinary act and the only way to avid data loss disaster. While surprisingly, still 33% people reported that they never backup their own data. Another pitfall is after backup, the backup data is never verified by the user until disaster strikes. Often, to users’ horror, the backup data was found to be corrupted, invalid or wrongly done.
President of AOMEI, Jack Mei stressed the importance of ensuring data security is backed up, saying: “We really know how uncomfortable and uneasy that users experienced data loss. There should be not trusting to luck that data loss won’t happen to us. Only with backup, we have luck. As a company with mission that “Always Keep Global Data Safer”, AOMEI is committed to helping people realize the importance of securely backing up and protect their data. AOMEI also offer FREE backup software trusted by million users to secure their data and system.”
AOMEI announced this month updated releases of its flagship product - AOMEI Backupper, with higher levels of performance, quality and reliability. New Versions of AOMEI Backup solutions deliver easy, reliable and affordable data protection for personal users, businesses, managed service providers, distributors and resellers. Read more about the changelog here.
AOMEI - the easiest backup keeps data safer, is an up-and-coming software company founded in 2009. AOMEI is a freeware-based company, striving to make 81% of the users free to use their products. With professional and reliable support service, AOMEI products are favored by users around the world. Today AOMEI solutions are available worldwide through a global network of service providers, distributors and resellers. AOMEI continued to grow and develop while bearing in mind their mission - Always Keep Global Data Safer, and strive to let billion of users benefit from AOMEI Products, and make AOMEI become the industry benchmark.
Learn more: AOMEI Technology