Backing Up Your Business Data

In toays high-tech world there are numerous ways that we can lose critical data that is important to our businesses, the least of which are usernames and passwords but, more importantly than that, there is the potential of losing all of our work, our sites and, in the process, our income. Having a solid backup plan in place is something that can help to alleviate any problems that may occur in the event of a system crash.

What To Backup?

Before backing anything up, you need to decide what items you actually need that are of importance, for many of us, this is as simple as getting a list of sponsor logins, server logins, email address, emails and our sites however, for a lot of people who keep detailed reports, these should also be stored on a reglar basis, especially important financial and traffic statistics.

How To Backup?

Now that we know what data we need to backup, we need to know how to start the backup process, there are several methods that can be used ranging from operating system processes through to manual backups (the process i prefer). The easiest way to decide on a method is to give each one a go and see which you prefer, automated backups can be scheduled through many windows based operating systems using 'restore points' or, altrnately, each month you can spend 30-45 minutes physically moving all of your files and folders to a media device.

When To Backup?

As with the type of information you want to backup this is going to be down to personal preference, my preference is to run 1 major backup each month on the last day of the month, however, i also run 2 smaller backups at fortnightly intervals (which take about 10 minutes) ensuring that i save any critical emails i have received since my last data save in addition to any important sites i have built since the last backup.

Data Storage.

In addition to ensuring your data is saved, you also need to consider where you are going to store these backups and, whether you are going to use 1 media device per backup or, keep re-using the same media storage device over and over again, for this purpose, i have chosen to keep each monthly backup on its own CDRom, labelled with the date and time of the backup, these CD's are then filed in a CD rack located on the other side of the building to where my laptop is located. This means in essence, should i need to find some data from a couple of months ago, i not only know where it is located but, which CD it is on by simply reading the spine of the jewel case.

System Backups - An Overview.

Many webmasters dont have a solid plan of data storage and because of this, if they ever have a system crash or hard-drive failure, they can potentially stand to lose months, if not years of their work. By ensuring that YOU have a regularly schedule system in place to store your data once it is no longer 'new' you are not only protecting your business but, you are going to save a lot of time should the unspeakable ever happen and, it does from time to time.

Article written by Lee.

http://www.webmasterconsultants.com