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Making backup is vital!
For small business people the value of their business is often stored on their
computers.
Emails, contracts, PowerPoint presentations, business contacts, text documents
and client databases are all vital information.
Accidents do happen and data can be lost!
Are you sure you can restore your data back to what it was?
Can you be back in business without losing to much time?
To be on the safe side you should adopt a working backup strategy! Let's look
at what can happen!
There are three different cases to consider.
1. Specific files or folders have been corrupted or deleted by accident.
2. The data on your hard disk have been lost. This can be caused by a virus
or by hard disk failure.
3. Your computer have been lost. This can be caused by a natural disaster,
a fire or by theft.
Your preparation and action should to be different in each different case.
It will also depend on how valuable the data are for you and how much you are
willing to spend on protection.
Here are your action plans for each case.
1. These are files which you are working with on a daily basis. It is vital
data to your business and you should make backup of these files on a regular
basis.
You should therefore identify them in advance.It can be files in folders like
MyDocument, your emails or database files where you store your business information.
To do this you need to find a backup product from which you can easily make
backup of these vital files on a regular basis.
Store the backup you make in a safe place.
For extra security you can backup files online to a web server or you can hire
space from companies that offer online backup services. If you use this option
you should encrypt your data.
2. When you have a hard disk data loss you have to format the disk, maybe with
the help from a person with experience.
The work involved reconfiguring the computer by installing Windows can be extensive.
First after that Windows and the backup program have been installed are you
able to restore the data from your backup.
To avoid this extra work you may consider making a full backup of your hard
disk image. From an image backup you are able to restore directly your complete
data back to your hard disk and avoid extra installation work.
3. You have lost your computer.
But, because you already have backup of your vital data which you are working
with on a daily basis, you are able to restore your business to any configuration
on a new computer.
You just have to have your application products and your working data restored
to be back in business.
The problem you face is that in order to restore all your hard disk data you
need to have the same or a similar configuration for everything to work out
as before. Maybe the operating system you used is not available anymore or hard
to find.
In any case you probably want the newest and latest version.
This is where you have problems!
You can install the old operating system if you have the installation CDs available.
When you install the backup program and install the datafrom the backup you
can run into problem. If it is a new operating system then you do run into problem.
This is because program modules and also settings stored in the registration
file becomes mixed up and the computer stops working.
It is often not enough to use the same Windows version in the installation.
Your backup you can still have a different version as a result of different
bug fixes. This is what Microsoft calls Service Packs and your deep level data
can get mixed up.
As a result you may be losing software you have installed from the Internet
or bought from a supplier and you have to purchase the products again.
There are two actions to take to solve this depending on how important this
is to your business.
One: You find that the products you have downloaded or the application products
you have bought are not of high enough value. Or you can afford to purchase
the software again.
Two: You keep record of all software you have downloaded and purchased on the
Internet so that you can contact the vendor for a new version.
You store all installation product and documentation so that you can install
the products from the installation CD you have purchased over time.
To be on the safe side you should:
1. Make regular computer backup of the data you are working with on a daily
basis and have the computer backup stored on a safe place. Preferably on a remote
location.
2. Do make an image backup of your hard disk when you have installed new software.
This ensures that you can be back in business in the case of corrupted hard
disk or hard disk failure.
3. Document all your purchases and passwords. Keep records and store all software
installations. Keep all this at a remote location.
About the Author:
Per Strandberg have been working with data management and software development.
He currently runs an information site on backup products and data security!
www.data-backup-and-storage.com
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