| How would your business be affected if there was a | | | | statement: The lesson to be learned here is that you |
| fire or flood that completely wiped out your | | | | can't depend on having just one set of records or |
| computer system? How long would it take you to | | | | files and having your employees have access to |
| recover? Data backup and specifically, remote or | | | | them. You've got to have some kind of backup. |
| online data backup is ABSOLUTELY something that | | | | Thankfully the files were able to be recovered, but |
| the smart business owner (small or large) should | | | | backups of important files are not something you |
| consider and implement. | | | | should take lightly." |
| All of the important information on your computer | | | | Statistics show that one out of ten hard drives fail |
| like financial documents, email, digital photos, music | | | | each year. Another widely published statistic from the |
| and more; for businesses: customer files, accounting | | | | U.S. National Archives & Records Administration |
| programs and files, contact & direct mail lists, | | | | in Washington states that 50% of businesses that |
| sales tracking, photos, product information, etc. that | | | | lose their critical data for 10 days or more file for |
| would be missed or (more likely) devastating if not | | | | bankruptcy. |
| accessible should be backed up or saved somewhere | | | | Backing up your data is essential and easy to |
| other than your hard drive or even local backup | | | | implement, regardless of what kind of computing you |
| systems such as CD, DVED, flash or tape drives or | | | | do. These days, most people backup their important |
| USB. Offsite or remote data back up is imperative to | | | | information on CDs, DVDs, external hard drivers, and |
| consider if you value your computer's information. | | | | flash drives so they can quickly retrieve the second |
| Your data can be lost in a variety of ways and for | | | | copy if ever needed. However, what they fail to |
| different reasons. Power spikes are capable of | | | | realize is these second copies are just as vulnerable |
| leading to data loss, especially for computer systems | | | | and susceptible to damage as the first copy, |
| without surge protectors or voltage regulators. | | | | especially if they are stored in near vicinity of each |
| Unfortunately, computers are vulnerable to hard drive | | | | other. Using a backup method such as CD-ROM or |
| crashes, virus attacks, theft and natural disasters, | | | | external hard drive defeats the purpose if it is not |
| which can erase everything in an instant. All of us are | | | | kept in a completely remote, different area. Fire, |
| possible victims of accidental file deletions or disk | | | | theft, flood, and natural disasters are still viable |
| reformatting. Not to mention physical hazards like | | | | threats. |
| flood, fire or other natural (or unnatural) disaster. | | | | Online data storage is a very good alternative. There |
| Virus or malware attacks can lead to lost files and | | | | are other benefits to automated remote data back |
| information for unlucky computer users. Human error | | | | up services. Automatic backups save at least 10 |
| or sabotage can seriously damage or destroy files | | | | minutes a day over manual backups. You or your |
| and even backups. | | | | employee spending that time running backups at $20 |
| A recent article on AOL News cites a Florida woman, | | | | an hour, translates into about $67 a month in savings. |
| afraid of losing her job, deleting $2.5 million worth of | | | | Manual backup media, as discussed, is notoriously |
| company files from the architectural firm where she | | | | failure-prone and vulnerable to environmental damage |
| worked. "She obviously wasn't quite right in the head | | | | (heat, sunlight, humidity, liquids, dust) and human |
| when doing this, but we're inclined to think that the | | | | mishandling (scratched, bent and dropped, lost or |
| owner of the business isn't all there either. Despite | | | | stolen). Security of your critical data when backed up |
| estimating the worth of the company's files at $2.5 | | | | with an online and off-site data backup service can |
| million, the architecture firm had no backup systems | | | | be verified as far superior to manual backup media. It |
| in place. That's a recipe for disaster regardless of the | | | | even protects you from theft. If your laptop is |
| sanity of your employees. Even the local Sheriff's | | | | stolen,(which happens frequently) you'll still have all |
| office knows better than that, issuing the following | | | | the data. |