Backup, backup, backup!

You know you need to have reliable backups of your important data, yet so many of us neglect to do this. Business owners aren't the only ones - we know many people in the I.T. field (true experts/geeks) who also fail to maintain adequate backups.

How do we justify our lack of proper backups? Here are some of the reasons:
· The high reliability of today's data storage technologies has lulled many of us into a state of blissful ignorance of the danger to which we are exposing ourselves. We don’t expect our hard drives to crash.
· Backup solutions are often expensive. If going with third-party backup software and a high-capacity tape drive with two weeks’ worth of backup tapes, the initial cost of your backup solution can be greater than the cost of your server itself.
· Backups require vigilance. Somebody needs to monitor these daily. Most small businesses run very tight ships and it’s difficult to devote resources to the monitoring of something you hope you’ll never need.
· So called “simple” backup solutions, such as burning copies of work to CD, are tedious, multi-stepped procedures which are easy to push off to accomplish another task, such as organizing your desk, watering the plants, or playing Second Life.
· Some people have never had the experience of losing their data. The tears, the gnashing of teeth, the hours/days/weeks/months spent recreating data and contacts, the lost opportunities to grow your business, all can be yours through the death of your storage media!

Now, for the really scary statistics:
“A Company that experiences a computer outage lasting more than 10 days will never fully recover financially. 50 percent will be out of business within five years.”
An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster
70 percent of small firms that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year.
Of companies experiencing catastrophic data loss:
• 43% of companies never reopened
• 51% of companies closed within 2 years
• 80% of companies that do not recover from a disaster within one month are likely to go out of
business.
• 75% of companies without business continuity plans fail within three years of a disaster
• Companies that aren’t able to resume operations within ten days (of a disaster hit) are not likely to
survive.
• Of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no emergency plan, 43 percent never
reopen; of those that do reopen, only 29 percent are still operating two years later.

(The preceding section was quoted from http://www.score.org/pdf/HP_Download_ImpactofDisaster.pdf - we recommend reading the entire document.)

It is clearly important to have adequate backups. At Delios Computer Solutions, we develop backup solutions tailored to your business’s needs. Sometimes we recommend running with the old stand-by of tapes, sometimes we’d want to run with a REV Drive, and we are increasingly recommending online backups. The solutions we recommend depend on the needs of your business.

We’ve been offering online backups for several years now. Unfortunately, this option has often been cost-prohibitive for all but our largest clients. Well, times have changed and online backups are now available to businesses of all sizes, with all budgets, and all security needs. Anyone on a broadband or high-speed connection can now take advantage of using online backups.

We offer online backup solutions starting at $44.98 per year, and have many options to meet any backup needs. From the simple backups of static documents, to SQL and Exchange backups, and even those needing to maintain SAS70 compliance, Delios has a solution to fit your business. Give us a call at (616) 301-1791, or E-mail adam.vandreumel@delios.com to discuss how we can solve your backup concerns!

First Blog!

We intend to use this blog as a spot to discuss the technology needs of the small to medium sized business. Our organization has been performing computer repair and service in the greater Grand Rapids, MI area since 1994 - as Delios Computer Solutions since 1996. While we are certainly available for the "break/fix" needs of our clients, we prefer to specialize in the design, integration and support of computer networks. (We'd rather help you move forward, than get you back to where you were yesterday!) Keep an eye on this space for posts concerning small to medium sized business technologies. Until then, here's a listing of some of the services we offer:

We provide design, integration and support for the technology needs of small-medium sized businesses in Grand Rapids and throughout West Michigan.
Certified Microsoft Partner
Certifications include MCSE, MCSBS, A+ and Network+
We provide computer repair, service, installation and support in the following areas and more:
Microsoft Windows, Novell, and Macintosh Operating Systems
Wireless and Wired Network Planning and Installation
Strategy Development and Troubleshooting
Server Installation, Configuration and Management
Messaging Solutions
Patch Management
Hardware and Software Selection Consulting
Power Failure, Surge Protection and Disaster Recovery Planning
Virus and Spyware Removal and Prevention
Spam Prevention
IP Telephony

Delios Computer Solutions, delivering beyond expectations!
http://www.delios.com