One of the most fundamental and important items that I help small business with is creating and implementing a complete backup and disaster recovery plan.

This is not necessarily as easy of a task as it may sound.

Why?

Unfortunately; a backup solution is not always “top of mind” for small business owners until data loss or downtime occurs and the backup solution –  or lack there of becomes front and center.

Therefore; whenever I get an opportunity to engage with a new small business owner – one of the first items that I address is their backup solution.

The small businesses that I work with may or may not have a dedicated server where all their data is stored centrally. However; this is ideal because then you know where your data is and you know that this “server” (even if it is just another PC) is the PC that has to be backed up. This concept applies even if you are running your entire business on one PC (ie. your laptop).

If you are running your business without having a proper backup then your business is at risk.

So what do I consider a “proper” backup?

A proper backup and disaster recovery solution should include the following criteria:

• backup is automatic and regularly scheduled
• backup solution includes local and online (remote) components
• backup solution is image based (takes a “picture” of your entire hardrive)
• backup includes data, operating system and applications – not just data
• backup solution includes a “hardware independent” restore capability – you can restore to completely different hardware if necessary – this might be necessary in the event of a disaster where your computer is no longer available (i.e. fire, theft, flood) This disaster recovery scenario would require a restore from your offsite (remote) backup because your local backup is not available in this disaster scenario.  
• backup solution is periodically scheduled for a review and test restore
• backup solution is monitored for successful completion by your IT support professional

The solution I offer as part of my proactive support includes (and requires) all these components.

When was the last time your backup solution was reviewed by an IT professional?

You can Contact Dave today and request a free evaluation of your current backup plan.