DAVID CALECHMAN, CPA, BIAS Product Specialist
David's "High Points"
Backup, Backup, Backup.....
The title says it all. It's our mantra and one of the best ways for computer users to stay sane in the workplace, or at home for that matter. It's really an essential daily task that will give you some real peace of mind. Why does it matter? If it's already happened to you, you know why - because data gets corrupted, hard drives fail and fires happen. And then, there is that sense of panic when you realize what might be lost. Unfortunately, we don't worry about these possibilities until it's too late. Backups are cheap insurance - for our sanity.
HOW TO BACKUP
There are three different approaches to data backups that address the three main types of problems - database corruption, hardware errors and disasters.
A Local Data Backup
This is typically the easiest to do and is created on your local hard drive or network drive. Most databases, and many other applications, have a method to backup their data. This protects against database corruption only, but, usually offers the quickest backup and restores time.
A Backup to Media Stored in the Office
This includes backups to tapes, removable hard-drives, flash-drives etc... that may be stored in a safe. This protects against data corruption and against hardware failure. Its main disadvantage over the local backup is that it may take a bit longer to restore your data, especially if the backup uses some proprietary software. In general, I am not a big proponent of backups to tape. All too often the tapes themselves are not reliable and folks don't realize it until you need to restore it. Removable hard-drives are often a better option given their reasonable cost, reliability and ease of use.
Off-Site Backups
We cannot stress too much the importance of an off-site backup. This type of backup protects against theft and natural disaster with a fire being the most likely. Theft and fires are stressful enough; having to worry about losing your data is truly depressing.
Not too long ago an off-site backup meant taking tapes, CDs or hard-drives off-site on a regular basis. There are now some new online backup options which are quite appealing, especially because they can be scheduled to run automatically with very little user involvement. And restores are a snap. They offer the advantage of an off-site backup with close to the speed of a local backup. Most of the players in this market are new companies, so it's difficult to gauge who will be the long-term contenders. Moxy.com and Carbonite.com are two of the better known solutions and their prices are quite reasonable.
WHAT TO BACKUP
There are really four different types of data to consider in the workplace:
• Saving documents as you go.
• Backing up essential databases.
• Archiving Word documents and spreadsheets
• Comprehensive backups of system files so that if a computer fails in a big way it can be restored relatively quickly.
Saving Documents As You Go
I'm typing a new word document and suddenly my computer freezes up. I have to reboot and my document is lost. Yikes. I'm upset now.
The easiest way to ensure this doesn't happen to you is to save it as you go. In Microsoft Word and Excel you have the option to auto-save the document at set intervals. It's found under Tools>Options>Save in Office 2003 and under the Icon>Word/Excel Options in Office 2007. I usually set mine to save every 10 minutes. However, you are the best judge of your own computer. Get in the habit of saving documents yourself as you type. Anytime I take a break or get up from my desk I'll save my current document before stepping away.
Backing up Essential Databases
As an accounting software company we are obviously focused on your financial database, although you may have other databases that need attention too. The way you backup the database is application specific. It's hard to generalize. For BIAS users we have a built-in backup utility that compresses the data into a zip file. You can then copy this zip file to a CD or flash drive for vault or off-site storage. The key is - don't let it slide! Backup your accounting data everyday and have a systematic way to get that data off-site.
Archiving Word Documents and Spreadsheets
Saving all your important documents under one parent folder, My Documents, is the most important thing you can do in preparation for backup. If you are setup in a networked environment we recommend that all user files be stored on one place on your server or acting server and that a regular backup protocol is followed. Again the online backup services offer a great way to archive these files on a regular basis.
Backing up System Files
For this task it's most helpful to have an IT department or IT consultant, as this is one of the more complicated types of backups and requires specialized software. There have been some major improvements in this area with the rise of imaging software which can take a snapshot of the computer at a point it time and store it as one file. This process is called Virtualization. VMWare is probably the dominant software vendor for this type of software.
There are other types of comprehensive backup software including EMC Retrospect and Genie-Soft Backup Manager amongst many others. These can backup system and data files to many different types of media, but, require a level of sophistication to manage them.
