The problem is that you usually get no warning before it's too late. Your data records information is gone.

This has happened to more than a few businesspeople. In extreme cases, it has put companies out of business. And the worst part is this: It's completely avoidable. By backing up your data, you can retrieve all or most of what you lose.
Most Important ~ Back up Your Customer Databases and Payroll Records and client database.

Inside one or two data files are all the nitty-gritty details including what they buy, when they buy, how they pay and so forth. Contact lists also are databases, and you might have yours combined with your customer list.
Where would you be if you lost your database  and it wasn't there.

Also mission-critical for backups are your employee payroll records. You don't want to lose the information that you have to report to the Internal Revenue Service. Your employees don't want problems with the IRS, either. 

Store Your Backups Off-Site

To really be safe, the backup medium (tape, CD or DVD, etc.) should be removed from your site. If you are backing up to tape, for instance, and you leave the tape cartridge in the machine, you'll be protected if the hard drive fails. But if the equipment is stolen, or the office burns to the ground, the backup will be lost.

The safest procedure is to use a different tape or disk each day. Keep all but the current day's media off-site — at your home, perhaps.

Forget About Doing Backups With Floppies

The earliest backup medium was the floppy. These are no longer practical. They hold only 1.4 megabytes of data, so a large collection would be needed for a backup. You would have to sit at the computer for hours, swapping the floppies in and out. Don't even think about it.

Tape has been the medium of choice for a number of years. Tape backups are relatively slow, but the process can be automated. You can schedule the backup for when you're sleeping.

Tape drives have a capacity of 10 to 40 gigabytes, with the data uncompressed. Most advertise that they'll hold twice as much if the data is compressed. It's true that they can hold more compressed data, but you're unlikely to get double the storage. Some file types just don't compress.

Most tape drives cost several hundred dollars. Tapes are relatively expensive, too. And the software can be difficult. Tape is a great backup medium, once you understand it. It has its drawbacks in terms of the time and work involved. But once you get a system down, it can go smoothly.

Here are some other options:
Back up to a burner — a CD or DVD drive. Neither holds nearly as much data as a tape. If you decide to go this route, be sure your software allows automated backups. A CD or DVD will work well if your data is not voluminous. CDs will hold up to 700 MB; most DVDs will hold 4.7 GB.
Use a Zip or Jaz drive. These are made by Iomega. Zips hold 250 MB of data; Jaz holds 2 GB.
Use an external hard drive. These hold a vast amount of data. They attach to the computer via high-speed connections such as USB 2.0 or Fire-Wire. Hard drives are fast, so the backup wouldn't take much time. But an external hard drive is relatively bulky, so you would get tired of taking it home.

Another Option to Consider: Backing up on an Internal Hard Drive

You could use a second internal hard drive, although that would mean leaving the backup in the office. Massive hard drives. Windows automatically accommodates multiple hard drives. You could simply copy your data from the master hard drive to the second one, known as a slave.

If you're handy, you can install a second hard drive yourself. Having a shop retrofit a computer wouldn't be especially expensive. If having two hard drives appeals to you, consider a RAID system. RAID means Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. RAID systems can be immensely complicated. But a two-disk system is not; you set it up as a mirror.

When you save something, it automatically saves to both drives. The second drive looks just like the first. If one fails, you have a perfect copy. 

Microsoft Share-Point enables you to build a private intranet or extranet site for your business, the ability to store copies of your most-vital business documents in a secure area that you can access through the Internet.

You can create order from chaos. 
By centralizing data on a server, you can better manage business-critical information. Sharing files and other data across PCs becomes much easier, as does migrating data from one PC to another. Older PCs can get new life if their files and data are off-loaded onto a server. A lot of people are buying servers and opting not to dump their old PCs and laptops.

You can protect your data by making backups easier. 
Windows Small Business Server 2003, for example, enable users to better protect their data assets by simplifying backups and the restoration of critical data. The features are the Backup Configuration Wizard and Volume Shadow Copy.

Whether your company is looking to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, reduce risks, or empower employees, information technology can provide the tools to support your corporate strategies. H2Esp Business and Technology has the solutions that address key business concerns commonly held by medium and large businesses. These solutions consist of technology products that work well together, beginning-to-end services from assessment and cost validation to design and implementation, as well as lab-tested best practices and training. 

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