By Jeff Johnson
This is the 20th article in the Tech Talk series.
What would you do if you arrived at your office one morning and discovered that your computer system had crashed, and that all of your company’s customer data, accounting files, and project records were gone? Think of all that information, painstakingly entered over time, just gone forever.
It’s hard to imagine this disastrous scenario because computer systems usually operate so reliably. However, every computer system is susceptible to catastrophe; just ask someone who has been through it. The computer system that stores all of your mission-critical information is vulnerable to a range of problems, from viruses to theft to mechanical failure. Physical damage from natural disasters or accidental mishaps is also a possibility. Fires, earthquakes, and floods present a danger to hardware and data, as do broken water pipes and heavy falling objects.
Here’s an explanation of the causes of data loss and the technology options available to protect data. In addition, you’ll learn some general tips for keeping your data safe.
It’s a Fact: Hard Drives Fail
Hard drive failure is arguably the most common cause of complete data loss. Computers are composed of mostly electronic devices. However, the hard drive—which stores all of your company information and software programs—is a mechanical part. The drive is in constant motion as it saves and retrieves data. Like any other mechanical gadget, such as a car transmission or a refrigerator motor, it has the potential to break. Many hard drives are even given what’s called a “mean time between failures” rating that estimates how long they will last. At some point, due to accumulated wear and tear, the drive will break.
When that happens, the hard drive is destroyed and all the information it contained is gone. The damaged hard drive must be replaced with a new one to get the computer system back up and running. All the files, records, and other information that were on the old drive must be re-entered on the new drive (if that’s possible). In the meantime, the company that experienced the hard drive failure most likely is dead in the water.
Data Backups Reduce Risk
Viruses, fire, theft, and other risk factors pose the same threat to wiping out mission-critical information as hard drive failure. You can avoid catastrophic data loss from any of these causes by creating backups of important data. Backing up data simply means copying information stored on the hard drive and saving that information somewhere else. That way, if a problem occurs, the information is not lost.
There are a number of ways to save and protect company data. Backups can be performed automatically or manually and can be stored onsite or offsite. Automated backups are pre-programmed to occur without human intervention. Manual backups require a person to perform them.
Assess Your Needs
When evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each data backup method, consider your company’s unique data situation—what kind of data you have; what records, files, etc., are absolutely crucial for doing business; and how often that crucial data should be backed up. In addition, consider the time, cost, and resources each backup method requires.
Be aware of the rate at which your company changes its data. For example, a company that keeps large amounts of billing information may want to do daily backups. For others, weekly may be often enough.
Also, think about how many days, weeks, or months of archived backups you may need. If your computer system is infected by a virus that isn’t caught immediately, data may erode slowly until you discover the damage.
With an archive, the data record can be restored to the day before the virus entered the system. This allows your company to “travel back in time” and begin again with pristine data. Changes made to the data after the virus infected the system would be lost, but that’s preferable to losing everything.
It’s best to store backups offsite so they aren’t vulnerable to the same dangers that might affect the primary data. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is creating backups, and then storing them in their offices.
Whatever backup method you select, make sure your data is archived according to established procedures that are followed without fail. The only thing worse than not having your data backed up is thinking your company has backups—and then realizing it doesn’t.
Creating and implementing a data backup plan requires time and effort. The extra planning can mean business success—or failure. A recent study from Gartner, Inc., found that 90 percent of companies that experience data loss go out of business within two years. It also found that 80 percent of company owners have not thought about how they would keep their businesses up and running if a data disaster occurs.
Backup Options
The primary methods for backing up large amounts of data include online backups (performed via the Internet), tape, DVD-R/RW, external hard drives, and RAID servers.
Online (Internet) backups. Online backups allow companies to send encrypted data over their regular Internet connection to a secure data storage facility. No special equipment is needed; in most cases, a DSL connection is all that is required. Companies pay a monthly fee for the service. The fee is determined by the amount of storage space needed.
Online backups occur automatically; the customer determines the backup timing and frequency. Typically, the initial download is the longest. Subsequent backups take less time.
