Computer Tip of the Day: An Extra Layer of Backup

computer tip of the day an extra layer of backup

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You can never have too many backups. A standard backup plan should follow the “3-2-1” rule; have at least three copies of your important files, keep them on at least two different media, and store one of them offsite.

The offsite copy will usually be with a backup service provider on the Internet.

With critically important files that don’t change very often, an additional copy provides extra insurance. This can take the form of an external disk drive, a USB stick, or a DVD-ROM that you lock away in a safe place away from your installation. A disk drive gives the most storage but costs more; a DVD or USB stick is less expensive and easy to store in a small space.

  • Since the point of this is to store the device offsite, you should always encrypt it.
  • Make sure to save the decryption key, but don’t store it with the device.
  • Label your backup.
  • For a DVD, use a CD-safe marker; some markers can damage the disc, which is most vulnerable on the label side.

All devices have a limited life, even with good storage. Keep the backup in a place that won’t get too hot, cold, or humid. Don’t count on its lasting more than five years. Send a note to your future self to copy it to new media after four years.

Choose your files carefully for this. You can’t usefully store anything that’s subject to change this way, but it can help to guarantee that you won’t lose critical documents even if everything else goes wrong.

Please contact us for IT support, backup, and other services.

Outsourced Computer Support for Your Business – Disaster Recovery

outsourced computer support for your business disaster recovery

Disaster Recovery

Did you know that computer downtime costs US businesses approximately $26.5 billion annually? Also, companies that have a network down for more than ten days never completely recoup the financial loss to their businesses. These statistics demonstrate just how vital it is for your business to have an adequate IT disaster recovery plan in place.

Outsourced computer support for your business can help you design one. To create a solid plan (or improve an existing one) these questions should be asked:

  • Does my current plan (if one exists) provide enough protection?
  • How long can my company afford to have its system(s) down?
  • How much data can my company afford to lose?
  • What are the critical servers, applications, and related software?
  • What is the availability of my company’s IT personnel if disaster strikes? With respect to outsourced computer support, how fast can their personnel be on my company’s premises?

Testing

A recovery procedure is only as good as its performance when tested. If you don’t test it, you don’t even know if it works. Don’t fall back on excuses – insufficient time, workflow disruption, no allocation of funds in the budget, etc. You don’t want to wait until your system crashes to discover the glitches in your plan.

A test of your system will give you the following important information:

  • The length of time the recovery took.
  • What data presented a challenge to recover.
  • Which applications did not return to the expected state.
  • The ability of your IT personnel to handle the recovery.

Assistance is at Hand

If creating and testing a plan seems somewhat daunting, you don’t have to do it alone. We can create and test an optimum backup and recovery plan for you. Take advantage of our expertise and your downtime will be minimal.

Please get in touch with us for more information.

Initiate Disaster Recovery Procedures Before Hurricane Season Begins

initiate disaster recovery procedures before hurricane season begins

Although the official timeline for tropical storms in the United States only lasts from June 1 through December 1, savvy businesses up and down the East Coast in the Gulf States know that business preparations in the event of a tropical storm or hurricane hitting your area are an ongoing process.

As 2015 heads towards summer, it’s a good idea to review your disaster recovery procedures for hurricane season before bad weather actually hits.

Just a few years ago, many businesses simply backed up their data to external hard drives prior to hurricane season and hoped for a short outage once a tropical storm hit. However, what happens if you forget to grab the backup drive before leaving the office? These days disaster recovery for your business means much more than preserving files on a separate hard drive. Information on your entire server can be at risk along with your entire telephone system if you are using VoIP services.

AE Technology Group can provide protection of all business records and data. Our backup solutions include secure cloud or data center storage that can replicate your IT working environment and get you up and running as soon as its safe to return to the premises following the storm. Getting your networks up and running as soon as possible following a natural disaster will minimize losses to your business and keep customers happy.

Cloud and other backup solutions that are suitable for disaster recovery are not just for large corporations.

