Today's typical business puts enormous dependence on the functionality of the computer systems in the office and in the field. Businesses store contact lists, product lists, various documents, databases, and files from industry specific software. Studies show that 72% of businesses that suffer data loss disasters close their doors within 2 years of the incident.

This staggering statistic is the result of large cheap hard drives. The most common data losses are caused by lightning, floods, fire, theft, mechanical failure, and user error.

Proper backups can ensure that in the event of a disaster a company is able to get up a running quickly again with little or no data loss.

When planning a Backup Strategy, 5 key issues should be considered.

Backups should be done frequently. The preferred method is to have the backups done automatically with no human contact. This allows backups to be nightly done after hours. Day old backups are infinitely more valuable than month old or even week old backups. Consider all the data, time, and costs that would be lost with even one day of lost data.

The media used should be extremely reliable. Don't be fooled by the expensive tape backup systems, tapes are notorious for getting corrupted. Almost any media is better than tapes.

All files should be encrypted so that unwanted eyes cannot view your data. Confidential files and financial information will be out in the open, so security is essential.

Backups must be stored offsite for maximum reliability. Floods, fires and theft, among others, can destroy the data on your computers as easily as the backups if they are in the vicinity of the computers.

Tied in with storing your backups offsite, they must be accessible when and where they are needed. Storing them in a safe deposit box renders them inaccessible two days a week, and during the other 5 days during certain hours. Storing them in someone's house leaves you at the mercy of their schedule.

VCS Vault's Remote Backup Service is a great example of a cost effective backup strategy. Using cutting edge technology, the software allows users to have scheduled backup times that initiate automatically to ensure they are completed. Files are encrypted and stored on their servers in their datacenter, making them available any time of day.

Having a proper backup strategy can save your company thousands of dollars, or even the company itself. Frequency, Security, Reliability, Location and Accessibility are key factors that can either make your backups successful or leave you hanging when you need them most.

David Vladar is Vice President of VCS Vault; a provider of Remote Data Backup solutions geared for small to medium business. David has worked with many small companies to help them implement cost saving techniques by improving their office computer network, their websites and databases.

David can be reached at 604-637-7795 or by email at dvladar@vcsvault.com

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