| Imagine this - you arrive one morning to find | | | | only backup is from last night, you have no |
| that a faulty read-write head has crashed | | | | way of retrieving the data.* Restoring files |
| your server's hard disk overnight, rendering | | | | that were deliberately deleted months or even |
| it useless. Or a small electrical fire has | | | | years ago, when you thought you would never |
| destroyed part of your office, including your | | | | need them again, can often be of great |
| server. This server was used to store | | | | benefit.3. Off-site backupsIf your office |
| customer lists, payroll details, accounting | | | | burns down, you don't want all your backups |
| details, purchase orders, inventories and | | | | to burn with it, so it's important to |
| other data vital to the running of your | | | | physically move some of your backups |
| business, built up after years of operation | | | | off-site. We recommend that any weekly, |
| and growth.You find that you were seriously | | | | monthly, quarterly and yearly backups are |
| ill-prepared to deal with such a disaster. | | | | stored off-site at a secure location.4. |
| Virtually all of your business' data had | | | | On-site backupsWhile it is important to have |
| resided in this one location. No copies were | | | | some backups off-site, you don't want to have |
| made. You are faced with the fact that many | | | | to travel back and forth whenever you need to |
| years' worth of data has been lost | | | | retrieve a file. For this reason it's useful |
| forever.Insurance will replace materials, | | | | to have recent daily backups available |
| equipment and office space, but will that be | | | | on-site to allow for quick recovery of files. |
| enough to get your business up and running | | | | These backups are still important, and for |
| again? Your vital business data can't be | | | | reasons of security and reliability it is |
| claimed on insurance, it can't be replaced | | | | best to store them in a secure place such as |
| with money alone. Would your business | | | | a fireproof safe, rather than next to the |
| survive after significant data loss? Unless | | | | server or on the System Administrators |
| you have a good backup system already in | | | | desk.5. MonitoringIf you need to restore a |
| place, the statistics are grim...* 43% of | | | | file or a whole system, you want to be sure |
| companies that experience a severe data loss | | | | that all backups completely successfully. It |
| disaster, and that have no recovery plan in | | | | would be disastrous to learn that your |
| place, never re-open.* 70% of companies that | | | | backups had failed only when you attempt to |
| suffer serious data loss go out of business | | | | perform a restoration. One way to ensure that |
| within 12 months.* It takes 19 days and costs | | | | each backup has been performed successfully |
| US$17,000 (AUD$22,000) to manually retype 20 | | | | is to check the backup logs each day. An |
| megabytes of sales data. The same volume of | | | | easier method is to acquire backup software |
| accounting data takes 21 days and costs | | | | that notifies you daily of the backup status |
| US$19,000 (AUD$25,000).* Loss of data cost US | | | | and can alert you to any problems.6. Follow |
| businesses in excess of 22 billion dollars in | | | | the planIf you are using tapes, disks or |
| 2004.Just as the costs of fire damage can't | | | | removable hard drives for backing up, you |
| be covered by insurance bought after the | | | | will need to remember to change these |
| event, the costs of data loss can't be | | | | regularly depending on the backup scheme you |
| avoided by acting after the loss has | | | | are using. Neglecting to do this could cause |
| occurred. It is vitally important that data | | | | the backup to fail or could result in an |
| is backed up before encountering hard disk | | | | important previous backup being overwritten. |
| failure, viruses, malicious software, | | | | It is also important that you insert the |
| mistakes by employees or other causes of lost | | | | right device, as having the 4th-of-June |
| data.Listed below are the 7 steps that we | | | | backup data on the 1st-of-January tape would |
| consider essential for the protection of | | | | make the right data very difficult to find.7. |
| important data.1. Central storage of data on | | | | Regular file list updatingAs you install new |
| the networkThe first step in setting up a | | | | programs, add hard drives and create new |
| backup system is deciding what needs to be | | | | files, it is important to know that all new |
| backed up. Ask yourself, what can I afford | | | | data is also protected. Of course, if you are |
| to lose? For example, the latest Windows | | | | backing up the whole C: drive, for example, |
| Service pack can be downloaded again, so | | | | any new files or programs on that drive will |
| there is little need to protect it; your | | | | also be backed up automatically. However, if |
| customer database cannot so easily be | | | | you are only backing up specific, important |
| replaced. Once you have identified the | | | | files, it is vital that you keep this list up |
| information you need to back up, you need to | | | | to date, or you risk losing valuable |
| know where it is stored. Although it might | | | | data.Keep in mind that the average failure |
| seem counter-intuitive at first, as much of | | | | rate of a hard disk is 100%, as every drive |
| your critical data as possible should reside | | | | will fail eventually. Make sure you stay in |
| in one place on the network. It is far | | | | business by following the seven points listed |
| simpler and easier to backup, restore and | | | | above. How do you do that? Well, that's where |
| protect one machine than several. As a side | | | | a backup software package can help. Data |
| benefit, physical and network access to that | | | | protection need not require a full time IT |
| machine (and therefore to critical and | | | | professional; it can be done by almost anyone |
| perhaps sensitive data) can more easily be | | | | with a bare minimum of time to spare -- all |
| restricted, improving security.2. Multiple | | | | you need is the right tool. Backup software |
| backupsYou don't want to have all your eggs | | | | can automate much of the process, covering |
| in one basket. There are many reasons why | | | | the seven steps above and providing |
| your company should have access to several | | | | comprehensive data protection for your |
| full system backups.* A single backup could | | | | business.Linus Chang is a backup expert and |
| fail. Tapes, CDs and hard drives all wear out | | | | the lead developer of BackupAssist - tape |
| eventually, so you shouldn't rely 100% on a | | | | backup software that is simple and |
| single backup to store your data. The more | | | | affordable, and perfect for small and medium |
| copies you have, the less likely you are to | | | | businesses. Protect your Windows servers, |
| lose all of your data to wear, fire damage, | | | | including SQL Server and Exchange Server, to |
| water damage, etc.* In the case of accidental | | | | tape, REV drive, hard drive, NAS and more, at |
| deletion, data loss is often noticed days | | | | a fraction of the cost of other backup |
| after it occured, which means that if your | | | | software. |