Disasters can be easy to deal with, or seem like an overwhelming task. We can’t always avoid disasters, but with planning and preparation we can control disaster response. Right now most companies have a No Recovery strategy which equals no data restored. After surveying 50 companies located in Los Angeles with 20 to 30 employees we found that they did not have any type of recovery past a Tape Backup. In most cases they had the office manager put in the tape. In some cases the backup was not running and thus they had NO backup. Frighten as this may sound your company may be one of them.

Does your company have a good disaster recovery plan?

Let’s see what is a disaster recovery plan to begin with. First there are all types of disasters. A hacker can cause data loss on your server. A computer virus can cause data loss to flat files as well as databases. I know most of you are saying sure I have Norton anti virus to protect me. Are the virus definitions up to date. Is is properly configured? if you do not have some outsourcing firm or in house IT staff then how do you know?

Power failures are the way we meet some clients that need our Data Recovery services. They begin us their burnt out drives and expect miracles from us. Of course we deliver but the costs are very high.

Natural Disasters are another way we meet clients. The building has has water damage or power damage and their server(s) where not properly backed up and connected to a UPS device.

The most common type of data loss is System Administration Errors or lack there of. Mainly because the tape backup unit or perhaps the new and improved disk based backup was not working? No one took the time to read the event logs of the system, application and backup system. Now it is time to restore and you are left with a puzzled face. I thought I was doing backups.

So as you can having your online data being hosted offside is important security measure and disaster recovery prevention.

For more information you can visit http://www.evault.com/solutions/

For more information on this and other areas of Information Technology
contact Network Installation Los Angeles

There is one major problem with most computer backup procedures. Usually after a backup is made, all of the information and data stays in the same place as it always was. However, there are many disasters that could befall your data and computer that make it worthwhile to look into online backups as a precautionary measure. Online data backups will allow you to save a copy of your file or files in a hard drive that cannot be destroyed at the same time as your computer. This way, even if you experience theft or a natural disaster such as a fire or flood you will still have your data.

Is it safe?

Many people are a little bit unsure of putting their data online. After all, if the information can be accessed by them from any computer, doesn’t that mean that the data can be accessed by everybody? Yes and no. While it is theoretically possible for a different person to get into your data as it is stored through an online data backup, the chances of this actually happening are slim to none as long as you’re using a reputable service.

You also have the option of doing something on your end to make sure that the data stays secure. If you can get your hands on any backup software that can encrypt the data, then you should do this. Encrypted data cannot be stolen without considerable effort. Just make sure that you remember what program you used to encrypt it in the first place.

Are online backups easy to use?

Yes! Online data backup services generally only require that you upload the files that you want saved. Then, the files are saved for you, and that’s it! As you can imagine, online data backup services are becoming more and more widespread. You should also be able to access your online data backup from anywhere in the world. While I do not recommend using this as your only form of data backup I highly recommend using an online data back solution as part of a holistic approach to data security.

How fast are they?

This is going to depend by and large on the type of internet connnection that you have. If you are still going online with a dialup connection, then you should not look into this type of data backup. It will just take far too long to get your backup done, and during that time, you could easily have just put all the files onto DVDs and give them to a friend for safekeeping. If you have a high speed internet connection – either cable or DSL, then you’re in luck and this will not be a problem at all. Just log in, get an account, and upload to your heart’s content.

How much space will you have?

This is going to depend on the backup service that you choose in the end. However, most of the spaces available range between about 100MB and several GB of space with most of them offering at least 1GB of storage space to get started with.

Online data backups are going to become an absolute necessity for the smart computer owner. I wouldn’t live without one and use mine every single day at the very least.

Are you looking for a reliable online data backup service? Learn more about how to backup your computer - both online and offline today at http://www.backupadvice.com

Your computer likely cost you hundreds – maybe even thousands of dollars. That’s one thing that you’re sure to worry about if anything happens to the computer itself. However, there’s another cost that is far higher than a few hundred dollars – the data that is on the computer.

Depending on the type of work that you do on your computer, whether you have a home office, or just a personal computer, the data can be priceless. From digital pictures of cherished family events to years of financial records, you could lose everything with just one hard drive failure. Sure, it’ll be relatively inexpensive to replace the hard drive, but how will you replace the data that you’ve lost?

