Data Backup Plans

Does Your Business Need a Data Backup Plan?

Basic Test Question:

Could you continue operating your business profitably without your computer data?

A. Yes - don't waste your time reading this page.
B. No - you need a Data Backup Plan.
C. Not sure - needs analysis recommended

Computer Data Has Many Enemies

In short, anything that changes your computer data without you intending for it to be changed is an enemy.

Included are:

• Software design errors and programming mistakes
• Time deterioration of magenetically stored data
• Viruses, trojans, worms, malicious code
• Hardware failures and power problems
• Internet hacking / disgruntled insiders
• Operator errors and mistakes
• Hurricanes / Earthquakes
• Magnetism
• Vandalism
• The Sun
• Floods
• Theft
• Fires
• Etc.

Computer Data Has Just One Ally:

• Tested backups (and whoever made them)

Is Data Money?

In business, time is money. Since that is true, does that mean data is money? Indirectly, yes.

Data Represents Money In Several Ways:

• You would lose money without it
• It costs money for the tools to create it
• It costs money to have people create it
• Its costs money to maintain it so its usable
• If it all just disappeared, it would cost a lot

Do You Protect Your Money?

• Bank account?
• Insurance?
• Locks?

Do You Protect Your Data?

• Data Backup Plan?
• Tested Backups?
• Locks and Logs?
• Offsite Storage?

More Reasons For Data Backup Planning:

• Over 70,000 know viruses and worms
• Who knows how many spywares
• Accounts receivable records
• Accounts payable records
• Banking and loan records
• Human resource records
• Credit card numbers
• Passwords
• Receipts

Plan Before You Need A Plan To Use

If a new virus, theft, vandalism, hurricane, fire, flood or other calamity renders your computers useless, you will need a plan to get back in business. In the midst of a crisis is NOT the time to make your plan. Often it is too late.

Piecemeal Backups Are Not Enough

Do you have backups that are untested? If so, there is a strong chance that your backups will not be complete or restorable when you need them.

Offsite Backup Storage is Vital

If your backups are stored in the same place as the computers, it is quite possible that whatever compromises your computers will also compromise your backups.

Other Subtle Gotcha's Are Everywhere

• Backups made using the native utilities in Windows 98 are NOT restorable under Windows 2000 or Windows XP
• If the tape drive used to make the backups is destroyed, you will need a working duplicate tape drive to restore those backups
• Other nuances can prevent backups from being restorable for whatever reason

A Data Backup Plan is Worth The Investment

When considering the threats to your data, the costs of replacing it and the costs of losing it all point to a Data Backup Plan being your least expensive option overall.