Today, more and more businesses are switching to digital methods of communication and information storage. This means that your computers now contain most, if not all, of the information required to run your business successfully – your tax and accounting records, your client information and receipts, your business plans and procedures, and, of course, your emails.
Considering how valuable your business data is, are you treating it with respect? Do you have a regular data back-up schedule, or do you sometimes put it off when it becomes too busy? Many small businesses do the latter, paying the price later when a virus threat or some other issue causes a data loss.
Threats to your data
- Viruses and security threats: Even with the most advanced anti-virus protection, new and powerful viruses can enter your system. Some can wipe out your data completely; some prevent access to your files. Keeping back-up copies of your data, separate from your computer system ensures that you can continue running your business while the virus is being removed.
- Other technical issues: Hardware crashes, due to software problems or human errors, can cause you to lose your data. While some of it can be recovered, in most cases, some data loss is inevitable.
- Arson, theft or malicious damage: Your business could be attacked by miscreants – arson or other malicious damage could leave you stranded. Your work laptop could be stolen, along with your important data stored in it.
- Natural disasters: Fires and floods have caused many businesses to shut down. Even when the business is fully insured, it could be hard to recover from the data loss.
Device-based back-up, software back-up or cloud back-up
For very small businesses with small amounts of data, traditional back-up methods like using a removable hard drive or DVD could be enough – if it is done regularly without missing even one day.
For most businesses, manual back-up takes up a lot of time and waste of resources. Automatic software back-ups could be the answer here. They run in the background and save copies of your files and folders, or complete back-ups of your hard drives. These can be stored in DVDs or in remote FTP sites.
Cloud-based back-up solutions are also available where your data can be stored in remote network locations.
The method you choose depends on the type of your business and the amount of data that is to be stored. At Computer Zen, we can help our customers choose the back-up system that best suits their needs, and help set it up.
For any computer jobs – networking, support or computer repairs in Brisbane, call us on 1300 266 936 to talk to our friendly technicians.