Protecting my business data from disaster

Most PC users have experienced the problem of losing data they have just entered into a system. It might be a document in a word processing application or a spreadsheet but the feeling of dread is the same as you realise you need to type the whole document out again.

If you scale this problem up to your entire business data imagine how you would feel if:

• The shared office has been flooded or suffered a burglary.
• Fire has struck.
• Your hard disk drive has failed.
• A colleague makes an incorrect change and deletes a vital spreadsheet or file.

All of these will lead to data loss, much of which could have been mitigated by implementing a backup process.

This guide is designed to assist you understand the benefits of decent computer backups and how they could – in many cases – save your business from going bust.

What does this problem mean to me?

Quite simply the loss of business data has forced many companies into liquidation. It is difficult to stress the importance of data backups enough – it is probably the single most important computer related task you could ever do.

A backup is the IT term used to describe a copy of your data. It may be as simple as copying the file into another directory on the PC but more often the data would be copied onto another type of data storage and then secured away from the original.

In the past backups used to be fairly involved and complex processes that needed a lot of equipment to make them work properly. Today we are spoilt with the range of disks and drives which can simply plug into a computer and use for data backups.

What data needs to be backed up?

What data needs to be backed up? Quite simply as much or as little as you can live without.

• Customer lists and contact details are an obvious candidate.
• Your web site should be backed up, in case the web server should fail. If you are outsourcing the management of your web site make sure the hosting company is making backups as they should.
• Tailored software. If you have commissioned someone to write a program or design some templates for you make sure they are securely backed up.
• Handheld devices can store a huge amount of data these days. Make sure they are regularly backed up and linked to your main office PC.
• Manufacturers often supply CDs with new computers. Keep these safe and preferably in a different location to the PC they refer to.
• Email and address lists are often the most important data in a business. Keep these backed up on a regular basis.
• Data stored locally on someone else’s PC. If one of your colleagues is doing important work make sure their data is backed up as well – maybe swap backups between you.

Remember – you will loose all of the data you updated since your last backup was taken, so take frequent copies of important data. Sometimes these backups could be hourly, sometimes daily but almost always weekly.

Always remember to test your backups on a regular basis. Many companies have tried to restore data from a backup only to find the data is useless as it has been damaged.

Recovering data from a back-up

The most important thing to remember if you have suffered a failure is not to panic. If you have been taking reasonable steps to protect your equipment and have a backup process in place then you should be able to recover any lost files.

Take a methodical approach to recovering the data and make sure you are happy that you are restoring the correct version of the files to the correct place. Many people have panicked in these situations and ended up copying old data over newer copies, making the problem worse. It may be an idea to sit down with a trusted friend or colleague and get them to help double check what you are doing. Having written documentation for your backups can significantly ease this process.

Back-up equipment

Remember to store your backed up data away from the orginal PC. Some small businesses use onsite secure storage such as fireproof safes. These do provide limited security and fire protection but can be expensive for reliable models. Often asking a member of staff to take the files home with them is an effective backup strategy.

There are a number of technologies available to help you backup data: 

• Backup to hard disk. Copying data to another PC is often a quick backup technique, especially if you have them link together on a small network. 
• Writeable DVD and CD is becoming a very common tool used in backups. CDs can store around 650 Megabytes of data. That’s enough to store a backup for most laptop users and small businesses.
• Memory sticks use solid state electronics (i.e. no moving parts to store data). It is now possible to buy memory sticks that can store huge amounts of data making these ideal for small businesses.
• Online email accounts may be used for backups. Create a private email account (for example backupwidgets@hotmail.com) and then email your documents to the account for storage. Simple and effective.
• Online backups, where your data is copied to a server remote from your location is growing in popularity. This is normally a subscription service that you pay for monthly or annually. Initially a full backup of your system is taken and then any subsequent backup will just contain the changes you have made to the data. For this type of backup to be successful you will need to have a broadband internet link in place. Look out for free offers as new companies come to the market hoping to attract subscribers. As a price guide a PC could be backed up for about 50p per day, a server for about £1.50 per day.

Suppliers of online backup facilities include:

Securstore

BT Digital Vault

Backup Direct

Commercial suppliers

We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.

