TFC #24: Protecting Your Cabinet Shop's Digital Backbone

In the fast-paced world of cabinet making, where precision, craftsmanship, and deadlines reign supreme, there is little room for error or setbacks.

Every moment counts, and any disruption to your operations can have far-reaching consequences.

That's why I implore you, to read on and discover a simple yet powerful practice that can save you from the nightmare of lost data, crippling downtime, and irreparable damage to your business.

Nightly backups, whether through traditional means or utilizing the power of cloud storage, offer a small investment of time and effort that promises significant returns in terms of peace of mind, productivity, and resilience.

This topic became very real to one of the shops I work with a couple of weeks ago. Their server suddenly crashed one evening without warning.

This immediately caused panic and a rush to try to get things operational again.

It struck me how quickly their daily operations came to a halt with the server being down. They couldn’t work.

Now the good news for them is, they were doing nightly backups of all their data on the server. They didn’t have to worry about losing their entire Cabinet Vision catalog, their customer information, or other important files.

It was still a big deal for them because they had to find a new server and get everything restored, but it could have been a LOT worse.

The Risks of Not Backing Up Your Data

We get too comfortable with computers. They seldom fail, so we tell ourselves it won’t happen to us.

Some of us only go halfway. We will create backups, but store them on the same computer.

Here are a few of the risks of not taking data backups seriously.

Irretrievable Data Loss

Without regular backups, your cabinet shop is at risk of experiencing irreversible data loss.

A sudden hardware failure, software corruption, or accidental deletion can result in the permanent disappearance of valuable customer information, design files, orders, and other critical data.

Once lost, recovering this data becomes extremely challenging, if not impossible, leaving your business in a precarious position.

Imagine for a moment, you spent years setting up and tweaking your Cabinet Vision catalog and your server crashes overnight. You had been doing an occasional backup, but it was saved on the server. You had no backups stored anywhere else. You have no choice but to start over from scratch.

Costly Downtime and Disruptions

When your server crashes or data becomes inaccessible due to unforeseen circumstances, your cabinet shop's operations come to a screeching halt.

Downtime can last for hours, days, or even longer, leading to missed deadlines, dissatisfied customers, and financial losses.

The time and effort required to recover and restore data without a backup can be extensive and costly, hindering your ability to get back on track swiftly.

Damaged Reputation and Customer Trust

Losing customer data or experiencing prolonged disruptions due to data loss reflects poorly on your cabinet shop's reliability and professionalism.

Clients rely on you to securely store their information and deliver on your promises.

Failing to protect their data can lead to a damaged reputation and a loss of customer trust, making it challenging to regain their confidence and potentially impacting future business prospects.

Vulnerability to Cyber Threats

In the digital landscape, where cyber threats continue to evolve, cabinet shops are not exempt from targeted attacks.

Malware, ransomware, and hacking attempts can compromise your systems, encrypt or steal your data, or even sabotage your operations.

Without regular backups, you lack the ability to recover from such incidents quickly.

I know of one situation where a malware found its way onto a server and immediately encrypted all of the files so they were unusable. The company affected was in a bad position because they didn’t have good backups and they entertained paying the hacker their ransom requests.

We’ve certainly seen a couple of big examples of hacking in our industry with the Hafele and Wood-Mode hacks.

Don’t let someone get leverage on you because of poor backup processes.

Where Do I Start?

For those of you reading this that are thinking, wow, I better get something figured out for this. I want to give you a few ideas to get the conversation started but I encourage you to find a local tech or someone smarter than me on this because I don’t have that much experience with setting up server backups.

There are a lot of routes you can take and you should find someone who understands the pros and cons of each method in your situation.

Here are a couple of solutions you could explore.

Cloud Backups

Cloud backups, such as Carbonite, offer several advantages for businesses looking to secure their server data.

The pros include automated and continuous backups, eliminating the need for manual intervention and ensuring that data is consistently protected. Cloud backups also provide offsite storage, safeguarding data from physical threats like theft or natural disasters. Furthermore, cloud solutions like Carbonite offer easy file recovery options, enabling businesses to quickly restore lost data.

However, it's important to consider the cons as well. Cloud backups may require ongoing subscription fees, which can become costly over time. Additionally, reliance on an internet connection for backup and recovery can be a limitation if the connection is unreliable or slow. Finally, businesses must trust the cloud provider with the security and privacy of their data, highlighting the importance of selecting a reputable and trustworthy service.

Other cloud backup services include: iDrive, BackBlaze, JottaCloud, CrashPlan

Windows Backup and Restore

Using Windows Backup and Restore for nightly backups offers certain benefits for small businesses.

The pros include its built-in nature, as Windows Backup is already included in the Windows operating system, eliminating the need for additional software. It provides a simple and straightforward way to schedule backups of important files and folders, allowing businesses to easily customize their backup preferences. Windows Backup also allows for easy file recovery, enabling quick restoration of data when needed.

However, there are some limitations to consider. Windows Backup may lack advanced features and flexibility compared to dedicated backup solutions. It relies on local storage, which means businesses must ensure that their backup media (e.g., external hard drives) are properly maintained and secure. Additionally, Windows Backup may not be as suitable for larger-scale environments or businesses with complex backup needs.

Local Hardware

Using local hardware for nightly backups has its own set of pros and cons.

One of the key advantages is the immediate physical access to backups, which can be beneficial for quick data restoration. Local hardware also provides businesses with complete control over their backup process, allowing them to tailor it to their specific requirements. Furthermore, there are no ongoing subscription costs associated with using local hardware, making it a cost-effective solution in the long run.

However, relying solely on local hardware for backups poses certain challenges. There is a higher risk of data loss due to hardware failures, theft, or damage to the backup media. It also lacks the offsite protection offered by cloud-based solutions, making businesses more vulnerable to disasters that may impact their physical location. Additionally, managing and maintaining local hardware backups can require additional time and effort, including ensuring regular backups, monitoring storage capacity, and verifying the integrity of the backup media.

Conclusion

I hope this article has spiked your interest enough to do one of the following things:

• setup a backup for the first time

• re-evaluate your backup plan and solution

• test your backups to ensure everything is working properly

How confident are you in the security of your current backup system?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being not confident at all and 10 being highly confident, where would you rank yourself?