Best tips for risk management


7 Critical Steps to a Bullet-Proof Backup System

Imagine this - you arrive one morning to findonly backup is from last night, you have no
that a faulty read-write head has crashedway of retrieving the data.* Restoring files
your server's hard disk overnight, renderingthat were deliberately deleted months or even
it useless. Or a small electrical fire hasyears ago, when you thought you would never
destroyed part of your office, including yourneed them again, can often be of great
server. This server was used to storebenefit.3. Off-site backupsIf your office
customer lists, payroll details, accountingburns down, you don't want all your backups
details, purchase orders, inventories andto burn with it, so it's important to
other data vital to the running of yourphysically move some of your backups
business, built up after years of operationoff-site. We recommend that any weekly,
and growth.You find that you were seriouslymonthly, 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 hadOn-site backupsWhile it is important to have
resided in this one location. No copies weresome backups off-site, you don't want to have
made. You are faced with the fact that manyto travel back and forth whenever you need to
years' worth of data has been lostretrieve 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 beon-site to allow for quick recovery of files.
enough to get your business up and runningThese backups are still important, and for
again? Your vital business data can't bereasons of security and reliability it is
claimed on insurance, it can't be replacedbest to store them in a secure place such as
with money alone. Would your businessa fireproof safe, rather than next to the
survive after significant data loss? Unlessserver or on the System Administrators
you have a good backup system already indesk.5. MonitoringIf you need to restore a
place, the statistics are grim...* 43% offile or a whole system, you want to be sure
companies that experience a severe data lossthat all backups completely successfully. It
disaster, and that have no recovery plan inwould be disastrous to learn that your
place, never re-open.* 70% of companies thatbackups had failed only when you attempt to
suffer serious data loss go out of businessperform a restoration. One way to ensure that
within 12 months.* It takes 19 days and costseach backup has been performed successfully
US$17,000 (AUD$22,000) to manually retype 20is to check the backup logs each day. An
megabytes of sales data. The same volume ofeasier method is to acquire backup software
accounting data takes 21 days and coststhat notifies you daily of the backup status
US$19,000 (AUD$25,000).* Loss of data cost USand can alert you to any problems.6. Follow
businesses in excess of 22 billion dollars inthe planIf you are using tapes, disks or
2004.Just as the costs of fire damage can'tremovable hard drives for backing up, you
be covered by insurance bought after thewill need to remember to change these
event, the costs of data loss can't beregularly depending on the backup scheme you
avoided by acting after the loss hasare using. Neglecting to do this could cause
occurred. It is vitally important that datathe backup to fail or could result in an
is backed up before encountering hard diskimportant previous backup being overwritten.
failure, viruses, malicious software,It is also important that you insert the
mistakes by employees or other causes of lostright device, as having the 4th-of-June
data.Listed below are the 7 steps that webackup data on the 1st-of-January tape would
consider essential for the protection ofmake the right data very difficult to find.7.
important data.1. Central storage of data onRegular file list updatingAs you install new
the networkThe first step in setting up aprograms, add hard drives and create new
backup system is deciding what needs to befiles, it is important to know that all new
backed up. Ask yourself, what can I afforddata is also protected. Of course, if you are
to lose? For example, the latest Windowsbacking up the whole C: drive, for example,
Service pack can be downloaded again, soany new files or programs on that drive will
there is little need to protect it; youralso be backed up automatically. However, if
customer database cannot so easily beyou are only backing up specific, important
replaced. Once you have identified thefiles, it is vital that you keep this list up
information you need to back up, you need toto date, or you risk losing valuable
know where it is stored. Although it mightdata.Keep in mind that the average failure
seem counter-intuitive at first, as much ofrate of a hard disk is 100%, as every drive
your critical data as possible should residewill fail eventually. Make sure you stay in
in one place on the network. It is farbusiness by following the seven points listed
simpler and easier to backup, restore andabove. How do you do that? Well, that's where
protect one machine than several. As a sidea backup software package can help. Data
benefit, physical and network access to thatprotection need not require a full time IT
machine (and therefore to critical andprofessional; it can be done by almost anyone
perhaps sensitive data) can more easily bewith a bare minimum of time to spare -- all
restricted, improving security.2. Multipleyou need is the right tool. Backup software
backupsYou don't want to have all your eggscan automate much of the process, covering
in one basket. There are many reasons whythe seven steps above and providing
your company should have access to severalcomprehensive data protection for your
full system backups.* A single backup couldbusiness.Linus Chang is a backup expert and
fail. Tapes, CDs and hard drives all wear outthe lead developer of BackupAssist - tape
eventually, so you shouldn't rely 100% on abackup software that is simple and
single backup to store your data. The moreaffordable, and perfect for small and medium
copies you have, the less likely you are tobusinesses. 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 accidentaltape, REV drive, hard drive, NAS and more, at
deletion, data loss is often noticed daysa fraction of the cost of other backup
after it occured, which means that if yoursoftware.



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