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Most PC users have experienced the problem of losing data they have just entered into a system. It might be a document in a word processing application or a spreadsheet but the feeling of dread is the same as you realise you need to type the whole document out again. If you scale this problem up to your entire business data imagine how you would feel if: * The shared office has been flooded or suffered a burglary. * Fire has struck. * Your hard disk drive has failed. * A colleague makes an incorrect change and deletes a vital spreadsheet or file. All of these will lead to data loss, much of which could have been mitigated by implementing a backup process. This guide is designed to assist you understand the benefits of decent computer backups and how they could - in many cases - save your business from going bust. Quite simply the loss of business data has forced many companies into liquidation. It is difficult to stress the importance of data backups enough - it is probably the single most important computer related task you could ever do. A backup is the IT term used to describe a copy of your data. It may be as simple as copying the file into another directory on the PC but more often the data would be copied onto another type of data storage and then secured away from the original. In the past backups used to be fairly involved and complex processes that needed a lot of equipment to make them work properly. Today we are spoilt with the range of disks and drives which can simply plug into a computer and use for data backups. What data needs to be backed up? Quite simply as much or as little as you can live without. * Customer lists and contact details are an obvious candidate. * Your web site should be backed up, in case the web server should fail. If you are outsourcing the management of your web site make sure the hosting company is making backups as they should. * Tailored software. If you have commissioned someone to write a program or design some templates for you make sure they are securely backed up. * Handheld devices can store a huge amount of data these days. Make sure they are regularly backed up and linked to your main office PC. * Manufacturers often supply CDs with new computers. Keep these safe and preferably in a different location to the PC they refer to. * Email and address lists are often the most important data in a business. Keep these backed up on a regular basis. * Data stored locally on someone else's PC. If one of your colleagues is doing important work make sure their data is backed up as well - maybe swap backups between you. Remember - you will loose all of the data you updated since your last backup was taken, so take frequent copies of important data. Sometimes these backups could be hourly, sometimes daily but almost always weekly. Always remember to test your backups on a regular basis. Many companies have tried to restore data from a backup only to find the data is useless as it has been damaged. The most important thing to remember if you have suffered a failure is not to panic. If you have been taking reasonable steps to protect your equipment and have a backup process in place then you should be able to recover any lost files. Take a methodical approach to recovering the data and make sure you are happy that you are restoring the correct version of the files to the correct place. Many people have panicked in these situations and ended up copying old data over newer copies, making the problem worse. It may be an idea to sit down with a trusted friend or colleague and get them to help double check what you are doing. Having written documentation for your backups can significantly ease this process. Remember to store your backed up data away from the orginal PC. Some small businesses use onsite secure storage such as fireproof safes. These do provide limited security and fire protection but can be expensive for reliable models. Often asking a member of staff to take the files home with them is an effective backup strategy. There are a number of technologies available to help you backup data: * Backup to hard disk. Copying data to another PC is often a quick backup technique, especially if you have them link together on a small network. * Writeable DVD and CD is becoming a very common tool used in backups. CDs can store around 650 Megabytes of data. That's enough to store a backup for most laptop users and small businesses. * Memory sticks use solid state electronics (i.e. no moving parts to store data). It is now possible to buy memory sticks that can store huge amounts of data making these ideal for small businesses. * Online email accounts may be used for backups. Create a private email account (for example [backupwidgets@hotmail.com][1]) and then email your documents to the account for storage. Simple and effective. * Online backups, where your data is copied to a server remote from your location is growing in popularity. This is normally a subscription service that you pay for monthly or annually. Initially a full backup of your system is taken and then any subsequent backup will just contain the changes you have made to the data. For this type of backup to be successful you will need to have a broadband internet link in place. Look out for free offers as new companies come to the market hoping to attract subscribers. As a price guide a PC could be backed up for about 50p per day, a server for about £1.50 per day. [1]: mailto:backupwidgets@hotmail.com Suppliers of online backup facilities include: [Securstore][2] [2]: http://www.securstore.com/ [BT Digital Vault][3] [3]: http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayProduct. do?productId=CON-3291&s_cid=con_ppc_zedmedia_digitalvault_google [Backup Direct][4] [4]: http://www.backupdirect.net/ We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.