BRUNTECH

In today’s world data is vital to the smooth running of the organization. Data are used to make marketing decisions, decisions pertaining to customer preference, sales decisions, strategic planning decisions etc.

Loss of data can prove to be fatal to any organization. Many small and midsized organisations have been wiped out because the data that had been generated was lost and backup was available.

Hence owing to the important role data and information play in the success of an organization its security must be given top priority and data back up must be maintained.

In any organization data backup is vital as a data security tool. The constant availability of data without backup cannot be guaranteed.

Some of the worst case scenarios that could lead to data loss are:-

• Your hard disk could crash.
• Your computer processor could develop serious faults.
• Your computer could be attacked by a killer virus.
• Your office might be the target of natural disasters.
• Your boss/ secretary/ mother could spill something on your computer causing it to short You might accidentally format your hard drive.
• Your computer could be stolen.

This list is not exhaustive, it is just representative.

Having decided to store your data, where are you going to store it is another important issue. There are two options, namely, onsite storage and offsite storage.

Onsite storage involves storing the backup in the same place or on the same PC. This is highly risky as it does not ensure security in case of natural disasters.

Offsite storage means storing data in discs or tapes in allocation other than the main office. Again the risk of theft at the second location exists.

You can go in for any option as long as you keep the following tips in mind:

• Ensure that your backup data is located in a disaster free area.
• Ensure that you have at least two copies of your backup data.
• Ensure backup data is stored in a secure place.

Whatever you do always ensure that you have backup so that your recovery and turnaround is quick and you can cut your losses in case of any kind of data loss.

| More...