Business Disaster Recovery with Data Protection Online

August 7th, 2009

Protect Your Business from an IT Disaster with Data Protection Online!

Today’s savvy business owner knows that the technology he or she uses in that business is absolutely vital. In order for your business to survive and thrive, you need that technology – but what happens if you have an IT disaster? Without a good, solid disaster recovery plan in place, your business could end up damaged beyond repair.

And that’s where Data Protection Online comes in! Whether you’re looking for data protection in the UK or the US, or anywhere else, we understand how important your data is to your business, and that’s why we offer you a comprehensive range of services from our data protection center that are designed to protect your data and help keep your business on track if and when disaster strikes. We also know it needs to be simple and fast, so our range of business disaster recovery solutions ensure that your data is backed up, secure and safe – and easy for you to access to recover and restore it whenever you need it, including our exclusive Replacement PC service. With Replacement PC, in the event of a failure, you will have a dedicated PC that you can access via ANY Internet browser for data disaster recovery so you can get back up and running right away.

Try us now with no risk. If you are not happy for any reason, just email us within the first 30 days and there will be no cost to you. No questions asked. It’s that simple! Don’t wait for disaster to strike – use our disaster recovery solutions today to protect your business!

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Why Contingency Planning for Online Businesses is Important

October 11th, 2009

What is the worst thing that could happen to an online business? Answer: a major server crash.

Just like in offline businesses, contingency planning plays an important role in making sure that online business operate seamlessly despite minor or major hitches. In the case of online businesses, one of the worst glitches to ever occur is a server crash. The reason behind this is because the Internet and online businesses are heavily reliant on data and information, most of which will be contained in a central server. If this suddenly crashes, a business loses valuable files and data, which are essential to running the business. In this case, backup disaster recovery is imminent. But good disaster recovery can only happen if a company is able to plan and anticipate this in advance.

A backup plan, or contingency plan, for backup disaster recovery, is always best when designed in advance for two reasons. The first one is because you can never really know when your server will surrender to overwhelming amounts of data. Of course, regular checking and maintenance plays into this, but there are times when this may be neglected and your server will suffer the consequences for it. The second reason is for your general peace of mind. You will sleep better at night knowing that you are fully backed up and prepared for any server crash. Keeping these two reasons in check makes a fantastic disaster recovery plan.

Keep in mind that if your server crashes, you are likely to feel panicky and overly worried, and your emotions may distract you from being able to do something towards solving the problem. If you already have a good backup disaster recovery in place, then all you have to do is execute it – no need to brainstorm all day and night for a disaster recovery plan, which will eat up important business hours.

The first thing you need to do when coming up with a great way to deal with backup disaster recovery is to get a good emergency data protection system in place to back up important data and files. It will help in this instance if you have organized your files well; in this way, they will be easier to locate and identify.

Second, once you have your disaster recovery plan in place, hold a meeting with all of your web personnel and take them through the process. It helps for your other staff members to know what they need to do should your servers crash without you being there. It avoids the feeling of helplessness amongst your people and they will be able to contribute something positive to the business and rise to the challenge, should it come their way.

While server crashes are part of the risks of taking your business online, there is something you can do about it if you are prepared for it – and involving your staff is always a good idea.

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Disaster Recovery Software for Your Peace of Mind

October 9th, 2009

When a server crash strikes, what are you to do? The most obvious answer is a long and tedious network disaster recovery. This is especially crucial for small and big online businesses that heavily rely on their servers to back up vital information for their businesses. In line with this, businesses will have to avail of really good disaster recovery software beforehand – even when you are not anticipating a server crash.

The important thing to remember about disaster recovery software is that a business has to avail of this even if their servers are up and running (nicely). There is always good in advanced preparations and contingency planning as you never really know when your server will crash. This is anticipated network disaster recovery at its finest. A business should really never leave it too late before buying disaster recovery software, as only doing so after their server crashes will cost them time and money that are both valuable to keeping the business running despite the major road bump.

Network disaster recovery does not have to be overly stressful and haranguing if you have the right disaster recovery software. And part of making sure that you have the best software with you for your business is buying it in advance and making sure that it is ready to operate the instant your server crashes. There is nothing negative about this train of thought – just a good precaution that every well-meaning businessman should take, for his or her added peace of mind.

