By
Joshua Feinberg
Many small business owners procrastinate unpleasant
tasks, such as disaster recovery planning, in favor
of more immediate day-to-day challenges. After all,
who really wants to consider the outcome of unlikely
catastrophes such as a flood, fire, hurricane, or tornado?
But sooner or later your company could become the victim
of one of these natural disasters, or something much
more common such as a massive lightning storm, downed
power lines, or sabotage by a disgruntled employee or
sleazy competitor.
Root of
the Disaster Recovery Problem
When looking at disaster recovery planning best practices,
you'll find only two kinds of small businesses: those
that have experienced a data disaster and those that
will.
Countless studies have shown that a big percentage
of small businesses that ignore disaster recovery planning
never fully recuperate. Small businesses without a thorough,
regularly tested disaster recovery plan are likely to
go out of business within a few months after a data
disaster.
Ignoring basic disaster recovery planning can be very
dangerous to your company's survival. Just because your
company is a small business doesn't mean it's immune
to big data disasters.
How to Get
Prepared Now For A Data Recovery Disaster
So with these risks in mind, what can your organization
do right now with disaster recovery planning, on a small
business-friendly budget, to protect against some common
hazards? Use the questions below as a checklist for
jump-starting your disaster recovery planning efforts.
Data Backup Before
A Data Recovery Disaster
Do you know where all of your company's crucial data
files are located?
How are these files being backed up?
How often are these data backups run, verified, and
tested?
What kind of automation and controls are in place to
make sure that data backup jobs run correctly and consistently?
How often do your data backup tapes go off-site?
Physical
Security & Data Recovery Prevention
What procedures are in place to guard your data backups
against tampering or theft?
Are your critical technology assets, such as servers,
hubs, routers, and phone system controllers, in locked
areas of your office?
Do at least two, but no more than four, people have
physical access to your company's critical technology
assets? (Or can "anyone" just walk over and
reboot your server just for the heck of it?)
PC/Workstation
Security & Data Recovery Prevention
Do your company's desktop PCs and notebooks run a locally
securable operating system, such as Microsoft Windows
2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft
Windows NT Workstation 4?
Are there any desktop PCs or notebooks that have confidential
data stored locally? Are any of these systems running
an inherently in-secure operating system, such as Microsoft
Windows 9x or Microsoft Windows Me?
Are power-on passwords used to prevent unauthorized
boot-ups or tampering with BIOS configuration settings?
How does your company go about keeping service packs,
critical updates, and service releases current on desktop
PCs and notebooks?
The Bottom
Line on Data Recovery Prevention
In much the same way that you cannot plan for when you'll
need an insurance policy, data disasters tend to strike
when you least expect.
Unfortunately, many data disasters can have a crippling
effect on your company's immediate prospects, while
even threatening your firm's future survival in the
days and weeks following the disaster.
However, there are a number of relatively simple, inexpensive
steps that you can take right now to fortify your defenses.
In this article, we looked at data backup, physical
security, and PC/workstation security. Next time, we'll
explore network security and power protection tips to
guard against data disaster.
Copyright (C) 2002, KISTech Communications Corporation
Joshua Feinberg is an internationally recognized small
business technology expert, consultant, columnist, author,
keynote speaker, and trainer. He is a published Microsoft
Press author, as well as the creator of and two-year
veteran writer of the Microsoft Direct Access "VAPVoice:
Notes From the Field" column. Learn what your highly
paid computer consultant doesn't want you to know! Subscribe
to Joshua Feinberg's FREE bi-weekly Smallbiztechtalk.com
"Tips" e-zine at www.smallbiztechtalk.com
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"When
looking at disaster recovery planning best practices,
you'll find only two kinds of small businesses: those
that have experienced a data disaster and those that
will."