In fact, backing up the data on your computer is something that you should start immediately. After all, a power surge or failure could happen at any time, and this is a good way to be prepared. When you consider that 22 billion dollars will be lost due to data failure each year, having a good, solid backup seems like a good idea. Businesses that suffer severe data loss usually go out of business within the next year – up to 70% of them!

Besides immediately, when should you back up your data? The answer is “as often as is necessary.” If you add or update a lot of data every day, then you should probably be making a small backup of that information at the end of the day, and then doing a major backup at the end of the week.

If you have a small personal computer and you do not do very much each day, then your backup schedule does not have to be as strenuous. In that case, you may only need to back up the entire computer once a month, though you should always make sure that you have an extra copy of any new files when you add them to your computer.

What types of backup materials are best for you? This depends on how large your system is, and what you intend on backing up. CD-Rs can be good for short-term, or for backing up smaller files. These are very inexpensive discs, and you can fit 700MB of data on each one. However, if you are going to be backing up larger files, then you should look into another method. DVD+R and DVD-R discs are good for backing up files up to 4.7 GB. You can also use DVDs for backups that are up to about 8GB if they are dual-layer and you have a dual-layer DVD writer.

Another popular option includes external hard drives. The benefit of these is that they are relatively quick to write to, and can be up to 500GB in size and are highly portable and efficient as a means of data storage.

Finally, you can also back up your data online if you have a high speed internet connection and can afford to purchase an online data backup service.

Depending on the type of backup you’re going to make, you may need backup software. This software is designed to back up everything that you need backed up and is the ideal way to make a full system backup. Just make sure that you are close enough to switch out discs if you are saving your data to CDs or DVDs!

Do not wait until it is too late! It is very easy to save your data. Making CD or DVD backups of your most important data can be done for a few dollars and in a few minutes. This is definitely a good time investment!

Your computer is valuable to you but your computer data is even more so. Learn how to backup your computer and how to backup your hard drive today @ http://www.backupadvice.com

The most important component of your business may be your employees, but they’re only as valuable as their data. This sounds cliché, but think about it: Imagine losing all your company’s data in a freak accident, or a virus attack. Imagine the hundreds or thousands of man hours lost. And then, even more hours will be wasted trying to recover or replicate records, presentations, internal documents, etc. Sounds scary? It is!

We rely a little too much on computers, or more precisely on storage components. And components will fail, sometime or the other. Backup is the name of the game and you’re playing against loaded dice, if you aren’t already protected against a data disaster.

The SoHo segment is especially vulnerable to Internet threats and disk failures. Backups just aren’t considered a necessity. Backup solutions need not burn a hole in your pocket. Presenting a guide that gives you the right options here. Contrary to popular belief, getting a backup solution is not expensive and doesn’t require dedicated trained professionals.

Hard disk drives - Most SoHo setups have a LAN, so the simplest and cheapest solution is to have hard drive backups. A large capacity hard drive can be plugged into one computer—preferably the highest configuration PC in the office—to run as a server. We’re looking at five to 10 people using this disk as a backup device, so it would be better if the LAN is switch-based and not hub-based. Over a switch-based LAN, which runs at 100 Mbps, backing up data as large as 100 MB wouldn’t take more than 15 seconds?

A Serial-ATA (SATA) hard drive is preferred. SATA is a standard feature on other boards today and offers peak transfer speeds of about 150 MBps. You also get 250 GB drives with an unbeatable price-per-MB ratio. All that needs to be done is to plug in the drive to a decent system, create separate folders for each user and install backup software on each client machine.

The backup software installed should be scheduled to backup data at particular time interval. Ideally, this should be at least thrice during working hours. This will ensure minimal data loss, if any occurs. Since this is a simple setup, with no policy defined, users will have to follow some guidelines—backing up only important office related files, not music and movies. Also, users shouldn’t save files directly from the Internet, as these could be infected.

External hard drive - External hard drives are another option that can prove useful for SoHos, especially in offices where machines aren’t connected over a LAN. External hard drives are available as both USB and FireWire drives, of which the USB interface is more popular. The USB 2.0 interface is hot right now, because of the faster data transfer speeds—480 Kbps.

The advantage of external drives is that they can be carried to individual machines and hot plugged. Another advantage is that USB-based drives don’t need drivers with Windows XP. Even with older OSes such as Windows 98, the drivers need to be installed only once, on each machine.

