Backups....

The best way to test your backup is to try restoring data from it. You don't need to do everything, but restore a few files a couple of times.

If your backups fail on any given scheduled time, make sure you take the time to figure out why sooner rather than later. Don't procrastinate!

Make you learn HOW to restore your data when you are not under pressure. That way if a catostrophic computer event happens, you are ready to do what needs to be done and get back up and running!

BACKUPS

Are your backups working? How do you know? When was the last time you tried to recover data from a backup?

We encounter customers on a daily basis with computer problems severe enough that we need to reload their computer to get them back up and running. Of course the first questions we ask are: "Do you have a current backup?" and "Do you have all of the original software what you have installed on your computer?" In most cases, we get the "deer in the head lights" look.

Approximately 30% of businesses that have a major fire are out of business within one year. 70% fail within five years. (Home Office Computing Magazine) Could your business survive a significant data loss? How much would it "cost" you to recover and/or recreate your data?

Backup to whatever medium is affordable for you... external hard drives, flash drives, on-line backups, another computer. JUST DO IT!

New Year Checklist

Happy New Year!

Time to start anew? Right?
Here are a few things to think about for your computer....

1. Are your backups working? Don't wait to find out until after the hard drive crashes. Check them; test them.
2. Is your antivirus software up-to-date? Make sure!
3. When was the last time you went through Add/Remove Programs and uninstalled programs you are no longer using? If you don't use it, get rid of it! (Just make sure you know what you are uninstalling.)
4. Clean-up your e-mail. Delete some of those 3-year old Sent Items. Empty your Deleted Items.
5. Are you running Windows Updates? Vulnerabilities are EVERYWHERE. Make sure you're current!
6. UPS? Not the guy in the brown truck. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). Get one. A power surge can toast a computer in the blink of an eye!

That should be enough to think about for now. More to come!