When choosing an online backup provider, ask about the company’s physical storage arrangements. It’s preferable to find a provider with data storage centers that are specifically designed for warehousing computer data. These facilities typically are constructed with climate-control, disaster-proofing, and security features and emergency power generation capability. Some companies also store data in multiple data centers in different geographic locations as an added layer of security.
Other questions to ask a potential backup provider include:
In addition, find out if the company offers incremental data backups and/or or complete system backups. A complete system backup saves your data as well as software programs, system information, and user preferences. Complete system backups eliminate the need to reinstall software applications and preferences during the disaster recovery process. It’s one thing to have data backed up, and another to have your computer system up and running.
Tape. Tape is probably the most common backup method used today. To perform tape backups, a company purchases and installs a tape drive that automatically records data at a preset time. Data is backed up on a tape cassette that is placed in the tape drive. Most companies contract with a data storage center to pick up the tapes and store them offsite.
Key considerations for using tape as a data backup method are how much data you need to save (tape offers a relatively large amount of storage, ranging from 4 to 800 gigabytes); the number of tapes you will need; and who will be responsible for checking and changing the cassettes in the tape drive. Costs include the tape drive, tape cassettes, and offsite storage (including pick-up and delivery). You can purchase an additional tape autoloader if you don’t want to depend on a person to change the tapes. It is very important to store the backups offsite so they cannot be stolen or lost in a fire or natural disaster.
There are some drawbacks to this backup method. Problems can occur when the tape drive or cassette experiences mechanical failure, or if tapes are not changed. In addition, data can be accidentally erased if the tape is exposed to an electromagnetic field (similar to a credit card strip being erased). Because tapes are somewhat expensive, companies that do daily backups tend to retain about a week’s worth of data.
DVD. Because data is saved externally on a type of storage media, DVD backups are somewhat similar to tape backups. However, DVD backups don’t require a special device like a tape drive. A simple DVD-R or DVD-RW drive is all that is needed. DVD backup is a manual process that requires a person to load the information onto the DVD. This is usually accomplished with drag-and-drop capability.
Because DVD media doesn’t cost much, companies can keep a longer historical record of their data on DVD backups. This provides additional protection, allowing them to go back further in time to restore missing data. DVD storage capacity is about 5 gigabytes. Small businesses can easily put critical information on a DVD and store it offsite.
External hard drive. An external hard drive is a small device that is plugged into a computer port and then loaded with data. The process frequently is automated. The external hard drive is good for onsite backup, but if a fire or natural disaster strikes, or the disk in the external hard drive fails, the backup is gone.
An external hard drive of 100 gigabytes or more has the capacity to provide a historical data record. The automated backup software archives data until the drive is full, and then overwrites the oldest data. This provides a continual data stream.
RAID server. This is a type of network server (RAID is an acronym for redundant array of inline disks) that contains two hard drives instead of the usual single drive. The second drive “mirrors” the contents of the primary hard drive. In other words, the data on the primary drive is copied onto the secondary drive. This provides protection if the primary hard drive fails.
RAID servers perform backups automatically. They provide a good onsite backup. In the event of a hard drive failure, the server switches over to the secondary drive and the company can continue operating normally. Employees usually don’t even notice the hard drive failure.
RAID servers does not protect against viruses. If a virus enters the system or a data corruption problem occurs, the problem will spread to the secondary hard drive. RAID drives also do not provide protection against natural disasters, theft, or accidents.
Losing data essential to a company’s operation is a catastrophic event that severely affects productivity and profits. Lost data can be replaced to some extent, but recovery often is expensive and time-consuming. It’s much easier and more cost-effective to have a data backup system in place so your company never has to face this difficult situation.
Jeff Johnson is co-owner of CMIT Solutions of Sacramento. CM IT Solutions is a national company with 120 offices throughout the U.S. The company provides computer and technology consulting services for small- to mid-sized businesses. To request a complimentary, one-hour security threat analysis of your computer network, contact CMIT Solutions at 916-984-6243 or SacCentral@cmitsolutions.com.
Additional Resources
This Building Business Brief can be sent to you via e-mail. For more information, contact Jill Tunick at 1-800-368-5242, ext. 8461, or by e-mail: jtunick@nahb.com. This material may be reprinted in NAHB newsletters and member education materials.