>Knowing Your Data Is Safe

>All companies of today make great use of the technology available to them and rely on their data.  Most businesses however, don’t have the budget to invest in network storage or large servers, which is what the bigger companies use to transfer information and create a backup of the information they rely on to carry out their operations.

Smaller businesses have a limited budget.  When most encounter a disaster they never seem to recover, normally going out of business.  Past disasters such as 9/11 or the dreaded hurricane have showed the importance of backups and disaster planning.  Companies that thought things out and protected their data survived these disasters, while those that didn’t went out of business.

There are several ways that you can protect your data and keep it safe.  One of the most popular and easiest ways to protect your data is with a server.  Servers are great for both large and small businesses, and protection the data for your business.  They can tend to get expensive though, with the most popular server, Microsoft, starting out around $3,000. 

Unlike other options, servers provide you with a safe and secure system to store all of your corporate data.  You can set the permission of your files to prevent any unauthorized access, to keep your files safe.  When using servers, most of the loss comes from either accidental deletion or employees that are upset with corporate management and decide to get into the server and erase files.

When using a server, your data will be stored in one central location, and not spread around over different computers in your network.  Servers are very user friendly, and keep your files neat and tidy - in one location.  This way you don’t have to go looking all over the place for your data, you can look in the server and find everything you need.

Another way to keep your data safe is with CDs, DVDs, and even external hard drives.  If you are using any of these methods, you should always do a backup of your information at the end of every day.  With disasters being completely unpredictable, backing things up every day will ensure that you are protected if something should occur. 

If you are backing things up to CD or DVD media, you should always put the discs in a safe and secure location, preferably a fireproof safe.  This way, if the office should catch on fire, you’ll have your backup discs protected.  You should always add your new backups to the safe at the end of every working day, so you’ll have them tomorrow if you need them.

You can also store your data and information offsite as well.  This is a highly recommended option, as you pay a flat monthly fee and a company stores your information.  Most have secure vaults and servers for your data, which ensures protection from unauthorized accidents or hazards.  You don’t need to worry about your data when using these services, as they will do the protection for you.

No matter which method you use for protecting your information, you should always make sure that you have a plan.  Corporate data is very important and essential to success, which is why you should look into immediately if you don’t have a plan already.  If you know your data is safe and protected from hazards and unauthorized access - you’ll have the peace of mind in knowing that your data will be there each and every time you need it.