Calling for Backup: Protecting a Critical Asset

By Linda Hetcher, Vice President Professional Services, Concurrent Technologies

You walk into your home office or business location one morning. To your horror, you discover there's been a disaster. Perhaps it's a fire, water damage or a hacker incident. Your computers are destroyed and all your data are gone.

Data loss can occur all too easily, caused by hardware failure, human error, software corruption, computer viruses, theft or a multitude of physical disasters. Fortunately, you can protect your business by regularly backing up your computers.

Backing up simply means to make copies of your PC (or server) data onto an alternate media. Backups make it possible to recover data when the original information becomes lost or damaged.

Despite the importance of backing up, many individuals and businesses still neglect this task.

.They don't appreciate how important backups are to their business continuity, particularly if they haven't experienced a disaster (yet).

.They don't know how to perform backups.

.They forget to complete backups because the process is not automated.

.They are concerned about the time it takes to complete a backup.

.They don't trust the accuracy of a backup.

.They are unsure how to restore data from a backup.

To add to a business' concerns, there are a number of things to think about before choosing a specific backup media and method. The quantity of data that need to be backed up, and how often and how quickly the data need to be restored should be a consideration. Convenience, reliability, scalability and cost also enter into the decision.

Ask yourself the following key questions about your specific situation:

•How much business-critical data needs backing up?

•How dynamic is the data? How often does it change?

•How much backup automation is needed? What level of simplicity and convenience are needed?

•How quickly will business-critical data grow?

•What performance requirements exist?

•What are the cost-benefit expectations?

Based on the answers to those questions there are most likely a number of viable backup approaches that can work well. We will examine two that can address the requirements of many small to mid-size businesses. The first one details the use of an external drive; the second employs the Internet. Always keep in mind that the method chosen does relate to the size and complexity of your business.

External drives are effective, efficient and easy to operate as adjunct storage devices for a PC. One popular brand is Maxtor's OneTouchtm external drive, which operates at the touch of a button. It can conduct backups on-demand, or can be set to conduct them automatically at specific times. The drives are compact, weigh about three pounds, easily connect to your PC and can be carried off-site. They also have a large capacity and can be simply scaled as the needs of a business grow. Prices start at about $200 for a single PC.

An alternative to the external drive is the option of using the Internet. This eliminates the need to physically carry the backup files to an offsite location. This method involves backing up over the Internet to a secure, reliable data center. No equipment or software is required at your location. Instead, you are provided an account, and through a Windows interface can trigger the backup process or set a schedule for the process. It is recommended that high bandwidth connectivity be used such as cable or DSL or a dedicated broadband connection. For a fee of $30 a month, a sizable amount of data can be stored and managed externally.

No matter which approach or media is chosen, the most important thing to remember about backups is to select a method that you will actually use and that will support rapid, dependable recovery in the case of a disaster. The health and continuation of your business depends on it.

Concurrent Technologies designs and develops custom Web-based interactive solutions for a diverse clientele ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations. In the business for over 18 years, Concurrent Technologies is a Total Solution Provider (TSP) offering a range of services from e-business strategy to complete technology outsourcing. For more information.