Technology is great, but it can be unpredictable at times. I'm sure you know of someone (or perhaps yourself) who has experienced a crisis situation because their computer crashed right before a big deadline causing them to lose all of their hard work. Technology is not perfect, and it fails. Your data is the most important part of your computer, and it can be very valuable to the success of your small business. That is why it is crucial to backup your data often. Here are several easy small business tips to keep your data safe:
1. Schedule backups to occur automatically
As a small business owner, you have a lot on your mind, and it can be hard to remember everything. Backing up your data is especially easy to forget because it doesn’t feel like an immediate need…until it’s too late.
To help yourself stay on top of your backups, you can set your computer up to backup automatically by installing software or using existing software on your computer. This allows you to backup your computer daily, weekly, or monthly without having to do a thing!
2. Backup Onsight
Use an external hard drive, server, or other device to backup your data.
Onsite backup has major advantages such as low cost, immediate access to files, and it is not dependent on the internet. However, the materials holding your data are subject to destruction by storm or fire and are liable to being stolen. Keep your materials in a secure location, such as a fireproof safe, to prevent other people from accessing your private files and ensure that they will not be destroyed by natural disasters.
3. Backup Externally
Carbonite is a great resource that you can use to store files. With the help of Carbonite, you can be sure that your files are safe and secure from any computer glitches, unauthorized personnel, or natural disasters because they can backup your files automatically and continuously through the internet.
Carbonite can make your job a lot easier because it backs up your files automatically and allows you to access these files at anytime from anywhere as long as your have internet access. It also has a great customer support line if you need any help in the process.
4. Check your backups
Even backup software can have glitches and needs to be checked up on. The only way to tell if your backups are successful is to actually load your backup software and check to see if everything looks right.
You can decide how often you feel comfortable checking your backups. Perhaps you like to check periodically, such as weekly or monthly, or perhaps you prefer to check on them everytime you backup data that is particularly important. Whatever ensures you that your data is safe.
Ask yourself: if your hard disk was inexplicably erased right now, are you confident that you could restore all of that lost information from your backups?
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