Lets face it; when it comes do to finer details of backup the majority of small business owners have a less than solid grasp on the reality of their backup requirements. Unfortunately this is no surprise as their mind set is the path of least resistance which means they tend to follow the traditional path of a daily backup rather than taking the time to examine their workflow and determine their real requirements.

“One of the biggest problems with backup is that customers need to determine which data is more critical to their business than other data,” observed Don Chouinard, director of marketing at backup vendor Dantz Development Corp. “The key to defining a credible backup and recovery strategy is to first determine the value of the data and then how much time can be lost without impact on the organization.”



Chouinard points to two issues that owners must settle up front. In the IT trade, these variables are called Recovery Point Objective, or the age of the data you will be able to restore your records to after a disaster strikes; and Recovery Time Objective, or the time that will be needed to resume your business activity after a problem.



Of course, each company will have a different answer to these questions. For some small businesses, the order-entry database and server will hold the critical data. However, for some small businesses, their e-mail messages may hold critical data about customers and orders.



In any case, only the owner of a small business can determine how much data loss is acceptable (after all, that’s the hard-core version of the question) and how long the total recovery process will take. Data that’s backed up more frequently will reduce the amount of lost data and may allow users to resume business faster. At the same time, more backups will require more diligence and entail higher costs.



Prior to searching on line for a solution you must sit down and think of your needs. Simply looking for a cost effective of even free product to manage your off site backup may put you at greater risk. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:

 What is your most critical data? 

Have a look at your business and what is important to you. Emails, spreadsheets, flyers, pricing, receipts, invoices. Take note of everything that could have an adverse affect on your business. Have a look at what is important for you to survive and what isn’t.


 

How frequently does it change? 

How often do you work on those important information change. As a small business you will be constantly working on the same document. How often do they change?


 

How attentitive can you be to your data?

 
If your always busy and don’t have time to manage your data, you need to take note of this and look for a managed or automated system.



Answering these three questions will give you a greater understanding when looking at your current small business backup system. Once you have started you can begin searching for the system that is ideal. We have listed some key questions that can help with your looking.

Does your small businesses critical data reside in one location?

For Business continuity it is highly recommended that your data be stored offsite in a secure location.

Does your data change frequently?

If the changes to your data are high, it is recommended that a daily backup be completed, preferably with a retention policy of a minimum of 2 weeks. This means that if there are changes that you weren’t aware of you can access up two weeks of changes.

How quickly can I recover my data, especially in the case of emergency?

Will it take a few hours, a few days, or a few weeks? This question is critical as the whole reason you are backing up your data is in order to be able to retrieve it.



The point of this argument is not that you are doing it wrong its more a question of whether your businesses backup strategy is correct and in the event of an incident will it be okay? Simply answering the questions above should assist you a level of understanding that will allow you to make an informed decision for your backup choices.



More Reading Links:
Breaking Traditions in Small Business Backup
7 Questions to ask your online backup service