External hard drives are more expensive than internal drives, but are available in large capacities and come bundled with backup and restore software—which if bought separately costs much more. Some external drives also have a hotkey for instant backup.

Optical storage CDs and DVDs are the most common choice for backups. CDs are probably the cheapest solution. DVDs store a lot more, but the media and writer are still expensive. They are only viable for designers and video professionals who have large amounts of data for frequent backups.

Though re-writable media are available, CD-Rs are still preferred and this means a new CD for each backup. Also, CDs are subject to corruption via scratches and exposure to the elements. Your precious data can soon become nothing more than a coffee mug coaster. The price-per-MB for CDs is the lowest. This media is recommended for situations where backups are not accessed frequently—in fact only where backups are accessed rarely.

Miscellaneous storage - Iomega recently launched Rev Drive—a hard drive intelligently divided into two parts. This drive stores 35 GB in uncompressed form and 90 GB in compressed form. It’s a good solution to backing up a hard drive on its last legs. Rev is available in the ATAPI and USB 2.0 interface and is quite simple to use.

The problem with such proprietary drives is that users are stuck with one format, as was the case earlier with ZIP and JAZ drives. You can’t access your backup on anything but a Rev drive, which is an Iomega standard.

USB sticks are another option that can be used for temporary storage of data. They are portable and convenient, but the problem is they are a bit expensive. The price-per-MB ratio is pathetically high, thus making it only good for transference of data and not backing up.

The last word - Your data will never be totally safe, but you can use one, or a combination of two or more of the above-mentioned options to minimise the risk of data loss. In business, the lower the risk factors, the better you will sleep at night. Look towards securing your company records and as a result your business, by using an intelligent hybrid of hard drive and optical backup solutions.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Data Recovery

Back up is a bread and butter question, put simply if you don’t back up you could end up out of business. Yet many people choose to ignore it, despite understanding the risk of losing everything, because it’s easy to do so.

Even a good backup policy is no good if it is forgotten or not properly carried out.

Yet no-one forgets to lock the office door or close the windows. When you’re working with any kind of technology things do go wrong, break down and important data can get lost, which is why online backup offers a realistic alternative.

When looking at online backup most businesses would see extra costs. That’s undeniable but there is a much higher cost to data loss. What’s more, they argue, traditional backup options are just as good and at a more manageable cost. Agreed but there are associated risks; tapes can wear out, CDs/DVDs may not store the data properly or get corrupted. Most importantly someone has to remember to do them and verify that they have worked.

This is the attraction of online backup; things don’t get lost or forgotten.

What is it?

Online backup is a facility where you can store your most important data files on a secure server, offsite. Many vendors will also provide mirror copies so that there is always a backup to the backup.

The main idea of online backup is that is used it to store important data so that if there is a disaster that data can be easily recovered.

Online backup is charged at a monthly rate – based on how much you store. Data storage space, depending on the vendor, is either compressed or uncompressed. Because spreadsheets and other documents can compress substantially this allows you to store more data online for the cost of that space.

How does it work?

With online backup it’s usually done with the use of vendor-supplied software. Online backup software and providers build extra safeguards into their systems. Once an online backup account is set up the account is encrypted using a key created by the user. This is fundamental to the system. Lose or forget this key and no-one can recover the files. After that it’s just a matter of choosing what files to store and determining a schedule that suits you best.

Why use it?

Online backup does not fail and is not subject to human frailties. Every piece of data sent for storage is verified before it is stored. This means comparing what has been received with what has been sent. It also means that there is no corrupt data in the backup. Backup vendors typically make two copies of the data as it is being backed up, with the same checks, so that there is a backup of the backup.

What about security?

Data storage centres have a lot of anonymous data. That anonymous data is encrypted. They have no idea who you are personally. They can identify that a particular account exists on a particular server but apart from that no-one can access the data except the user. This is why the key is so important. The key that only you know allows you to backup and recover the data. All vendors are also subject to Data Protection laws. Data that is not backed up on your server is more at risk.

Online backup works well and is used by many businesses. It can provide a cost-effective secure backup solution.

Be safe back up!

This article is based on a blog entry by Ken O’Brien on the Spear IT website (http://www.spearitlouth.ie). Ken O’Brien is the owner of Spear IT, a computer services company based in Drogheda, Ireland, which offers a range of managed services including online backup, with compressed data storage.

