AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - Mar 14, 2013) - Data protection and disaster recovery planning is a priority but remains a challenge for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), according to the results of a recent survey by Spiceworks™, the vertical network for IT. The study "Backing up SMBs" is sponsored by Carbonite, a provider of cloud backup solutions for consumers and small businesses.
More than 1,000 SMB IT professionals responded to the recent survey, which investigates backup and recovery budgets, technologies, planning, and key considerations for companies with fewer than 1,000 employees. According to the survey, 45 percent of respondents said their organization had experienced a data loss, costing an average of nearly $9,000 in recovery fees. Of those, 54 percent say the data loss was due to a hardware failure.
"Data is the lifeblood of any business -- big or small," said Deni Connor, founding analyst of Storage Strategies NOW. "The opportunity to provide small and mid-sized businesses with better and more cost-effective ways to protect and recover data is huge. While these companies may have smaller IT staffs, they collectively account for a significant portion of the total backup and recovery market."
Additional highlights from the recent survey include:
- SMBs spend an average of $5,700 each year to manage data backup and recovery environments. While the majority of respondents (70 percent) are satisfied with current backup methods, nearly one-third (30 percent) believe their approaches and technologies are insufficient.
- When it comes to disaster recovery, an even greater number of SMBs (42 percent) believe their company's plans fall short. Furthermore, only 30 percent think all information would be recoverable in the event of a disaster.
- The top technology used by small and mid-sized businesses to back up information is direct-attached storage (DAS), with approximately 60 percent using a form of this approach. However, hosted or cloud-based backup and recovery offerings have gained a footing among SMBs. Currently, 30 percent of SMBs use hosted solutions and 14 percent plan to invest in a hosted offering within the next year.
- Reliability and security are the top two priorities for SMBs considering hosted backup solutions. Of those currently using or planning to implement a private, hybrid or public cloud backup platform, 77 percent prefer a private or hybrid approach while 23 percent favor a public cloud offering.
"While small and mid-sized businesses recognize the importance of having a data protection and recovery plan, many are using on-premise hardware that leaves them vulnerable to data loss from device failure, performing manual backups infrequently or on-premise problems that affect both the original copy and backups, such as power surges, natural disasters or theft," said Piyum Samaraweera, director of product management at Carbonite. "Cloud backup solutions are an affordable alternative that are simple to manage, secure and reliable, and easily scalable as a business grows."
For a complete list of survey findings, download the free report by visiting http://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/resources.
Methodology
"Backing Up SMBs" includes responses from 1,012 global IT decision makers. Those surveyed work in organizations with fewer than 1,000 employees and are among the more than 2.4 million SMB IT professionals in the Spiceworks Community. Fifty-four percent of respondents are from North America with an additional 28 percent and 13 percent from EMEA and APAC respectively.
About Spiceworks Voice of IT
The Spiceworks Voice of IT market insights program publishes statistics, trends and opinions collected from small and mid-size business technology professionals worldwide. More than 500,000 IT professionals in over 100 countries have joined the program to share information and feedback on the technology issues important to them.
To receive updates on future research, follow Spiceworks Voice of IT on Twitter at @VoiceOfIT, and sign up for Spiceworks Voice of IT research e-mails at http://www.spiceworks.com/marketing/resources/. To learn more about Spiceworks' research programs and services, contact insights@spiceworks.com.
About Spiceworks
Spiceworks connects 2.4 million IT professionals with more than 1,500 technology brands to simplify how IT professionals discover, buy and manage more than $425 billion in technology products and services each year. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Spiceworks is backed by Adams Street Partners, Tenaya Capital, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), Shasta Ventures and Austin Ventures. For more information visit http://www.spiceworks.com.
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Spiceworks is a trademark and Voice of IT is a registered trademark of Spiceworks, Inc. All other names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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