Online Backup

 

Most companies at least attempt to perform some form of backup and have very good intentions. But many, who do not have the benefit of an in house IT manager, do not realise that their "hit and miss" procedure could end up costing them their livelihoods.

We have found that the standard practice for a small/medium sized company is that it elects a member of staff to change the backup tape in the drive at the beginning of the day and store the previous night's tape somewhere safe. This is usually a member of staff that has previously shown the most interest in the computer system rather than someone trained in I.T.

At the end of the day this person would, ideally, remove the tape from site and store it for at least a week away from the office. Many do not do this and we have found that if asked what happens to the tapes most (that answer honestly) state they are simply hidden in the back of a drawer at work. Not really a lot of good if a fire or some other unforeseen disaster occurs or the theft of computer equipment takes place.

The above procedure tends to also go wrong if the dedicated person is off sick or on holiday and has forgotten to elect a stand in. Sometimes weeks go by without a backup of vital data taking place.

In addition how many times in recent weeks has the backup media you do use been tested for its quality and content? Were you aware that most tape manufacturers state the life expectancy of media is 6-8 months and that they recommend replacing them every 12 months.

You can say goodbye to all the above uncertainty by signing up to an on line, off site agreement. Feel free to contact us to complete a free audit and see what is required for your backups and how much it will cost to achieve.