The solution that is appropriate for a solopreneur might not be appropriate for a law office. What is appropriate for a law office might not be the best choice for a small manufacturing concern. Even among industries, solutions will likely differ.

In 5 Essential Practices of the Best Data Backup Services I described what you should look for in a service provider.   Before you start looking for service providers you need to take a look at your data.  Here are 4 things I consider before looking at a particular service:

1. Where is the data stored? Are the files stored on a central server or are they dispersed at various computers?
2. How is the data used? What percentage of the files are mission critical (business can’t run without them) versus those that are kept for archive purposes?
3. Does your industry have any special security or backup/restoration requirements (e.g. the ability to recover a single email)?
4. How long can you be without the data before your business begins to suffer?

Other considerations will arise as you or your service provider examine your data, but these are a good place to start. All of them will impact the cost for data backup. Choose the solution that will best support your business.

Wishing you a safe passage through the I.T. Minefield!

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Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America saving them millions to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield.

To download the sample chapter “When Disaster Strikes” from Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise, go to http://bit.ly/zAcdl .  To purchase your copy, please visit http://bit.ly/SNL4W.