Uh-oh! What Happened to my Records?

What’s Your Data Backup Plan?

What Happened to my Records?

June 21st, 2012

by Cathie Perruso

Have you ever experienced that gut-wrenching feeling – when out of nowhere – your computer just freezes on you? Why does it seem to happen when you’ve just spent hours putting together a spreadsheet of your monthly business (or personal) finances or developed a new client proposal? You stare at the screen biting your lip – hoping you haven’t lost your work.  The waiting seems endless as the hourglass keeps spinning. Then, the devastating message: Your program is “Not Responding” and you have to reboot.  You hope your computer will turn back on without a hitch, all the while stressed about what you’re going to do if it doesn’t.
How about your computer crashed for some unknown reason – perhaps a virus infiltrated your PC – and you haven’t a clue whether or not all of your business data: email files, customer records, contacts, invoices, financials, presentations, brochures – will even be recoverable?
I speak from experience and data loss is definitely something you want to avoid at all costs. I heard the horror stories, but never got around to backing up my files.  I always said to myself, “It’ll never happen to me.” Well, famous last words.  A few years back, I turned on my computer one morning and got a blue screen.  Nothing happened, so I rebooted thinking it was nothing, but still got the same blue screen.  Then I really started to worry.  My worst fear was now my reality: my hard drive crashed and I lost all my files.  It took me countless hours to reproduce documents and make phone calls to see if any of my colleagues still had any of the reports and spreadsheets I had previously sent them. Not to mention all the email addresses and contacts I had to reestablish. Needless to say, I’ve learned my lesson and have a backup plan for my data.
 If you’re a business owner, data loss is not an option for you.  You’re way too busy with running your business; you can’t afford downtime.  And, nowadays, many businesses are keeping digital records; the era of a paper trail is becoming a records management method of the past. Preparedness is key.  Be proactive, not reactive.

 Did you know:

• 31% of PC users lost all of their files due to events beyond their control
• About 70% of people don’t back up their data
• Almost two-thirds of U.S. small businesses do not have an emergency or disaster preparedness plan in place. (American Red Cross)
• 60% of businesses that lost their data will likely shut down within 6 months of a disaster
• Recovering data from failed hard drives is very expensive: $500-$2500 or more

 why is remote data backup so critical to you? Some things to think about:

1. Business Continuity:  Back up your business data so it is retained and available in the event of a disaster so you business isn’t interrupted
2. Data Protection:  Your file are backed up and securely stored to a remote location, should you experience computer problems or loss
3. Data Accessibility:  Access your data using an internet connection, and from any  web connected device such as a tablet or smartphone
4. Peace of Mind:  Knowing your data is protected and accessible, while in, or out, of the office – from your own computer or someone else’s
5. Productivity: With scheduled backups, employees no longer have to spend time trying to find and recover missing files – they can retrieve files easily. Some solutions feature sharing and collaboration capabilities

Do you have a backup plan?