If your data is not backed-up up correctly or completely then your business could fail.
When a business is faced with disaster and they lose their data it has been reported that if they cannot restore their data in just 10 days then 93% of businesses file for bankruptcy within a year.
The figures are astonishing, especially when the back-up of your data can be so simple and easy to implement.
If you are backing up your data by disk or tape then you need to ensure that your data is backed up as regularly and as often as possible, if you back up once a week on a Monday and your systems crash on Friday you could have lost a whole weeks work.
At least two people should know how to back-up your data and be responsible for keeping the data off site. This means even if one of your team is off sick or on holiday your data is still secure. If there is a fire, flood or other disaster at work then your data is safe at home.
Disks and tapes are ideal for controlling where your data is and how regularly you backup, however these can be damaged, does the manager take them home in their briefcase or does your admin person take them home in their handbag? They could be damaged by pens, wallets, purses, coins, potentially anything.
Back-ups by tape or disk can be time consuming and could potentially fail. Tape and Disk back-ups if not carried out correctly can result in incomplete back-up, if proper care is not taken back-ups can be damaged preventing a full recovery in event of disaster.
On-line back-up is the way forward. Your data should be backed-up regularly and then stored off site. As a secondary measure your data could also be stored at a second location. Our own data back-up is done in this way and so is tried and tested.
CCS do offer a simple back-up solutions just ‘Set and Forget’ also a data recovery service call us on 01908 410041 or e-mail us info@ccsnet.couk
In Summary
- Back-up data regularly, check back-up is complete
- More than one person with access and knowledge of back-ups
- Store tapes and/or disks at secure location off-site
- Prevent damage of tapes/disks in transit by keeping them in protective containers
- Consider online back-ups as a practical time saving alternative
Quote / statistics from “93% of companies that lost their data centre for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. (Source: National Archives and Records Administration in Washington.) 