| Sitting and watching the evening news about the | | | | it. |
| impending hurricane and fire seasons, I can't help but | | | | One great alternative to using a CD or DVD for |
| wonder if the businesses who are going to be in | | | | backup is to use online data storage. Online data |
| those areas of the United States have completed | | | | storage is provided by a service which has a large |
| their disaster recovery plans. | | | | center full of nothing but file servers. They allow you |
| One vital thing that every single business today, | | | | to connect to them, via a secure Internet |
| whether it is a small home-based business or a | | | | connection, and copy all of your server onto one of |
| multi-million dollar corporation, must have is a well | | | | their servers. |
| thought out disaster recovery plan. | | | | All of the transmission is encrypted so that it cannot |
| A disaster recovery plan is a necessary plan which | | | | be read or stolen by anyone else online. In addition, if |
| you create to protect with your electronic data and | | | | you do not use a file server then you can upload |
| how it will be backed up and possibly retrieved in the | | | | from your individual computers. |
| case of a disaster. | | | | As an additional layer of protection, all of the online |
| Your disaster recovery plan does not have to be | | | | backup providers back up their servers nightly onto |
| terribly formal, but it does need to be something you | | | | tape media. This ensures that even if their facility has |
| take care of today if you do not yet have one. | | | | some sort of disaster, you would still be able to get |
| Waiting until tomorrow just won't do. This is | | | | a copy of your data. |
| something of the utmost importance for the security | | | | Business people understand their business. They |
| of your business. | | | | know they need data backup, but many don't care |
| The first thing you need to know in formulating your | | | | to know the technical details of their electronic |
| disaster recovery plan is that all electronic information | | | | storage. Online data storage providers will make your |
| in the form of documents, spreadsheets, files, and | | | | backup solutions an easy process. Just a few clicks |
| e-mail messages need to be copied. | | | | on the internet is all you need to know. |
| While an easy copy onto a CD or DVD can be | | | | An online data storage service is a good part of any |
| practical if you have very little data for a small | | | | disaster recovery plan. By uploading your data to a |
| business, the reality is that most businesses, even | | | | server which is far from your physical location, you |
| your small business, have much more information | | | | can be assured that your data is safe and secure. |
| than will fit onto a CD or DVD. Most of us are lured | | | | If you live in an area prone to natural disasters, such |
| into a false sense of security until something | | | | as fires and hurricanes, using an online service is the |
| happens, and we lose all of our irreplaceable data on | | | | best option you can choose. |