| Both individuals and businesses that use computers | | | | serious backup solutions. DVD copies and online |
| should perform regular backups to prevent | | | | servers can still be used, but a regular schedule must |
| catastrophic data loss. If backups are not made on a | | | | be created to ensure that all files are secure. |
| certain schedule, then it must be considered that any | | | | Additionally, an off-site storage location should be |
| data could be lost at any time. This can range from a | | | | chosen to prevent a loss of all computers and |
| minor annoyance for someone that lost their | | | | backups at the same time. |
| shopping list, to a huge loss in profit for a large | | | | In order to prevent simple hard drive failures from |
| corporation or small business. | | | | causing a catastrophe, RAID arrays may be used. |
| Aside from the money spent on data recovery, the | | | | RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive |
| time involved in the recovery can amount to | | | | Disks, and can be used to make instant mirror copies |
| thousands in lost sales and customers who leave due | | | | of hard drives, ensuring that if one tanks the |
| to interruption of service. | | | | recovery is as simple as possible. |
| There are several ways to make backups, and which | | | | One final solution that may be used by some larger |
| one you use depends on the usage of the | | | | businesses is an independent backup server that is |
| computers. For a person at home that wants to | | | | owned and controlled 100% by the business. This |
| backup their documents, pictures, and other personal | | | | allows for a complete copy of all hard disks, which |
| files, using a USB flash drive or a DVD burner to | | | | makes cleanup as simple as ghosting the hard disk |
| make occasional second copies will work just fine. | | | | image back onto a new drive. This means that a |
| One way which has become more popular recently | | | | business can get up and running extremely quickly |
| with the advent of broadband in almost all homes, is | | | | after a disaster. |
| using an online backup service to make copies of key | | | | The decision to make regular backups is a simple one. |
| files. These servers use SSL encryption to make sure | | | | If backups are not made, catastrophe can happen, |
| the data being transferred is safe. Use of an online | | | | dealing a devastating blow to any business or |
| service like this is advantageous to having hard | | | | individual due to loss of customer contact |
| copies around the house because there is nothing to | | | | information, school reports, and financial records. |
| lose, nothing to damage, and in case of a disaster, | | | | Once lost, this data can be extremely expensive to |
| the data is still secure at another location. | | | | recover. By using any method of backup, risks of |
| While simple methods such as DVDs and file servers | | | | data loss are greatly reduced. With a comprehensive |
| work well for the average home user, a business | | | | backup plan, even the most horrible of incidents can |
| with more serious data usage likewise needs more | | | | leave a business with everything well intact. |