So, where IS your data? The answer is often not what you think it is.
Step away from your keyboard. Imagine all of your computers inaccessible right this very minute. No access for an hour, a day, a week, a month! What does your business start to look like?
As an excitable entrepreneur with a vision, you likely started with a single computer, containing all of your communications, product ideas, presentations, sales strategies and the beginnings of an accounting system to name but a few. At least you knew where everything was. Business grew. You added staff, more computers, more data. Unfortunately the strategy to protect these now precious digital assets often fails to evolve at the same pace.
What (or whom) are you protecting your data from? Consider these scenarios: Viruses, malware, hackers, fire, flood, earthquake, hardware failure, theft (yes, even entire computers), accidental deletion, corruption, overwritten files, human error, power failure, premises failure? They do occur.
What to backup? What information keeps your company running? As a start; consider email, client lists, product information, accounting, payroll plus the files and applications that you and your staff access most regularly.(Do you really need to backup photos of last year's office party?)
How to backup? Traditional tape backup has given way to faster, more reliable and capable backupmethods including:
Hard drive backups: Faster than tape, able to reliably backup larger amounts of data, less susceptible to environmental changes, provide more universal restore options. Removable hard drive media also maintains the ability to rotate backups off-site.
Internet based Backupsare increasingly more common now that many businesses utilize high-speed Internet connections. These are often completely automated and require no human interaction since there is no physical media to manage and maintain.
Both of these technologies continue to get less expensive and more capable year after year. A combination of thesemakes for an extremely fast,reliable and capable backup and disaster recovery system for businesses.
Consider these:
1. Consult with an IT professional TODAY to review and assess your risk of data loss, even if you have a system in place already.
2. Do “something” now. Plan, document and test.
3. Perform regular test restores.
4. Organize software media, licenses and codes. Maintain a copy off site.
5. Document your computer network.
6. Creating a company use policy and procedures manual.
7. Use encryption to secure your backups.
8. Observe industry specific regulations regarding data management.
To learn more about disaster recovery, please join us at our Backup & Disaster Recovery event at the Carlsbad Chamber in January.
Gregg Blundell can be reached at (760) 931-5727 or www.integralsystems.com.
Step away from your keyboard. Imagine all of your computers inaccessible right this very minute. No access for an hour, a day, a week, a month! What does your business start to look like?
As an excitable entrepreneur with a vision, you likely started with a single computer, containing all of your communications, product ideas, presentations, sales strategies and the beginnings of an accounting system to name but a few. At least you knew where everything was. Business grew. You added staff, more computers, more data. Unfortunately the strategy to protect these now precious digital assets often fails to evolve at the same pace.
What (or whom) are you protecting your data from? Consider these scenarios: Viruses, malware, hackers, fire, flood, earthquake, hardware failure, theft (yes, even entire computers), accidental deletion, corruption, overwritten files, human error, power failure, premises failure? They do occur.
What to backup? What information keeps your company running? As a start; consider email, client lists, product information, accounting, payroll plus the files and applications that you and your staff access most regularly.(Do you really need to backup photos of last year's office party?)
How to backup? Traditional tape backup has given way to faster, more reliable and capable backupmethods including:
Hard drive backups: Faster than tape, able to reliably backup larger amounts of data, less susceptible to environmental changes, provide more universal restore options. Removable hard drive media also maintains the ability to rotate backups off-site.
Internet based Backupsare increasingly more common now that many businesses utilize high-speed Internet connections. These are often completely automated and require no human interaction since there is no physical media to manage and maintain.
Both of these technologies continue to get less expensive and more capable year after year. A combination of thesemakes for an extremely fast,reliable and capable backup and disaster recovery system for businesses.
Consider these:
1. Consult with an IT professional TODAY to review and assess your risk of data loss, even if you have a system in place already.
2. Do “something” now. Plan, document and test.
3. Perform regular test restores.
4. Organize software media, licenses and codes. Maintain a copy off site.
5. Document your computer network.
6. Creating a company use policy and procedures manual.
7. Use encryption to secure your backups.
8. Observe industry specific regulations regarding data management.
To learn more about disaster recovery, please join us at our Backup & Disaster Recovery event at the Carlsbad Chamber in January.
Gregg Blundell can be reached at (760) 931-5727 or www.integralsystems.com.