Backups can save business
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Tuesday, 26 October, 1999 - 22:00
Data integrity strategies are the cheapest business insurance you can have, says Hewlett-Packard Australia SME program manager Graham Thomas.
A recent PC Today study revealed half of all companies experiencing computer downtime lasting ten days or more would go out of business or be sold within a year.
Mr Thomas said apart from the immediate inability to operate, there was the cost and inconvenience of backtracking through old paperwork to locate the lost information.
“Staff must spend time re-entering lost data, then there’s the need to implement damage control for customers who are affected by such things as the loss of their orders,” he said.
“Worst of all, there’s the potential to lose customers who turn to competitors to supply their immediate needs.”
Industry analysts estimate it costs about $2,500 to re-enter each megabyte of lost data. This means that even a relatively small loss of 100 megabytes could wipe out the annual profit of an otherwise successful, small company.
Mr Thomas said, aside from viruses, theft and problems installing and uninstalling software, the number one cause of data loss was the deletion of files.
He said it was crucial to develop and enforce a data protection strategy.
“Your strategy should include user security, use of firewalls where e-mail is used, and systems that can cope with the business’ day-to-day processing requirements,” Mr Thomas said.
He said a data integrity strategy must address the following:
• Frequency – Given that a file can be deleted at any time, it is logical that frequent backups are preferable
• Automation – Tape management systems should regularly perform backups without requiring manual intervention
• Redundancy – Making a current backup does not justify destroying earlier backups. Errors can occur on backup files, so it is advisable to hold onto previous backups for a period of time
• Physical separation – Store the latest full backup off site. Flood damage is going to affect everything in the room. A power surge is not going to be selective about the parts of the hard disk it destroys.
A recent PC Today study revealed half of all companies experiencing computer downtime lasting ten days or more would go out of business or be sold within a year.
Mr Thomas said apart from the immediate inability to operate, there was the cost and inconvenience of backtracking through old paperwork to locate the lost information.
“Staff must spend time re-entering lost data, then there’s the need to implement damage control for customers who are affected by such things as the loss of their orders,” he said.
“Worst of all, there’s the potential to lose customers who turn to competitors to supply their immediate needs.”
Industry analysts estimate it costs about $2,500 to re-enter each megabyte of lost data. This means that even a relatively small loss of 100 megabytes could wipe out the annual profit of an otherwise successful, small company.
Mr Thomas said, aside from viruses, theft and problems installing and uninstalling software, the number one cause of data loss was the deletion of files.
He said it was crucial to develop and enforce a data protection strategy.
“Your strategy should include user security, use of firewalls where e-mail is used, and systems that can cope with the business’ day-to-day processing requirements,” Mr Thomas said.
He said a data integrity strategy must address the following:
• Frequency – Given that a file can be deleted at any time, it is logical that frequent backups are preferable
• Automation – Tape management systems should regularly perform backups without requiring manual intervention
• Redundancy – Making a current backup does not justify destroying earlier backups. Errors can occur on backup files, so it is advisable to hold onto previous backups for a period of time
• Physical separation – Store the latest full backup off site. Flood damage is going to affect everything in the room. A power surge is not going to be selective about the parts of the hard disk it destroys.