To ensure that network disaster recovery is seamless and convenient, back up your data in advance. Make sure that you know where your files are so that they are easy to find, especially those that are older and not as often used. Don’t just keep dumping them in whichever folder is currently available – organize your folders by year or account so that you can easily access an important document when you need it. Also, this will come in handy when you do your regular backup. You won’t have to click on all your folders just trying to find the right files to back up. All you have to do is locate the central folder where they are all contained.

At the end of the day, it is always important that you are prepared for any business emergency – in this case, a server crash. You will not regret any advanced preparations you make, however tedious, as this will save you a lot of time and money in the process. Making sure that all is in place everyday and that you have emergency systems ready to recover important files in case a server crash occurs will do wonders for your general security and peace of mind.

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Top Business Disaster Recovery Software Tools

October 7th, 2009

In today’s world, information technology is the heart and centre of almost every business organization. Whether it be big or small, companies and businesses have computer data which they value and which become the foundations of a stellar business. However, sometimes, unfortunate and unforeseen events take place which put the data at risk. There is the risk of corruption and losing a portion, if not all, of their precious data. This is where disaster recovery software comes in, and it is this genius that allows our business to continue being able to operate even after certain calamities and situation.

Undoubtedly, disaster recovery is quite a hefty task and ordeal, which is why there is so much competition around for a good program to answer these needs. There is the need to plan for such things as resumption of applications and processes, hardware, and communications infrastructures. It is estimated that system downtime can cause losses of $5,000 per hour to as much as $15,000 per minute. No wonder disaster recovery software is a hard battle.

So what are some of the most popular and reliable back up systems for disaster recovery? Let’s take a look:

  1. Acronis True Image Echo Server for Windows. If you are looking for a reliable tool for your Linux or Windows server, the True Image Echo Server can serves both. It provides you with system restoration for both existing and new systems and different hardware and virtual servers to go along with it.
  2. UltraBac’s Image Based Disaster Recovery. This system works b taking scheduled snapshots of a disk partition, or more, at a certain time. These are replica images and are great for restoring files which are open and in use. The brand has two versions of their disaster recovery software: UBDR Pro for small and medium sized enterprises and UBDR Gold for a larger scale environment.
  3. Living Disaster Recovery Planning System. This recovery software has been designed to offer you disaster recovery planning as well. it features a service called Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that can host applications in their data systems from Strohl Systems. You will find customizable best-practices-based plan navigators, customizable reports, dependency maps, and location resource management – all essential to help a business get back on track.
  4. BIA Professional. If you feel the need for creating Business Impact Analysis (BIA), then this disaster recovery software from Strohl Systems is perfect. It provides the guidelines for successful BIA, solves financial and operational vulnerabilities, and disaster related impacts, with possible recovery strategies.
  5. TAMP DRS. This disaster recovery system created business contingency plans and distributes them. it also contains disaster recovery plans. You are able to roll up and include developmental plans, flowcharts, inventory lists, spreadsheets, and graphics all into one plan for faster access and better functionality during a disaster.

There are many different recovery software out there, all ready to answer a business’ or a company’s certain needs, and they all seem great. Make sure you choose a program that is fit and designed for you and your organizations specific needs.

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The Value of Backing Up Your Business

October 5th, 2009

These days, the role and influence of technology in the way we do business is unavoidable. We are now totally, if not, mostly, dependent on computers and all other forms of technology in running our businesses: operations and processes, creating reports, managing finances, and of course, storing data. We value the fact that we can easily access our data in soft files that are tucked away in computers and their hard drives. However, businesses sometimes face disasters or unexpected events and more often than not, it is discovered that they have not taken the necessary precautions of backing up all the valuable information hey posses. Enter business continuity disaster recovery.

Business continuity disaster recovery refers to a company’s or businesses’ ability to continue operations even after having suffered calamity or disaster. There are many causes and types of disasters. They can come in natural forms such as earthquakes, fires, and floods. They can also be manipulated by humans such as robbery or intelligence theft, intentional sabotage, mass employee walk-out, viruses, or hackers. Backup disaster recovery is important for any business that values it’s intelligence, and especially for those businesses with ever changing information.

