Back it up

The beginning of one year and the ending of another is often a time reflection. It is in reflection that we take the time to learn from the unexpected events of the previous year. In 2003, our nation had more than it’s share of unexpected events. Mass blackouts, floods, and fires were some of the more notable manifestations of last year’s unexpected events. From a computer perspective, a major lesson to be taken from 2003 was the need for a disaster recovery plan.
Disaster recovery plans are not just the concerns of corporate world any longer. With the significant saturation of computers and interlinked technology in our lives, not having a disaster recovery plan is just irresponsible. A disaster recovery plan for the average user more or less amounts to a plan for backing up the information on your computer.
I often have people tell me that they do not use a computer enough to set up a backup plan. As a rule of thumb, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have one. I can tell you from personal experience that very few things are more disheartening than realizing that you have lost a file on your computer. I can almost guarantee you that you will not realize that the file is missing until shortly before you need it. It means that you will have to invest more time to reproduce that information. Whether it is a presentation for work, an accounting record, or a paper for school, it is easier to restore the information than it is to reproduce it.
For the average home user or student, a once a week backup of your system would suffice. For home business or small business owners you would want to perform a backup every workday or at least multiple times a week. If you are running a Windows operating system, then you can find a backup program in the system tools sub-header. This is lowest form of backup that you should perform. The backup can be burned onto a CD, labeled and stored at your home. If you have the equipment, you can also save your backup onto a zip disk, external hard drive, or a tape.
If you fall into the home business or small business category or you find the thought of performing a backup more frightening than losing your data, then there are other options. Off-site backups are becoming the safety net for many that find themselves in this situation. Off-site backups are backups of your system that are performed and stored by companies, for a small fee of course. This option lets you keep your hands clean, but also allows you to keep your data secure. Regardless of whether you choose to backup your computer yourself or hire a company to perform it for you, the important thing is that you established a contingency plan for the unexpected.