Data BackUp Disconnect

Are you considering implementing data backup systems or data recovery plans? Not exactly sure what questions you should be asking to prepare your business for the worst? Can you quantify the loss your business would accrue if you did loose all your data due to Mother Nature’s wrath? The best plan for a crisis situation is to be prepared. However over the years, BluegrassNet has watched as intelligent people make serious errors regarding their contingency IT plans for their company.

Most of these errors are related to a lack of understanding of what their data backup system will actually do. The most common error is the confusion between backing up data versus data contingency. Backing up data means making a copy of it. Data Contingency means taking action with that backed up data and to get back in operation after the crisis has subsided. Business owners, at times, confuse the action of “backing up data” with an incorrect impression that one can simply hit a button and everything will be back to normal. While some businesses may have a backup in place, there is no button to hit.

The bottom line is cost. We understand what small business owners are confronted with when data backup is the point of discussion. Anyone can recommend backup and recovery systems with quotes ranging from very little to big bucks. IT professionals understand why this happens. Those with limited experience in IT are looking for something inexpensive and easy to manage. Oftentimes they become easy victims of “misinformation” because of this confusion.

So where should a business owner start? First ask, ‘What will it cost me to lose everything?’ Calculate the man-hours it will take to replace everything from scratch. Add the opportunity cost or missing customer orders, and compound that with the loss of clientele if the problem is extensive. After looking at those numbers, it should be very easy to justify a strong data contingency plan.

Thanks to the Internet, there are places that will store your data offsite, and you can constantly update it via your Internet connection, if it makes financial sense. Generally, the final solution should be a realistic combination of computer assets committed, HR assets available to respond to the emergency, financial limitations for equipment replacements, and resources required to keep you running and maintained.

BGND takes the approach of dealing with one customer at a time with each issue. We recommend that business owners and IT managers do the same thing versus a cookie-cutter solution that either doesn’t do the right job, or may set unrealistic expectations in the customer’s mind. Ultimately, the most important thing to accomplish is to make sure the customer KNOWS what they are getting, instead of what they THINK they are getting.