Losing access to important business emails can disrupt daily operations and create significant risks for your company. Emails often contain critical information such as contracts, customer communications, invoices, and compliance records. When these emails are lost or deleted—whether accidentally, due to technical failure, or a cyberattack—it can lead to lost revenue, damaged customer relationships, and even regulatory penalties.
Why this matters for Australian SMBs
For small and mid-sized businesses in Australia, email loss isn't just an inconvenience; it can affect compliance with privacy laws like the Privacy Act and industry-specific regulations. Additionally, downtime caused by missing emails can reduce staff productivity and delay decision-making. Customers may lose trust if you cannot respond promptly or provide necessary documentation. Cyber threats such as ransomware or phishing attacks also increase the risk of email loss or corruption.
A typical scenario
Imagine a 50-employee Australian consulting firm that relies heavily on email for client communication and project approvals. One day, a staff member accidentally deletes a folder containing months of client emails. Without a proper backup or email archiving solution, the firm struggles to recover the data. This causes delays in invoicing and client reporting, leading to frustrated clients and cash flow issues. A managed IT provider with an email backup and recovery service could have quickly restored the lost emails, minimising disruption and protecting the firm's reputation.
What to check and ask your IT provider
- Backup and retention policies: How often are emails backed up, and for how long are backups kept? Can they restore individual emails or entire mailboxes?
- Recovery time: What is the expected turnaround time to recover lost emails? Is there a guaranteed service level agreement (SLA)?
- Security measures: What protections are in place to prevent email loss due to cyberattacks, such as ransomware or phishing?
- Compliance support: Does the solution support compliance with Australian privacy and record-keeping requirements?
- Access controls: Who can access email backups and recovery tools? Are there audit logs?
- Internal checks: Regularly review user permissions, confirm backup schedules, and test recovery processes to ensure they work as expected.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Many businesses assume their email provider automatically backs up data indefinitely, but this is often not the case. Relying solely on native email retention without a dedicated backup can leave you vulnerable. Additionally, infrequent or untested backups may fail when you need them most. Avoid unclear SLAs or providers who cannot demonstrate their recovery capabilities.
If you haven't reviewed your email backup and recovery arrangements recently, now is a good time. Speak with a trusted managed IT provider or IT advisor who understands the specific risks and compliance requirements for Australian SMBs. They can help you implement practical, cost-effective solutions to safeguard your business emails and maintain continuity.