While most businesses might think that they may never need to prepare a plan for business continuity disaster recovery, there are definitely a lot of invaluable benefits of this type of preparation. It’s never too much to be planning for the safety and welfare of your organization and business and backup disaster recovery assures you that you can pick up where you left off in the case of any unfortunate event. One of the biggest advantages of backup disaster recovery is that it reduces the need to make crucial decisions at the moment of panic. Knowing that all your information and data are stored and safe helps businesses and managers better in making a game plan against calamity. It provides you with much needed back up information, and originals, if included.

Another great benefit of business continuity disaster recovery is that it can allow you to access your data from anywhere. If a business stores its data and information in a separate computer, it can access the data from a new unit. Backup disaster recovery allows for increased visibility of a business’ data and gives them to opportunity to resume operations faster. This is more beneficial, of course.

All in all, being ready with business continuity disaster recovery makes it easier for businesses to get back on their feet after any disaster. With the proper backup disaster recovery program, there’s no need for any organization to fall under.

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IT Disaster Recovery – Server Crashes: The One Downside of an Online Business

October 3rd, 2009

In today’s highly-technological world, the distinction between an offline and online business is blurring as many people are using both platforms to further their businesses. With Web 2.0 becoming such a popular PR and marketing tool on the Internet, many businesses are taking their products and services online so that they can gain a better foothold on their markets, and also attract new ones in the process.

However, with every opportunity comes a risk, and this is true with the Internet and online businesses. The main treasure of an online business is its data, because the Internet relies on information and programs rather than paper files and documents. Once you lose this information, it can be very bad for business. You know what we are talking about – the dreaded server crashes.

Yes, when a business server crashes, it can be VERY hard to recover. While an IT disaster recovery is imminent, it can be very tricky to do sometimes. A server disaster recovery, if it is done properly, can help you recover most, if not all of your most important files. However, if the program is not extensive and lacks the features that a business needs in order to recover data, IT disaster recovery can turn out to be a disaster as well.

Therefore, when choosing a company to do your server disaster recovery for you, choose wisely. A great IT disaster recovery company is one that has all the features and services that will go the extra mile to recover data for you. After all, what good is a server disaster recovery if it doesn’t give you back the files that you really need?

A really good IT disaster recovery company is one that has really studied the effects of a server crash on the business, therefore patterning its recovery strategy after their findings. A server disaster recovery is different from just recovering personal files lost because unlike your personal files, your business data affects your sales and your access to references. If all these are stored in your server, which then crashes, you are bound to have a rough road ahead trying to figure out how to run the business without important information at hand.

However, there is no need to worry because today’s technology allows you to recover whatever information you lose. The best thing to do is not to panic. Understandably, the situation is quite a distressing one, but panicking and over-worrying will get you nowhere. Accept the situation and move on to something concrete that you can actually do to alleviate the problem. Data recovery may be a long and tedious process, but it can be done – provided that you choose a company that really understands and cares about your business.

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Data Protection in the UK: The Basics

August 28th, 2009

Data protection is a big concern for everyone that uses a computer these days. We all hear horror stories about identity theft, hackers, and more that can not only make a good attempt at ruining your personal life but can also harm your business. For that reason, it’s important to make sure that your data is protected, no matter what you use your computer for, and this article will focus on everything you need to know about data protection in the UK.

If you use your computer only for personal use, then you likely worry about your passwords, credit card numbers and more. To keep your information as safe as possible, you should invest in a good firewall and be sensible about what sites you visit and what programs you download. Never give out your passwords to people you don’t know, don’t shop on websites that are unsecured or have an invalid security certificate, and when in doubt, keep moving and find something else!

On the other hand, if you are a business owner, then data protection becomes absolutely vital, particularly if your business deals in proprietary and sensitive information that other people should not get their hands on. If this is the case, then you should invest in some excellent data protection services to protect yourself, your data and your business. There are many available online that serve the UK as well as the rest of the world, and most of the companies that offer these services offer different packages so that you can choose the one that fits your business’s particular needs.

Most basic data protection packages will provide you with a remote backup service. Copies of all of your important files will be stored on a server other than your own, on site at the service’s location rather than your own. This is the ideal situation, because while you can back your data up yourself and keep it on an external hard drive and store it at your office, if something happens to the building itself, then the original source and your backup could be compromised. A remote backup service gets rid of that risk.

