Rene Garcia of BluMoon Solutions suggests some options for the all important computer back-up.
Ok, we’re all guilty of it at some point or another, backup procrastination….
Unlike large enterprises, most of us small business own- ers can’t afford optimal in-house backup strategies and disaster recovery solutions. We’re consequently at an elevated risk of being put out of business due to a major loss of data. “Loss of data” could mean emails lost, accounting data lost, client files lost, company records lost, client legal records lost, orders lost and so on.
If you aren’t worried yet, read on…
A recent study discovered that, of companies experiencing a "major loss" of computer records, 43% never reopened, 51% closed within two years of the loss, and a mere 6% survived over the long-term.
Most of us don't realize how much we have invested into the data on our hard drives. First of all, let’s set aside the obvious things like financial data (Receivables, Payables, and Tax Information, QuickBooks Data), client data and records. We can easily see how disastrous that would be to lose. Instead, think about all the time needed to re-install the base software on your computer and setup your environment to once again suit your preferences and productivity.
Next, let’s think about losing e-mail addresses, contact lists and even Internet bookmarks. Without a full backup, getting up and going again could easily cost several days of productivity. Most importantly, it costs us money…how much is your time worth to you?
Fortunately, computers and backups have come a long way in the last couple of years. Gone are the days of having to deal with bulky tape backup drives that took hours and hours to back up or complicated backup programs that required a computer science degree just to open!
We now have easy-to-use backup programs that take the mystery out of backup and, just as important, retrieval of our precious data. I’ve put together a list of some of the
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best backup solutions that are easy to use and even better, affordable. Keep in mind that there are many backup programs out there, so I’ve only listed the most common ones.
First, let’s start with the on-site backup programs. These are the easiest to use and can backup to a small external hard drive that you can quickly grab in an emergency. For added protection, you can even rotate two of them, keeping one at home, or a separate location, in case of fire or other natural disaster.
Apple’s Time Machine: This one is my all time favorite. However, you have to have a Mac computer in order to use it. It is by far the easiest of all the backup solutions and best of all, it’s free and comes installed and ready to use on any new Mac. Restoring your latest hourly backup is as easy as a few mouse clicks.
Windows 7 Backup and Restore: This is yet another reason to upgrade that PC to Windows 7! Backup and Restore is a refinement of the backup software that has been a part of Windows for years. However, it’s now easy to use and easy to restore from, and once again, free. It comes installed in every Windows 7 machine. It requires a bit more setup than Apple Time Machine, but it get’s the job done.
Next, we have the online backup solutions. Backing up to an Internet service makes a ton of sense, for a couple of important reasons. First of all, your data is completely kept off site, usually in a bunker style server room with redundant power and disaster-proof construction. This gives you the peace of mind that in case of flood, fire or even terrorism, you're covered.
The other important argument for using an online backup solution is because it's fully automated. There's no need to plug in a USB drive that can fail or can be dropped and it’s, most importantly, not susceptible to any of the calamities I just mentioned. These online backup services fully automate the process of getting your files from your computer(s) to the storage facility, typically on a daily basis, and in many cases, they will even watch folders or
February 2011
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