.: Is Your Organization at Risk Without a Sufficient Backup and Recovery System?
By:Terri R.
Category:Home / Business / Management
What if you lost physical access to your office? Could you be back in business at another location within a couple of days? If not, you should explore cost-effective, reliable backup choices.
No one ever thinks it could happen to them. Yet, we have all seen and possibly experienced the devastation that can be caused from natural disasters, accidental file destruction or even terrorist attacks. Everyone needs to think about what would happen if all business operations suddenly came to a halt. Could your business recover if you lost all of your data?
Data backups is a subject so overdone that it has become “incidental”. Today, everyone knows that they need to be taking backups of their system data and the big issue today is that everyone “assumes” that this is being done at their companies. Network people are hired to install the network and “everybody” naturally assumes that this was part of the set-up and that somehow this is magically being taken care of. This is a big mistake.
All companies, large and small, need to have a secure backup and recovery plan in place. The key word here is perhaps “recovery”. Having been in the software business for over 20 years, I am no longer amazed when companies routinely perform backups and yet never test them to see if they are actually working. When it comes time to restore, it’s an unpleasant surprise to find out that the backup wasn’t really backing anything up or it was not backing up the correct files.
Having a sound plan in place extends farther than simply running a tape every night (which by the way is mandatory step one in the process). In addition, tapes need to be rotated each night so that the same tape is not being used over and over again. One never knows when one may need to recover data from a couple of days ago because the current data is not good. A tape should exist for each day of the week that the system gets backed up (minimum 5 days). Besides the rotation, copies should be kept off site, preferably in a safety deposit box and/or another secure location that is not in the immediate area of the office. It should be a site that can be accessed quickly if data needs to be retrieved. Ideally, the off-site copy should be refreshed at least once a month.
Besides the daily backup tapes, backups should be taken at the end of the month, quarter and year. These backups should never be used again and should be clearly labeled in the event that you need to access the data. If you are doing payroll, the government can call at anytime, even in several years. You want to be prepared. Not being able to produce the data can mean penalties, legal and accounting fees.
Running a backup tape and keeping it off site is just the beginning of the process. Backups need to be periodically tested to ensure that data is being copied. A knowledgeable, technical person should be in charge of this task. The line, “you can never have enough backups” is very true. However, testing that the backup you are taking is “good” is equally important.
Having a good routine for taking, testing and storing backups is critical. If your data is protected, even if you do not have access to your office and even if your server is destroyed, you can always restore on another system at another site. We had customers that had offices near ground zero and were unable to return to their buildings for quite some time. In a couple of days, with good backup tapes, they were able to restore to new hardware at another location and were back in business within a couple of days. Being prepared is the difference between business recovery and business failure.
In addition to the physical backup plan, every company should have a plan in writing that outlines the steps that the company will take to recover and resume work at locations other than the office. The plan should encompass not only the steps that will be taken to restore the data, but how and where the employees will access the data. If remote access is possible how would that option work? Would multiple offices be blended into one temporary central location? Several possibilities and solutions should be available so that most situations can be addressed without a last minute appeal for a solution.
A disaster represents many challenges, most of which cannot be prepared for. Restoration of data and resumption of use of the data is one thing that can be arranged. Unfortunately, this type of plan is traditionally not a top priority and considered secondary to the core business operations. The primary point to keep in mind, however, is that it is essential to securing and preserving core business operations. The smart business choice is a solid backup and recovery plan.
Article keywords: staffing software, recruiting software
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Terri Roeslmeier is president of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff, a full-featuered staffing software solution with components for front office, back office and the web. www.abd.net
.: New Management Articles
1). Business Liquidators Can Make Difficult Time Easier For Business Owners
If your business is in trouble and the only way out is to go out of business or to sell inventory, a business liquidators company might make all the difference. This article gives you tips on how to use one.
2). Business Coach: Is Your Website Search Engine Friendly to Increase Sales
The main objective of business coaching is to help a business owner create a distinctive business plan. It can operate in any segment of commerce, from a traditional business setup to a business start-up and even e-business.
3). The Basic Tools of Business Coaching
Business coaching has evolved over the years, owing to the changing demands around the world. Business coaching has opened a myriad of opportunities to people aspiring to pursue a self-motivated career.
4). The Psychological Aspect to Executive Coaching
Business coaching is an essential element of the business world and has provided a baffling range of career options today.
5). The Evidence Based Approach to Business Coaching
In order to coach successfully, you need to employ tried and tested coaching methods and tools. You can achieve the desired results and performance in the workplace with established coaching techniques.
6). The Transition from Manager to Coach
In the present fast paced world, where almost every organization and business firm employs educated personnel and a trained workforce, there hardly seems to be an urgent need for managers.
7). What Makes Executives Desire Coaching
Business owners, executives and managers move up the corporate ladder, based on their individual technical skills.
.: Top Management Articles
1). EQ vs. IQ: Why Do Smart People Fail?
First we need to understand that emotional intelligence (EQ) is not the opposite of the intelligence quotient (IQ); EQ is actually complementary to IQ resembled in academic intelligence and cognitive skills, and studies actually show that our emotional states affect the way our brain functions as well as its processing speed (Cryer qtd. in Kemper). Studies have even shown that Albert Einstein's superior intellectual ability may have been linked to the part of the brain that supports psychological functions, dubbed the amygadla.
2). Infopreneur: The “No Risk” Web Entrepreneur
You may be one of a growing multitude seriously thinking of starting a small business. You would like to strike out on your own, but you hesitate to take the plunge. You may not know where to begin and – most likely – you have nothing to sell ... or so you think! Become an “infopreneur” then!
Share What You Know
An “infopreneur” is a pure information provider.
3). Chairing A Meeting The Most effective Way
How many times have you attended a meeting where the only thing that gets decided is the date of the next meeting? Or where one person dominates the meeting? Or the meeting is swamped with trivia or unrelated information?
It is a commonly held assumption that chairing a meeting is simply a matter of reading out the agenda – that is assuming there is an agenda and that the addenda actually covers the topics which are most pertinent to the matter in hand.
4). The Secret To Overcoming Resistance to Change
Mahatma Gandhi stated that no one can oppress you more than you oppress yourself.
I believe this to be true, especially when it comes to change. I have witnessed people, putting up with horrible conditions rather than change. And so, it is no wonder it is considered one of the most difficult things to deal with for a business.
For many people, there is nothing more fearful.
5). Nine Reasons Why Mentoring Matters to You
There are many roles we play or hats we wear in our lives. We are professionals, family members, brothers, sisters, co-workers, leaders, coaches, friends, parents, and neighbors to name just a few. While you may not wear all of the hats I listed, you can likely add several more that I left out! Many of these roles are a given – we don’t have much choice of having the role – they come with being a responsible adult.
6). Conventional business change is the problem not the solution
Since the beginning of business, various methods for operating and developing the business have been identified and refined. These have evolved into the conventional methods that we use today. We improve management and effect business change by adding new conventional methods on the existing methods in place.
We now have a large business change and management improvement industry.
7). 6 Ways to Maximize Learning
Here's how to gain the most from training events.
1) Know what you want
Before the workshop, set learning goals for yourself. What do you want to learn? How can this program help you? What would make you feel that your time was well spent?
2) Ask for what you want
As the program unfolds, ask questions that guide the presentation toward the information that you need.