When choosing a data protection plan, you must make sure that the package you select offers some heavy duty encryption. On the off chance that someone does get a hold of your data, they will be unlikely to be able to make any sense out of it or use it in any way if the encryption is in place.

Other data protection services include erasure services that make sure that the old hard drives or disks that you do not use or plan to use any more are wiped clean of any sensitive information, and snapshot services that ensure your backup data is updated on a frequent and regular basis, ensuring that no outdated information is kept too long and you will always have the latest versions of your information, even if you have to recover and restore from your backup files.

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Data Protection Centers – Protecting Yourself

August 26th, 2009

Data protection is a big concern for everyone that uses a computer these days. We have all heard the stories about computer crashes, identity theft, hackers, and more that can not only make a good attempt at ruining your personal life but can also really do major harm to your business. Because of this, it’s vital to make sure that your data is protected, no matter what you use your computer for.

If you use your computer for personal use only, then you likely worry about your passwords, credit card numbers are more. To keep your information as safe as possible, invest in a good firewall and be sensible about where you surf online. Don’t give out your passwords to people you don’t know, don’t shop on websites that are unsecured or have an invalid security certificate, and when in doubt, keep moving!

If you are on the other side of the coin, though, and are a business owner, then data protection not only becomes even more important…it becomes absolutely crucial, especially if you run a business that deals in sensitive information. If this is the case, then you should invest in some excellent data protection services. There are many available and they are run by data protection centers that offer different packages and pricing levels so you can choose the one that is most appropriate for you and your business.

Most of the basic packages that the data protection centers will offer you include a remote backup service. This means that copies made of all of your important files will be kept on a server at the data protection center – in other words, off site. Even though you can back up data on an external hard drive, your data is still at risk if it’s kept in the same location as the original source. If something should happen to the building, like a fire or a flood, then both the original source and your backup source could be ruined. Remote backup services eliminate that risk. If something happens, then you will have access to your data, quickly and easily, which allows you to restore it without too much hassle in the event of a disaster.

When choosing a data protection center, make sure that the one you pick offers heavy duty encryption features. That way, on the off chance that someone does get a hold of your data, they will be unlikely to be able to make any sense out of it or use it in any way. Other data protection center services include erasure services, which make sure that old hard drives that you do not plan to use any more are wiped clean of any sensitive data, and snapshot services that ensure your backup data is updated frequently and on a regular basis, so that no outdated information is kept for too long and you will always be on top of things even if you have to recover from a disaster and restore from your backup files.

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Data Disaster Recovery and Your Business

August 24th, 2009

From the small home based business to the huge international corporations, “business continuity” and “disaster recovery” are two terms that are completely vital to be aware of and implement. Today’s business world relies so heavily on technology to keep things going, and business owners are becoming more and more aware of the need to keep that technology running smoothly and securely. Data loss is something that no one wants to face, particularly if the lost data is important financial records or a  major presentation or advertising campaign.

Data loss can hit anyone hard, but it can hit the small business owner the hardest. If you own a small business and do not have a disaster recovery plan, then you are putting yourself and your business at risk for some scary situations if a disaster should ever occur.

A data disaster recovery plan is simply the steps you will take in the event of an disaster that will make sure that your business stays running smoothly with the least amount damage, as well as the preventativ measures you will put into place just in case. The disasters these plans should be able to handle include both natural disasters and those that are man made. Earthquake, flood and fire are examples of natural disasters, while computer viruses, user errors, theft, hackers and other similar events are examples man made disasters.

If any of these things ever happen to your business then you could lose everything if you don’t have the proper backups and security measures in place. Here’s the good news: it is not difficult to get the technology your business uses prepared to withstand a disaster. The most important step is to have backups of your data created, frequently and regularly. Disaster recovery software programs can make copies of your computer’s hard drives and servers and databases, making it so that you always have a copy put away. You can store the copy on an external hard drive or on disks, but then you should go a step further and use an off site backup service to keep your data safe if something happens to the building you keep your computers and backups in.

Using off site backup services is easy. You can restore your data from your computer, but if the computer is not usable and you need to get a new one or use another one, many of these services also let you restore your data from an off site server, as well as break up the large hunks of data into smaller, more manageable pieces to make things easier while you go through the recovery process.

