Data backup for disaster recovery

If you had to put a dollar value on your company data, what would it be? Have you ever thought of what you would do if you suddenly lost all of your customer information? Would you be able to rebuild it?

Many times small businesses get caught up in the rush to implement a new technology solution and forget about how to protect the data they are collecting. It only takes a small glitch or a major natural disaster to wreak havoc on your information systems.

So how can you solve this dilemma without breaking the bank?

There are several solutions on the market and depending on how much you rely on your information systems, you can choose to use one or many of these systems.

For the smaller companies, the major computer manufacturer's offer tape backup units to store data on magnetic tapes. You may have heard of the technology called DDS, or digital data storage (which evolved from DAT, digital audio storage).

This technology uses magnetic media to store copies of your data. Once the data is copied to the tape cartridge, you can store it in a safe place such as a fire safe or off-site vault. This process is normally performed on a daily basis.

Usually, tape units are offered with software to run the backup process. Veritas, a division of Symantec and one of the leading backup software providers, is the commonly preferred solution.

Another recent innovation in backup strategy has been the use of Online storage or Remote backup. In this scenario, software is loaded on to your servers (or workstations) that continually synchronizes data changes to a remote site or server.

This type of service is charged by the amount of data you plan on storing in the remote repository. Most providers have an easy-to-use interface for restoring single or multiple files that have been backed up over the course of the day.

Many companies use the Remote backup strategy because it offers them the ability to continually store a retrievable copy of data changes as they happen. This strategy gives you complete protection but it comes at a higher price.

Check with you local technology provider about the right solution for your disaster recovery needs. Chances are you will learn to place a higher value on your information systems.