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BizTips - Back up! Don't mess up!
Picture the scene... You are putting the finishing touches to a crucial piece of work, or entering information into your customer database, and your computer breaks down. Or, God forbid, your computer is lost or stolen, or your office catches fire! Would your business survive if all of your company data and files were lost? Finance records, customer records, payment records, employee records - all gone, in a puff of smoke.
Recover of 'lost' data can not only be expensive, it can also be very time consuming - time that you, as a small business operator, can not afford to loose.
It's a statistical fact that about 40 per cent of companies that experience a 'disaster' go out of business within 5 years. You just never know what is around the corner, and that is why more and more small businesses are backing up their crucial company information.
Backing up your data isn't difficult, nor does it need to be expensive. With the evolution of remote online storage facilities there are many options open to the small business operator.
In essence, an online backup copies files from your computer, across your internet connection, to a backup computer at another location. You may need to run some software on your PC so you can select which files are backed up and how often your backup happens.
Security features may also be available to 'encrypt' or code your information so it cannot be easily stolen and read by someone else during the copy process.
Some benefits of an online backup solution are:
- There's nothing for you to remember - Once your backup is configured, it can run automatically on a regular basis. You don't need to start a program or insert a blank tape.
- There's nothing else for you to buy - As the file copy happens across the internet, you don't need to buy a tape backup machine or blank tapes.
- Your files are somewhere else - If anything happens to your computer or premises, you'll still have access to your files which now also exist at another physical location.
There are a wide range of options available for online back up, and specific requirements will differ from business to business. Costs also vary depending upon the size, number of files and the frequency of the back up.
No matter how big or small your business, there will be an option for you, and there are some real life examples which demonstrate that a small investment in online back up can save you a great deal of money, time and angst in the longer term.
For example, a vehicle hire business which was spread across 3 states had been operating for several years when they encountered problems. They employed eight people full time and several dozen casually. All of the company financial data was held on one PC which had NEVER been backed up. One day, without any warning, the hard drive spluttered its last breath and all of the financial information was lost. Even professional data recovery didn't help - there was now way that the information could not be recovered. Then, in a bizarre twist of fate, the ATO decided to audit the company. Apart from the direct costs of continuing operation without any financial records, the costs to rebuild financial data from incomplete paper records was over $14,000 and tax fines were nearly $60,000. He is still in business, but boy, he now has a bulletproof backup system
All in all, online back up represents a value for money option to keep your valuable company information safe and sound. So remember... its better be safe than sorry. Back up - don't mess up!
Submitted by Octopus Communications
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