| It is vitally important for your business that you store | | | | The next step is to evaluate how that data is |
| a copy of all of your electronic data offsite in case | | | | currently being backed up. Do you have a |
| of emergency or disaster. | | | | technology employee who backs up your servers |
| Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place for | | | | each night? Do you simply put in a CD and backup |
| your business, just in case there is a disaster and you | | | | your own computer as you remember to do it? Do |
| lose all of your electronic data stored on your | | | | your employees have the responsibility of backing up |
| computers and file servers? If you do not, today is | | | | their own PCs, and more importantly, are they doing |
| the day to sit down and start to build your plan! | | | | it daily? |
| While we all hope events such as the terrorist attack | | | | By determining your current backup situation, you |
| on the World Trade Center and the natural disaster | | | | can look to ways to improve upon it. |
| of Hurricane Katrina do not ever happen again, the | | | | Next, you will want to look at your current offsite |
| reality is that catastrophes, both natural and | | | | data backup procedure if you take advantage of this |
| manmade, do happen from time to time in our lives. | | | | technology. Is there somewhere your business tape |
| This is the reality of the world in which we live, and it | | | | or CD backups are stored just in case there is some |
| is always better to be prepared for disasters than to | | | | form of disaster at your location, and you need to |
| be sorry we were not. | | | | restore to new PCs and file servers? Do you take |
| As computers, and computer networks, have | | | | the tapes home? Do you store them at another |
| become more common place, even for small | | | | locations? |
| businesses, more and more electronic information is | | | | You should always have offsite data backup copies |
| being generated each and every day around the | | | | of your records as it is the only way to retrieve that |
| world. These records are vital to your company's | | | | information if a disaster happens at your building. |
| very existence, yet it is one of the most easily lost | | | | And, just as important as storing your data offsite, is |
| and damaged aspects of any business. | | | | where exactly it is located at all times. |
| Electronic data can be damaged by the natural | | | | One of the best ways your company can deal with |
| elements of fire, flood and earthquakes, by power | | | | the issue of regular backups and storing offsite is to |
| fluctuations, by hardware and software failures, as | | | | utilize the services of an online backup service |
| well as by humans - both accidentally and purposely. | | | | company. By using an online backup service |
| By creating a disaster recovery plan for your office, | | | | company, your computers and file servers can |
| you can help to stave off the tragic effects of | | | | connect to their data center, via secure Internet |
| many, if not all, disasters which could befall your | | | | connections, and copy all of your information there |
| company. The first thing you should do is write | | | | for safekeeping. |
| down all of the electronic data sources your | | | | This ensures that no matter what happens at your |
| company has. | | | | current location, a copy of your business's electronic |
| Do you have files on individual computers or is | | | | data is safe, secure, and available if you should ever |
| everything stored on servers? Is your company | | | | need it. |
| website hosted at your business location or | | | | If your business does not have a disaster recovery |
| elsewhere? The first step in securing your files is to | | | | plan in place, please take the time today to formulate |
| know what you have and where it is currently | | | | one and then begin to put your plan into action |
| located. | | | | today. |