Backup Solutions; They just might save your business...

Ask yourself “Could my business survive if I lost all of my electronic data, customer records and accounts?”

The chances are, if your being honest with yourself, it couldn't.

A backup solution is there to protect you against data loss. Data loss can occur from accidental deletion of files, it can occur because of a computer hardware problem or it might be because of theft. You might even encounter a fire related problem or be affected by a natural disaster such as a burst water pipe.

It doesn't matter which of the unfortunate scenarios above you encounter, you and your business need to stay protected against the realistic possibilities of data loss.

Give me a KISS; Keep It Simple Stupid!

 Gone are the days of IT being so complex that only someone with a first class degree in quantum physics could understand. IT isn't complicated, it's only made complicated because solutions are poorly explained.

There are a number of options available to you for your backup solution. Realistically, you need to have more than one to keep you fully protected from all the possibilities, but they should never be complicated.

A simple approach to a simple scenario...

If you are a sole trader, you might have a single computer with all of your important documents, emails and accounting system on. If you run a small business, you might have a file server which that allows your staff to share files and other resources. It doesn't matter which scenario applies to you, the principle is the same. You need a simple backup which takes all of those important files and copies them to an external device. The most common of these external devices is a USB hard drive.

 

At the end of every working day (or perhaps two or three times a day!) your important files should be automatically copied to the USB hard drive. This hard drive should then be stored in a secure location over night to protect you from theft and natural disaster. The beauty of using a USB hard drive is that you can view the data on any computer with a USB port. There is no messing about with tapes, tape drives and other hardware. It just works, and it works well.

Ideally, you will have more than one of these drives, perhaps one for every day of the week and one for an end of month backup. The more the merrier, you can never have enough backups!

This isn't complex and it isn't expensive. It is a solution which could save your business.

For those that require it, the USB drives can also be password protected so that if they are stolen or lost, the data on them is protected from preying eyes. This is again very easy to implement.

Lets get a little more 'geeky'; A full live state backup of an entire computer or server

As mentioned earlier in this article, IT isn't tricky or complex. A full live state backup is basically a full backup of an entire computer. This could be a single desktop computer, a laptop or a server. These type of backups are useful because they allow your entire computer to be restored on a completely different system.

“Hold on, your losing me a little, please explain this to me in plain English.”

A full system backup allows a snapshot of your entire computer (including all of the installed programs and settings) to be taken. This can then be restored on a completely different system. This means (in plain English) that you can take a HP computer, back it up and then restore the entire system on a Dell computer. It doesn't matter if it's a computer, laptop or server, this can be done.

You're no longer limited by computer hardware. The main advantage here is that you are not locked to a particular piece of computer hardware. In the event of computer failure or theft, you can restore your (safely stored off-site) backup to whatever new hardware you like. Just to reiterate, we're not talking about just the files here, we're talking about the entire installation including your installed programs and all of your personal settings.

Don't believe us? Then speak to use and arrange a demonstration......

“I've removed the computer virus, can you give me your backup so I can restore your critical data please?” “Sorry, what do you mean? Backup?”

Unfortunately we have heard this response all too often. Don't leave it to chance. Ask yourself, do I have backup and do I know where it is?

Backups are simple and inexpensive, there is no excuse!