Contact us today before a hurricane hits to learn how we put customized disaster recovery procedures in place that can ultimately save money.

How to Backup Your Computer

how to backup your computer

how to backup your computerImagine this scenario.

Your business is thriving. Just a month ago you hired two more employees, and you are considering expanding further. Your office is filled with employees hard at work on customer’s orders.

You smile with satisfaction. Everything is going great.

Fast forward to tomorrow and your entire business is in shambles. Your computer system has went down so all of your information has been lost. You know that it will take months to replace the lost information and start running efficiently again. Your dreams of expansion have been delayed.

This scenario isn’t so far-fetched if you don’t back up your computer. It’s vital that you learn how to backup your computer effectively.

There are two ways to backup your computer, a physical drive and a cloud-based storage system. In this article on how to back up your computer we will look at both:

1.  Physical drive

Many businesses regret using physical drives to backup their computer. USB drives are expensive and are easily lost or destroyed. If you lose your USB or it is damaged in an event such as a fire all your data is gone. In addition, USB drives can be stolen.

Physical drives are not the optimal way to back up your computer.

2. Cloud-based storage

When you use a cloud-based storage service all of your data is stored online. If you use a good company your data will be secure and easily accessible.

When learning how to back up your computer this is the method that you want to use. It is far superior to the physical drive method because you can access your data anywhere and there’s no risk of a USB drive being destroyed.

Backing up your computer using cloud-based storage is simple. Simply choose a company then follow their directions to transfer your files to the cloud-based system. The process is quick and easy.

If you want to work with one of the best cloud-based storage systems available for small businesses contact us.

Disaster Recovery for New York Businesses: Are You Prepared for Another Polar Vortex Situation?

disaster recovery for new york businesses are you prepared for another polar vortex situation

Disaster recovery for New York businesses might seem like an automatic process after dealing with Hurricane Sandy in 2012, then the Polar Vortex last year. But statistics showed that many businesses never recovered from Hurricane Sandy only six months after it occurred. The same applied to the Polar Vortex that reportedly had an astonishing $15 billion loss for the retail industry.

If those businesses might have ultimately survived, the lack of business could have put them in the red, leading to bankruptcy.

Yes, New York has seen enough of natural calamity. And yet, many businesses probably still haven’t set up a plan for disaster recovery. Perhaps you’re one who thinks that because nothing has happened to your business, nothing ever will. This kind of thinking plagued all the businesses affected in the last two disasters with many never reopening as a result.

What things might happen in New York this year that could put you in jeopardy without having a proper disaster recovery plan in place? Here at AE Technology Group, we provide comprehensive IT solutions that can help give you peace of mind when the risk of anything happening is high.

Dealing with Natural Disaster

Defining a natural disaster has widened in recent years with freak weather events happening at the blink of an eye. This could mean an earthquake in a place that hasn’t had one before. It can also mean tornadoes in places where they aren’t overly common.

Any of those could happen in New York, just as much as we occasionally get the tail end of hurricanes. Plus, winter storms are still a given, some perhaps equal or more severe than the Polar Vortex.

All of these disasters can mean power outages that shut down your business possibly for days. Having no power for just one day could cost you thousands of dollars you may never make back. Then, going on for several days, a power outage could bring your business down.

However, with cloud solutions, you can go to another location with Internet and access your business data within hours. By using the cloud, you’re using one of the most important aspects of any disaster recovery plan.

What About Man-Made Disasters?

Let’s not forget the warnings from recent incidents like the Sony Pictures hack that brought down the entire company. Had Sony used proper IT management and a cloud solution, they could have had their main operations back immediately.

With cyber threats like this, it could become more common with businesses in New York and worldwide. Overall, these threats may soon be more serious than anything Mother Nature could ever throw your way.

Contact us here at AE Technology Group in the new year to learn more about our IT services, including a cloud solution, IT management, and IT support. Don’t end up being a new statistic here in New York as another business that had to close unnecessarily.