Data Backup: No Longer a Headache
By Blue Melnick
Responsible document archiving is a task many people would prefer to forget about. It’s dull, time consuming, technical, often confusing and, to be honest, about as much fun as debating with a client who thinks he knows more about the law than you do.
But your information is your company’s most valuable asset. In fact, your data—including your accounting records, contact lists, client files, e-mail and more—is your business. If you lose your critical data tomorrow, it is unlikely that your company would survive.
Rubbish? Not according to the U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, which says that 50 per cent of businesses that lose their critical data for 10 days or more file for bankruptcy immediately, and another 43 per cent file for bankruptcy within a year of the incident.
What are you doing to protect your information?
If you are currently backing up your data to CD, tape or external hard drive, you’re on the right track. But when was the last time you tested that backup? Backup media are widely known to become “unreadable” over time, corrupting your data just as VCR tapes chew up your home movies. Moreover, these methods require that you (or your employees) perform the backup and store these unencrypted duplicates in a safe place away from your office. These manual systems tend to break down over time, leaving your precious data—and your livelihood—in a precarious position. Thanks to new technology, however, there is a better way.
You need to protect your company’s information by using a reputable online data backup and recovery service that specializes in providing secure digital document management to small and medium-sized businesses. These online services completely automate the backup process, encrypt your data, and store it safely offsite. Plus, they are affordable! Not sure where to begin? Here are a few suggestions for what to look for when comparing online data backup and recovery services.
Personalized Onsite Service
Online service providers need not be impersonal or absent. Be sure to partner with a company that includes both onsite and telephone support 24/7/365 as part of your package. Ideally, a storage specialist should complete a full data survey at your location at the time of installation. Such personal attention will ensure that all of your critical data is stored safely at the time of installation and going forward as you create new files.
Encryption Level
Nothing less than 448-bit encryption will do. To understand why, consider that online banking uses 128-bit encryption. For each additional bit, the security and protection level doubles. So 129-bit is twice as secure as 128-bit encryption, 130-bit is twice as secure as 129-bit encryption, and so on. This means that 448-bit encryption is many millions of times more secure than banking online.
Built-in Redundancy and Secure Storage
Once your encrypted data arrives at the primary storage site, additional copies of it should be made immediately and stored in at least one other secure location. You’ll also want to make sure that your data is always housed on these offsite servers in its encrypted state.
Historical Versions
The ability to store multiple “snapshots” of your data is another exciting benefit of online storage applications. Much like a time machine, you can turn back the clock to retrieve your files as they appeared in the past. This feature is particularly useful if you need to retrieve files that were deleted weeks (or even months) ago! Make sure, however, that your chosen partner does not charge for this additional storage.
Regular Communication from Your Service Provider
You should receive a daily email from your chosen partner confirming that your backup was completed in full and on schedule. Alternatively, you may be able to opt for receiving communication only if your backup was not successful—as may be the case during a power outage. If your files have not been stored, for any reason, the next time you turn on your computer you should have a message from your provider giving you the option to perform a backup immediately.
Multiple Users and Computers
Flexibility in terms of your account set-up is an advantage offered by the best service providers. Ideally, you should be able to add multiple users and computers under the same account at no extra charge. Just be sure to verify that only you, not your individual users, have the ability to recover your data, as protecting your intellectual property from malicious or soon-to-be-leaving employees is imperative.
In conclusion, please remember this crucial point: Your data is your most valuable asset. Protecting that asset must be a priority because the survival of your business depends on it.
For additional tips and information, visit www.vtdcanada.com, send an email to blue@vtdcanada.com, or phone Blue Melnick at 416-462-3323.
Neither the author nor the CBA should be construed as endorsing any product or website listed in this article. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CBA.
In this document, any reference to "jurist" or "lawyer" includes, where appropriate, "Québec notary". |
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