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If your small business has an emergency, can it recover?
“It depends on the emergency” is the most common answer. But when asked what the most important part of their business is, the most common answer was “my customers”. In breaking it down even further, a small businesses customer “information” is the most valuable part of their business, and if lost forever, it would be a catastrophic event. So, in the event of an emergency, disaster, or just plain old mechanical failure… do you have your most valuable resource protected?
Whether you have a single computer or a network with servers and workstations, your need for protecting your information is the same, and the same basic principles and guidelines apply. Here are some solid guidelines for backing up and protecting your information; - Know what information needs to be protected – E-Mail messages?, favorites? Documents?, databases?, accounting information?, media files?, shared folders?, applications?, etc… - Have a backup that is automatic – Don’t rely on the human element here, select an automated solution that will also notify you of success or failure - Do it daily – You should be backing up each day for optimum protection. - Have multiple copies of your information – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Having multiple copies of your information will give you options in the event you do need to restore it. - Always have at least a current copy in a remote location – In the event of a fire or theft, you’ll need a copy off site. Fireproof safes and boxes will protect a document from fire, but will melt all plastic and warp all metal. Your backups would be useless at that point. Online or Remote Backup Services are popular for this reason. - Test your backup regularly – Don’t just hope it works when you need it. Schedule regular checks of your backed up information and see if it’s accessible. - Hope you never need it! Get more information on how to protect your data and technology assets at www.corporatenetworkservices.com. |
