Disaster Preparedness -
                  Online Computer Backup 

“Every threat, from windstorms, from floods and wildfires, to power outages, computer system failures, or theft, reminds us to be proactive when it comes to building strategies to survive a disaster and recover quickly,”  said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills.  “The catastrophic events of the last few years demonstrate the need for preparedness at
the individual level, to diminish the risk to life and property.” 

Getting back to business after a disaster depends on preparedness planning done today. Small business owners invest a tremendous amount of time, money, and resources to make their ventures successful, and yet, while the importance of emergency planning may seem self-evident, it may get put on the back burner in the face of more immediate concerns. For small business owners, being prepared can mean staying in business following a disaster. An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety.

It is absolutely critical that computer users understand that disasters happen.  Almost as important as admitting it can happen to you, is recognizing the cost of data loss. Most people don't realize how much they have invested into the data on their hard drive. Forget about the obvious things like financial data (Receivables, Payables, and Tax Information), which we know would be disastrous to lose. Instead think about the man-hours re-installing the base software on your computer, reconfiguring your environment to suit your preferences again.  Also think about losing your e-mail addresses, and Internet bookmarks. Without a full data backup, getting up and going again could easily cost you many, many days of productivity. How much is your time worth to you? 

And all of that depends on IF you can salvage and restore the data.

You react to this by saying, “I’m safe.  I backup to a portable storage device such as a CD, DVD, flash drive, or an external hard drive.”

My question is, where are you storing those devices?  If the backup is in the same location as your hard drive you still run the risk of losing your valuable files due to fire, theft, or other unforeseen circumstances. Also, viruses and malicious software programs can easily wipe out all information stored in your flash drives or DVDs.

I recommend that you try an online data backup service. It's the best and safest way to prevent computer data loss whether for personal or business use. A backup computer data service automatically and regularly stores all critical files in a remote server.

An online data backup service offers a lot of advantages over storage devices. First, it enables you to access your documents from any computer at any time from anywhere. That is possible because the online backup service uses Internet connection to save your files.

Backing up your files is also easier with online backup services. Imagine spending hours saving large files on your flash drive, burning files on CDs, and labeling them. Storing files using an online backup service is definitely a hassle-free experience. All it takes is installing a program in your computer. The service will then start backing up your data on its remote server and will back up your changes as you make them.  An online backup service can help you keep your files safe and secure because it offers password protection and encryption.

What's more, online data backup services are affordable - under $60 a year. The best ones can provide unlimited data storage space. Investing in a good online backup service is a wise move in making sure that critical business files are kept safe and secure at all times. And when you need to retrieve the files, you can do so in a matter of minutes. Just make sure that you have a fast Internet connection before you subscribe to an online backup service.