My friend Bob called me the other day. He was frantic… “Albert” he cried, “My computer just crashed. I think it was my hard drive, but I am not sure. It won’t turn on or boot up. It just keeps making this weird sound. I think I lost everything. All my pictures, and my taxes, totally completed and ready to file. Also, all of my email addresses and email that I had saved. The worst thing is I don’t know if I will ever be able to get my computer running again.”

“No problem,” I replied. “Just use your back-up drive to restore your data.”"Back-up drive?” he asked, “What’s that?”

“Bob, Bob, Bob,” I lectured. “You wouldn’t think about driving your car without insurance. If you own a house or apartment, you absolutely need insurance. You probably have some type of life insurance. Why is your computer any different? If you have a computer: you need insurance. Data Insurance. You need to have a back-up drive to save all of your important data!”

Do you have insurance for the important information on your computer? On my computer I have all of my websites, personal emails and essential documents. I also have software and e-books I purchased. I even have the beginning of the Great American Novel.

I purchased a back up drive for my computer. You need one, too! What do you have on your own computer? Think about the important files, pictures, programs and other priceless information…Some of the stuff you have may be irreplaceable. Sure you can use a jump drive to save and move data. The biggest jump drives will not back up your entire system, however. You invested hundreds of dollars in your computer. For Bob, the data he lost was priceless.

Don’t be like my friend, Bob. You need to invest in a total back up system. You need a back-up drive. Here’s what I did: I was able to find a Back Up Drive on-sale for a little over $100 The back up drive is 300 GB. That’s way more than I need. Since I installed it, I have much more peace of mind. The great thing is, once I installed the software, it continuously makes new back-ups of all my recent data. You should be able to find a back-up drive at a reasonable price as well. Check out big box computer stores as well as Office Supply stores.

Remember, it’s not if your computer will crash, it’s when. So take out some Data Insurance by purchasing a back drive for your computer. Remember to back up all of your data. Here’s why: You will be prepared if your hard drive crashes. You will have another copy of all of your important files and programs. You will have total peace of mind. Most back up drives come with software, which will back up you data automatically. So you will be able to “Set it and forget it”. Be well. Stay well. And don’t forget to back up all of your data!

Get free copy of Albert Grande’s e-book about “Big Ideas” at this link: http://grandepublishing.com/sq.htm
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As the field of Computer Forensics and E-Discovery becomes more mainstream in litigation, companies may now find that they need to take a closer look their disaster recovery plan for both data loss and litigation.

With the new rules in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure with regards to E-Discovery, back-up tapes are not only important to the IT Department should a server fail, but are now critical when a company finds itself in the midsts of litigation. Some examples of different types of information which could be required through litigation include:

• NIDA (Non Invasive Data Acquisition)
• Accounting Information
• Corporate E-mail
• Intellectual Property Disputes
• Insurance Fraud Cases
• Corporate Investigations
• Corporate Counsel Support
• Electronic Records Management

In a recent case, AAB Joint Venture v. United States, 2007 WL 646157 (Fed. Cl. Feb. 28, 2007), the court heard an argument regarding the a period of time (data) for which that data was not available. The defendant claimed that it had provided all e-mails related to the case. However, the court was not persuaded by defendant’s arguments, and agreed that defendant’s overall production of emails had been far from adequate. The court also said that, while cost was an issue for the court to consider in addressing a motion to compel, it was not the only consideration. The court continued with the following statement:

Here, because the Court finds that defendant had a duty to preserve evidence, as set forth below, the Court cannot relieve Defendant of its duty to produce those documents merely because Defendant has chosen a means to preserve the evidence which makes ultimate production of relevant documents expensive. Accordingly, the Court concludes that Defendant has not adequately responded to Plaintiff’s requests for production of electronic documents and that supplementation of its response to Plaintiff’s requests is necessary.

IT departments should verify backups are able to be restored and the data is intact. Not many IT departments routinely check the back-up server’s error logs to discover potential problems. Only when a disaster occurs do they realized that the scheduled backups have not been collecting all of the data.

From an IT point of view, this is one of the worst case scenarios they deal with on a daily basis. From a legal point of view, those backup tapes…or lack thereof…are just as damaging. Those tapes represent a snapshot in time for that company which can either help or hurt their litigation.

