Is your Data Safe?
Copyright © 2005 Chuck Nelson

As we all clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Emily, we are grateful that our homes and businesses did not suffer much damage. I drove down the street seeing all the stores, offices and homes boarded up protecting the windows and interiors from wind and rain. This made me wonder: How many of the computers inside those shops and homes have had their data backed up? How many businesses or lives would be, at the least, inconvenienced or, at the most, destroyed because the owner of each computer did not protect the data as effectively as the windows?

Today, almost all businesses rely on computers for their daily operation from simply keeping their books and accounting to running their cash registers or handling their room reservations. With online banking, tax preparing programs and home inventory software, many individuals and families rely on computers to keep track of their lives.

We make sure we have the latest anti-virus software loaded and up to date. Our firewall is happily blocking any potential intruders. We have our Spyware and Adware blocker running, and our pop-up blocker is silently doing it’s job. But, when was the last time we backed up our data?

Quite often, I have people bring their computers to me for repair that have had a failed disk drive or corrupted software. At this point, any data, files or pictures they have on their computer will be lost or destroyed in the repair process. Once this is determined, my first questions are: “Do you have all your files backed up?” and “Do you have any files or data you can not afford to loose?”  More often than not, I detect a look of panic on their faces with questions on what it would take to recover their files. A defined backup procedure can prevent this panic from setting in.

There are many businesses that specialize in data recovery. They have many tools, software and facilities for recovering the data from failed drives or because it was accidentally erased. Unfortunately, they charge from $100 to $150 just to look at the drive and determine if the data is recoverable and there are never any guarantees. Lets face reality. Hard drives do fail, Accidents do occur, and disasters happen. The old adage definitely holds true: “You can pay me now, or pay me later.”

Performing backups should become habit for every business that uses a computer or any home that keeps important information or files on their computer. There are some basic steps when starting a backup regimen.

First, define what needs to be backed up. Make a list of all important information that you can not afford to loose or that you want to keep for personal reasons. Do you keep your business accounting data on the computer? Do you have irreplaceable pictures? Do you have other files needed for your business that cannot be replaced?

Once the “what” is defined, you need to define the “when.” How often should the files be saved? For pictures or files which never change this doesn’t have to be often. I do recommend, however, that they are saved more than once. Although CDs or tapes do last for long periods, the experts estimate that data on CDs can begin to degrade after ten years. It is also a good idea to not rely on a single backup just incase that media is destroyed. If this is a business computer, data can change daily or at least weekly. Evaluate how often the data changes. Do you need to back it up on a daily, weekly or monthly basis?  

Deciding how to perform the backup can be a daunting task. You need to choose the correct media, CD, DVD or tape and device for your backup needs. At this point I strongly recommend consulting with your computer or IT professional on the best hardware and software solutions. Having either not enough or to much is an easy possibility. Try to keep the hardware and media within your budget but still adequate and make sure the software is easy to use and provides all the functions you need.

You have defined your backup needs, purchased the correct hardware and software and run your first backup, now what? Your backup media should be stored in a safe place. It should be away from your home or place of business in a fire resistant container. In this area, it should also be at a location where it is safe from hurricanes. Many options for home users are to use a safety deposit box at your local bank or possibly sending a copy to a relative. If your data is important, it can help to have multiple copies in different locations. If you can’t afford to loose it, you can’t afford not to keep it safe.

Although the most neglected task for maintaining your computer, backups are one of the most important. With a little diligence and new habits, your data can be safe and secure. Rest easy the next time a hurricane knocks on your door knowing your data is backed up.