The most important thing to remember is that without your precious data, your business could be in jeopardy. Don’t let your accounting, orders, customer information and tax information be unsafe – make use of some data disaster recovery methods and you will feel a lot better knowing you, your precious data, and your business are protected.

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Business Disaster Recovery

August 22nd, 2009

Technology has become a necessary and crucial tool in the business world. It does not matter what type of business we’re talking about – everyone, from huge corporations to small businesses, uses computers now. Bookkeeping, orders, shipping and receiving, financial records, customer and client records, product lists and more are all stored on computers. This makes those computers and the data contained on them crucial components for organizations of any size.

Unfortunately, computers are not invincible, so smart business owners make sure to back up their data in case something happens. Many people use external hard drives or disks to do it, but those external drives and discs are still potentially not secure enough – if a disaster occurs, depending on the type, like a fire or flood, then the computer itself can be ruined, and so can those backup drives and storage discs.

And that’s why business disaster recovery is extremely important for companies both large and small. “Disaster recovery” is the plan that you create to ensure that your data and company’s technological infrastructure remains intact or can be back up and running as quickly as possible in the event of a flood, fire, earthquake, or a man made disaster, like mass employee walk-out, an accident, sabotage, a burglary, or hackers. If your company does not have a plan like this ready to go, then your business is at risk, and you could potentially lose it! That is not a prospect any business owner wants to consider.

Putting a good business disaster recovery plan together involves identifying the most important aspects of your business and the technology it uses, and then determining what you can afford to lose and what you can’t. If all of your customer records and other important files are contained on one computer, then you need to make sure it is all backed up on an external drive, and then go one step further and have it backed up remotely.

Offsite and online PC backup services are invaluable resources for your business, because they make it possible for all of your data to be stored, safe and sound, in another location – often out of state – so that if something happens to the computer and the building it’s in, you can still get it back.

Other steps that you can take include getting quality surge protectors that will minimize the damage that power surges can inflict on your equipment, getting fire extinguishers and fire alarms, and making sure that all of your computers have up to date anti virus software and good firewalls.

Depending on the size of your business, you may even want to go so far as to get a backup generator in case power to the building is ever interrupted at an inopportune point in time, because then everything will stay up and running. Being prepared by having a business disaster recovery plan put together and ready to go will minimize the damage done to your business in the event a disaster occurs.

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Data Protection Software Types

August 20th, 2009

When you rely on your computers and servers to run your business, then you must make sure that the data you store on them is safe and protected. To do that, you must back up all of your data and store it somewhere safe. There are many ways people go about doing that, and one of the first steps is to get a hold of some good data protection software.

Data protection software is a program that can be used to create copies of all of your data to use for backup purposes. Some data protection software also performs other functions, such as helping you to recover your data after a crash and restoring it to a new hard drive or server. When choosing a program for your business, make sure that it can handle all of the data you have and that its benefits and features coincide with the needs of you and your business as well as your equipment.

Some data protection software even allows you to do what’s called “continuous data backup.” Continuous backup programs basically run in the background of your system and updated your backup files when your data changes. The most efficient programs that offer this feature will make that backup each time the data changes, so you can always restore back to the most recent version with very little potential to have work and information lost. This is ideal for companies and businesses that have a lot of ever changing information, especially if those changes are sensitive financial information or statistics.

Once you have backup copies made, you need to store them. You have different options when it comes to this, too, and the most appropriate choice will depend on your unique situation. People without a lot of data can consider backing up their information by burning it to disk, and then labeling and storing the disks away. If you have more data or a number of larger files, then disks may not be appropriate. Instead, you can back up your data to an external hard drive.

Now, if you back up to disk or an external hard drive, you need to make sure your backups are safe. If a fire or break in should happen, then you risk losing your backup files along with your computers and servers themselves. For people concerned about this happening, there is a great solution – take advantage of an online backup service. These services will store your backups and data at their own locations, ensuring your backups don’t stay in the same place as the original sources, and therefore keeping them much safer.

Whatever option works best for you and your business, invest in some data protection software and spend the time it takes to make sure your data is safe. If a disaster strikes, your business will thank you for it! You will be able to recover your information and carry on without too much grief or frustration, which is what your business needs to stay a success.

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