| Data management and protection is key to your | | | | add-on lets you bypass the 10 MB limit that Gmail |
| business success, whether it involves your customer | | | | places on email attachments. Caution: Don't upload |
| database, financial reports, inventory, trending | | | | more than 2 GB worth of data in a day, or you might |
| analysis or company expansion plans. After all the | | | | find that your account disabled temporarily. |
| effort to collect your information, insufficient or | | | | Whether free or not, bear in mind the following: |
| unsuitable storage can break your forward | | | | Consider carefully what kind of data you store on-line. |
| momentum and impede your business growth. | | | | The service may be encrypted, fire-walled, and the |
| How and where you store your data can also give | | | | data stored in a nuclear bunker, but the employees |
| you some peace of mind. Aside from the basic CD , | | | | handling everything else on the back-end may be able |
| DVD or even tape-drives , currently there are two | | | | to access your files. Remember the issue with Pres. |
| ways to do this: | | | | Obama's confidential passport information being |
| 1. At-hand storage: fixed/internal (inside your | | | | accessed (this was back when he was still a |
| computer) or portable (external hard-drives) | | | | candidate)? If your business depends on proprietary |
| 2. On-line: off-site storage by another party | | | | designs, top-secret recipes or |
| At-hand Storage | | | | slit-throat-before-reading formulas, think very hard |
| Magnetic hard-drive disks (HDD) have been the | | | | about where you put it and who can access it. |
| computing standard since the 1950's when it comes | | | | Compatibility - Data-storage companies with their |
| to data storage, and it was only in the past few | | | | own client software often design them with |
| years that solid state drives (SSD) were introduced | | | | Windows in mind. Check the fine print. |
| to the general public. While you already know about | | | | Automation saves you from doing it yourself. The |
| HDD's, SSD's are basically very high-capacity flash | | | | best services offer you an array of choices on how |
| drives, giant cousins to the ubiquitous little | | | | and when you back up. Full backup, incremental, daily, |
| thumb-sized widgets you see dangling from lanyards | | | | at night when it's off-peak, only when you want to |
| or keychains. | | | | or at a scheduled time, it's your choice. |
| With no moving parts, SSD's: | | | | Internet connection speed determines how fast your |
| - come with faster data access | | | | backup goes. From dial-ups to DSL to broadband to |
| - have more protection against vibrations, | | | | T1's, the speed determines the time spent on file |
| temperature extremes and dust than HDD's. | | | | uploading. |
| - are lighter (and currently more expensive) than | | | | Redundancy. Always have a back-up, somewhere |
| HDD's, and are primarily designed for portability, | | | | you can get to quickly. Hardware failure. Software |
| speed and lap-top twinning. | | | | corruption. Acts of God. Hackers. Viruses and |
| The latest portable hard drives, whether HDD , SSD | | | | malware. Act of kids. Catastrophic data loss. Acts of |
| or a hybrid of the two, basically offer: | | | | pets. As in investing, diversify. Protect your critical |
| - private protection: they can store all your data on | | | | data. |
| the unit itself and not on the PC you're currently | | | | Choosing the best fit |
| using, using strong file encryption. | | | | · Bigger isn't always better. |
| - File-synching from your PC, with just a push of a | | | | Think of your current and future needs. Are you |
| button | | | | expanding anytime soon? Would you need a bigger, |
| - USB 2.0 plug and play capabilities | | | | integrated database which would require more disk |
| - Some can even reboot, recover and rollback you | | | | space, or are you just starting out, testing the |
| PC from system failure or viruses/spyware damage, | | | | waters with a little moonlighting on the side? |
| as long as you've backed it up. | | | | Waiting a few months for prices to fall as newer |
| Online storage | | | | hardware comes out the market is okay if your |
| Online storage means your data is stored in a | | | | business isn't particularly time-sensitive, especially as |
| second-party's designated space. While you should | | | | the manufacturers keep refining the kinks out and |
| always keep your current, frequently used or | | | | add more features. You can also try out the free |
| updated information backed up and at hand, and | | | | online services to see which one suits your needs |
| archive your older, seldom used but still valuable files | | | | best if you don't want to commit to their paid |
| for reference purposes, online storage can provide | | | | service. |
| good secondary protection in case your primary | | | | · Consider your budget. |
| back-ups are damaged. | | | | The biggest drive with bells and whistles on top isn't |
| Most online storage or backup services have their | | | | going to cut it if you don't maximize its use, or |
| own client software that allows you to use their | | | | actually need that much space. Save your money for |
| services as if they were just extensions of your | | | | more crucial aspects of your business. Someone who |
| desktop, allowing drag-and-drop execution. Usually | | | | goes online once or thrice a week to check his eBay |
| they offer the same features, letting you select | | | | account has different requirements from a |
| certain files to back-up or schedule a full backup in | | | | power-seller running a international online store. |
| one of two ways: | | | | · Location is key. |
| - differential (the services backs your data up in | | | | Alright. All your data is backed up the wazoo. Cool. |
| real-time) | | | | Except it's in the same computer, maybe on a |
| - incremental (backing up an open file as you change | | | | separate hard-drive, or on an external HD in the |
| it.) | | | | same physical location. Or maybe on DVD carrels in |
| You can also share files on-line, letting selected | | | | the closet. |
| people access designated files on the site's server. | | | | Thieves can break in. Accidents happen. Lightning |
| This is a good substitute to emailing large | | | | strikes, a fire, those nasty mutant ants that keep |
| attachments, since different email services have | | | | popping up and nesting in your PC casing ...and with |
| different attachment limits and mailbox sizes. Business | | | | the weather as unpredictably fierce as it is |
| owners can share their documents with remote users | | | | nowadays, you may not be able to afford that |
| as needed. | | | | anymore. Flash floods aren't good for basement |
| Many storage serves also use one kind of encryption | | | | offices. And file retrieval services can be lethally |
| when you upload or download your files, and another | | | | expensive for your small business. |
| kind of encryption to shield your data on their | | | | Do you travel a lot? The smaller portables make |
| servers. For additional protection, they can also keep | | | | more sense. Lighter and less strain on your shoulders |
| backup copies of your files in physically secure | | | | when you pack it in your laptop bag. Online storage |
| locations off-site. | | | | lets you access you files from any computer with an |
| Online storage comes in two flavors: free or paid. | | | | internet connection. |
| Some companies offer free storage up to a certain | | | | Maybe you just need to archive older data off your |
| limit, and you start paying once you go over it. Other | | | | PC. A desktop drive is an external that you just |
| companies have "pay-per-use" schemes where you | | | | attach for back up. It sits right on your desktop with |
| only pay for the storage you use. | | | | your monitor and doesn't take up as much space as |
| Different companies also offer varying back-up | | | | a PC case. Some of the smaller models are about as |
| services. There are dozens of them out there. For | | | | big as a paperback novel standing upright. Or maybe |
| starters, check out Data Deposit Box, Xdrive, Humyo | | | | a smallish binder. |
| or Mozy, among others. | | | | Short-term, think of your budget and actual |
| A little tip on free storage: | | | | requirements. Long term: think of your possible |
| If you use Mozilla Firefox and have a Gmail account, | | | | expansion needs, and system upgradeability. Test and |
| which has about a 2 GB of space, a simple add-on | | | | try out various combinations to find the best balance |
| called Gmail File Space - gspace 0.2 can convert your | | | | of functionality and flexibility that fit your needs. But |
| Gmail into an online storage solution, letting you send | | | | either way, and in any case, back it up. |
| files from your computer to your Gmail account. This | | | | |