What Do I Need to Know About Data Backup?

In case of an emergency, do you have backup?

If you don't back up your business data regularly, now is the time to change your company's ways. Having an up-to-date copy of your data kept outside your office could potentially save your company from havoc caused by a computer virus, power surge, theft, fire, flood or other calamity.

Backing up data has never been easier, thanks to easy-to-use drives that hold huge amounts of information — such as high-speed tape drives or rewritable CD drives. Five tips below will help you create an effective backup system you can stick with.

  • Establish a schedule. Put "back up data" on your calendar, just like you would a meeting. This discipline will train you to conduct backups on a regular basis. Backup scheduling software will lock in regular backups for you; all you will have to do is change the tapes or other media. If you cannot rely on yourself to conduct backups, delegate the task to someone in the office who will conduct it without fail.
  • Do a backup before every new installation. Remember that backups are your data safety net — so consider running a backup any time you take an action that could affect your system. For example, if you are updating your operating system or installing a new workhorse application, consider doing a full backup first. This will allow you to restore your old settings should any of the programs reconfigure your system.
  • Store copies off-site. Faithfully created backups won't help if you lose them all to a disaster in your office or an office break-in. In other words, don't let a fire that destroys your data destroy your backup as well. With this in mind, keep a backup copy of your data outside your office at all times. You can lock them in a safe deposit box or use off-site backup services that let you send files to a Web site for storage and safekeeping.
  • Don't be cheap. Reusing the same backup tape repeatedly saves money, but is "pound foolish." If you only use one tape, and it fails, you will still lose your data. At the very least, rotate backups among two or three tapes so there is always a copy to fall back on. Keep your tapes healthy by cleaning tape heads after 25 uses. Label tapes clearly so that when you need to access them you know how to find what you need.
  • Consider a backup service. A growing number of Web services will let you back up your data online. These services let you schedule automatic backups of your files, which are transferred securely to the host's servers via your Internet connection. Speak to your Internet service provider to find out if this service is available to your company.