Plan for the unexpected with online data back-up30 September 2005
In this day and age, intellectual property is arguably more valuable and more in need of protection than our material possessions, and a proliferation of news stories and warnings from financial providers warn us to keep our personal data safe.
But as small businesses run their operations increasingly through the internet, and back office processes are integrated and automated,it is essential that vital files and data stored on computer equipment are protected.
The majority of us think that we are careful with valuable information and assume that losing it will never happen to us, but a lost laptop or an unforeseen technical fault could mean that the data will be irretrievable, at a high potential cost to your business.
Not only should small businesses be protected against the loss of data through technical and human faults or errors, the threat of malicious attack from outside individuals means that a copy of data that is essential to the running of your business should be stored somewhere secure.
Recent research by IDG found that in the last year, the number of attacks on the security of enterprise information has increased by 22.4 per cent to an average of 862, and 63 per cent of these can be attributed to outside hackers.
The convenience of utilising computer equipment in a small business environment can be wiped out in seconds if an online data back-up process is not in place to secure vital company information.
What are the benefits to data back-up?
There are two ways in which essential information can be backed up, manually or online. Manual processes involve the use of CDs, DVDs and zip files and require the manual entry of data onto the chosen disk, and then the storage of the disk somewhere safe. This method is limited in terms of storage capacity and data is at risk of being lost should the disk be faulty or corrupted.
Online back-up processes, on the other hand, use a broadband connection to automatically store files away from the on-site computer network. This can be achieved through the installation of software onto your computer, and the selection of what data needs to be backed up and how often.
This can be of benefit to small businesses in a number of ways.
- It improves staff productivity as it removes the need for a manual transferral of data onto the storage media.
- The margin for human error is eliminated as the software is designed to automatically remember when information should be stored.
- It allows for unlimited storage capacity.
- Essential information is stored in encrypted form off-site for improved security.
- An unlimited amount of copies may be made of essential data.
- Business continuity is safeguarded, and therefore customer service and satisfaction is retained.
To implement this form of data protection it is useful to also ensure that a high-speed broadband connection is in place, as this will improve the speed at which data can be stored.
How can back-up be arranged?
There are a number of online data back-up services, most of which offer the retrieval and off-site storage of business information for a monthly service charge. BT offers a service called BT Datasure, which stores encrypted data and allows its retrieval at any time.
