Your data gone with the wind?
By Rhonda Abrams
Reviewing events of 2005, if I were to choose the most important lesson for entrepreneurs, it clearly would be this: Back up your data.
This year, hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated tens of thousands of small companies. Critical to their recovery was gaining access to their business records. Yet roughly 60 percent of small businesses and nearly 70 percent of home-based computer users fail to back up their data regularly, according to research firm IDC.
There are two types of backups small businesses need:
The key is finding a backup system that's easy, affordable and relatively mindless. "If you have to take major steps to back up, you're not going to do it," said Mike Williams, a manager at Maxtor, a California maker of backup storage devices.
Some approaches:
Years ago, I started with the simplest, cheapest procedure. Once a week, I copied critical files to backup drives. Depending on how much data you have, you can use CDs, DVDs, flash memory or other media. Then take or send these backups to another location at least a mile away. But you have to remember to do it.
Advantages: It's easy, cheap and locates your data off-site in case of emergency.
Disadvantages: It's slow, especially if you have lots of data; the data is not very secure; and it's easy to forget to back up.
I've long been a proponent of online services such as EVault or SwapDrive, which access your computers over the Internet, copy files you've chosen and automatically back them up to their secure computers. You get both data backup and disaster prevention in one.
Advantages: Once installed, you don't have to think about it; data is stored securely in a remote location; it's easy to recover from any computer.
Disadvantages: Slow, especially if you have large amounts of data; you'll need to keep computers running overnight because backing up during the day will slow down computer use; ongoing monthly expense.
These systems copy data over a USB2 or Firewire connection from your computers to your server using software, such as Second Copy from Centered Systems. Or data can be backed up to a dedicated storage device, such as One Touch from Maxtor.
Advantages: Fast, which is especially critical for large amounts of data; relatively secure from intrusion; no fixed monthly expense.
Disadvantages: The data is stored on-site and you must remember to make a copy to take elsewhere. While the method is not difficult, it requires someone with technical capabilities to install and maintain.
We use a hybrid approach in our office. We back up to our company server but make copies on DVDs of our most critical data and send those to a secure location out of state.
Maxtor's Williams recommends that approach. "Buy two (storage) drives. Do a full backup to one once a week. Take that drive home and swap out the one you had at home from last week. At the most, you'll lose one week's worth of data."
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