Jason Perry

ADR Data Recovery is available to evaluate the damage and potentially recover your lost data. For more information on ADR Data Recovery’s Computer Forensics service, visit http://www.computerforensicsassociates.com

IT departments and corporate counsel are not very well prepared for the new Federal Rules of Civil Procedure which were approved on December 1, 2006. A recent study by Deloitte Financial Advisory Services in November 2006 found that nearly 70% of the respondents said they would require additional training on their own corporate record retention procedures. These changes impact several businesses from a variety of industries below:

• Accounting Firms
• Energy Companies
• Financial Institutions
• Hi-Tech Corporations
• Insurance Companies

One way to reduce a company’s risk is to implement an IT audit system. Employees tend to install additional programs to their computers often without the IT department’s knowledge or approval. Instant messenger (IM) programs for example are readily available and most employees use these types of quick applications to chat with other employees as well as individuals outside of work. IMs are considered ‘faster’ than e-mail, but nonetheless is data being sent to and from somebody.

Instant messages are where companies can get in trouble with litigation. While most e-mail servers have logs and backups, an employee desktop computer may have those features disabled. It is entirely possible for an employee (or employees) to have an IM conversation completely bypassing the company’s e-mail server where discussions are expected to occur. Voice mails and Flash drives are also quick methods to share information. Faxes and eFaxes can be sent to voice mail and e-mail inboxes, while flash drives are a quick way to share files between computers not connected via a network.

Companies should evaluate their IT infrastructure and their data retention policy and discuss their options on restoring data for either disaster recovery or for litigation.

Jason Perry

ADR Data Recovery is available to evaluate the damage and potentially recover your lost data. For more information on ADR Data Recovery’s Computer Forensics service, visit http://www.computerforensicsassociates.com

We’ve moved from an age where our most important documents are no longer stored on the hand written or even the computer printed page. Now they are stored digitally on our computer’s memory or hard drive. This ends a paper trail but brings a new problem to the fore. Losing our data files!

Things can happen. Computers can crash, hard drives fry, the power goes out for a moment, we accidentally hit the “close” button on our word processor, the delete button and the list goes on. Knowing how to handle these situations can save us a big headache.

The first solution is prevention. Do you make backups of your important files? This can be done with a zip drive, CD, DVD or networked computer station. Taking just a few moments to backup those key files can be the easiest protection for data recovery. Make sure you keep those backed up files in a safe place.

If you are concerned about power outages you can always invest in a small UPS battery backup. Just plug your computer into it. It will save you from those flickers in the power grid that cause you to lose your work.

Solutions for data recovery can also come in the form of software. Some of Microsoft’s office applications have built-in data recovery tools. These are easy to use and automated. By simply restarting the application you were using it will sense that the computer has data files that were not saved properly. Those tools have saved me in quick pinches.

I definitely recommend that a good data recovery software be present on every computer. Here is an easy and simple tool for your computer: http://www.InstantDataRecovery.info/

Data backup is something that you just can’t take for granted anymore. The risks from viruses, spyware and computer hardware problems are so many and so varied that not keeping at least one copy of your computer data backed up is just asking for the worst kind of trouble. Being protective of your data and having a data backup policy or procedure is no longer just in the domain of system administrators in big companies. Nope. Home users should now also have their own data protection policy. You no longer have a choice.

Most people tend to look at storing their data on DVDs or external hard drives. This in itself is a positive step in terms of data backup - you’re protecting your data from harm. There’s one single and massive flaw in backing up your data in this way. It’s still stored where you live or work and is at risk from fire, flood, theft, electrical storms or just plain old hardware failure. Any of these can wipe out all those carefully created backup sets in a few moments.

Is there a solution? Of course there is - using a remote or online backup service to keep a second copy of your absolutely mission critical data. This ensures that no matter what type of crisis might ruin the data you have stored locally the remote copy will always be safe and available to restore within a few moments if you need to.

So where can you find a reliable online backup service? This is where most people run into problems. There are lots of “pretenders” out there - companies who claim to offer great service and features and always fall short on pretty much every count. That’s not to say that every remote backup system is flawed or not worth investing in. There is at least one solid and reliable service out there for you to use.

If you really do value your data then you’ll need to keep multiple copies of it and ideally keep one copy stored online so that you can restore it whenever or wherever you need to. It’s the only way to fly!

Storing your data only in your home or office is just asking for trouble. If you really want to avoid disaster then you’ll need to use an online backup service sooner rather than later. This article was written and provided by Niall Roche of BackupAdvice dot com where you can learn lots more about computer backups.