You’ve probably seen or heard ads for data backup solutions. Someone in your area offers the service. Some of the major computer manufacturers provide a solution. Who do you choose? Data backup is important!  After all, the loss of critical information could close your business for a few days…or permanently.

In order to play in the industry, all services must:

-          Provide a physically secure facility.

-          Encrypt data prior to transfer.

-          Provide notification of backup failures.

-          Provide an easy to use and understand interface.

Those are the “must haves”.  What sets the best apart and how do you know which provider to choose?  Select a vendor:

1)      With at least two facilities separated by 50 miles or more.  Why? First, these vendors use their facilities as backup sites for each other.  If one burns down, the other has a copy of the data and can continue to function. Second, the distance between them reduces the chance that both are overtaken by the same disaster (think Hurricane Katrina).

2)      That regularly tests their disaster recovery process. It is one thing to show the process works on paper (SAS-70 Type 1 audit). It is another to show you can successfully recover from a failure (SAS-70 Type 2 audit).

3)      That offers a variety of storage options to manage your costs.  Online storage is for crucial files only. Near-online storage is for less critical files.  Offline storage is for files you rarely access but need to keep for archive or regulatory purposes.

4)      That understands and accounts for your industry’s legal requirements (e.g.  SOX and HIPAA). You can be fined for a data loss or failing to protect the data. Choose someone who understands how best to protect you.

5)      That willingly discusses their process for transferring your data to another provider. We don’t like to think about changing service providers…but it happens.

Many services are do-it-yourself, the best usually aren’t.  They will provide guidance on which files to backup. I don’t object to you installing a vendor’s application, setting the parameters and then monitoring your data backup.  Most solutions automatically backup MyDocuments.  You must specify the other files and directories to backup. If you’re a solo-preneur this might be sufficient.  However, if you have not told your employees where to save files, then you (or your IT service provider) need to take the time to look at each hard drive and discover the directories where users are storing their work files.  If you are not aware of these files, they will not be backed up.

Once you have chosen your provider and are up and running with your new backup.  Test them. Rename a critical file so you don’t lose it.  Then try to restore the file using the backup from the service provider. Did it work? How long did it take? Better to discover the problems before you have a real problem.

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

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.