Backups are essential. We have already talked about backups when we looked at storage, we will cover that now in more detail here. A backup in its simplest form is a copy of some or all of your data that is in a separate place from your computer. In the beginning of the personal computer era the backup had to be on floppy discs 8″ then 5.25” then 3.5″ floppy discs were used but the biggest capacity of these was 1.44MB and with the capacity of most personal computers being 60GB another medium had to be found. The best would be to backup to magnetic tape. This means the purchase of a tape drive that is linked to your computer either by firewire, USB or internally within your desktop. Other options are DVD or CD R/W discs with occasional copies to non-rewritable discs.

The tape is produced and all the data and programs can be stored on one tape so that a complete record of the contents of the computer can be made. Often these tape backups are incremental. For an incremental backup a complete copy of the machine is made (let’s say on a Saturday) then every day any files that have been changed are copied to separate tapes (Sunday through Friday) and finally another complete backup is made on the next Saturday. This may seem like overkill but for a business with a high turnover of files being changed it is essential. A business would typically keep a cycle of 3 weeks of the incremental backups and several months of the complete backups. Then a complete copy of the data and programs can be produced at any time as required by auditors.

The backup strategy to a DVD or CD R/W is very simple. Simply copy all files from the user documents onto the DVD or CD. The result will be that there are copies available for all the files in the store command. Care must be taken to backup the e-mails and any other messages on the system so they can be recovered easily. The weak link in this type of system is that the CD and DVD discs can deteriorate over time so care must be taken not to scratch them or put them in a place affected by excess heat or sunlight. Again, as with the tape, a cycle of discs must be used, this means that the backups are not taken relying on one disc. If any disc shows problems in writing or verifying then replace the disc. It is cheaper to replace a disc than to replace the data that you lose.

Store the tapes or discs in a place remote from the computer. This may not seem feasible but you cannot afford to lose both the computer and its backups. In a large business where they are using tapes to store all the changed information they may send the newest backup tapes to their bank for safekeeping. Some businesses take 2 backups, and send one to the bank and another they keep themselves. So they have a backup for immediate use and a second backup for “disaster recovery”. These days the very term “disaster recovery” will reveal a big business where there a many mainframe, and minicomputers together with personal computers and their LAN connections on standby a specific locations ready for a disaster to strike and then the computers are rolled in usually in a prefabricated building or in the trailer of a truck. For a smaller business then keeping the discs from the office computer at home and the home computer in the office may be enough. You may choose to rely on a fireproof safe. If you do choose a fireproof safe then take careful note of the manufacturers instructions. One company where I worked had a new manager of the computer center and he insisted that the doors of the “fireproof” safe were always kept closed until he realized that the safe’s fireproofing was so old that it was no longer any guarantee of the fireproofing anyway.

However you choose to store your backups make an informed choice and do not leave anything to chance as the chance is that you will lose your computer and the backups without careful planning.

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Remember that your personal security is important. You may have left your computer at home and are getting a drink at a coffee shop and find a computer available for you to just check your e-mails. You check what you want to see and think you are resetting the computer but you did not sign out of the web-based e-mails so the next person could delete everything or send out malicious e-mails to the people in your address book. The number of times I try to use Gmail at a coffee shop and find someone else is still logged in is very high. The same with any web site you access that needs you to log on, you will need to log out completely before leaving the machine to someone else.

Protect all your online accounts with a password that is not just “password” or the name of your dog, cat, partner, or child. These can be too easy to guess especially for someone who knows you.

Bank details are important. It does not matter if it is your current account, credit card or PayPal account, all is important. Protecting them is vital to your financial well-being. Be careful where and when you use your credit or debit card.

Be very careful when using Internet cafes and free Internet computers in coffee shops and bars. Make sure that it is a reputable company you use. If there are any doubts in your mind do not use any web site that needs a password and do not enter bank or credit card information. Using the wrong Internet cafe could mean that the owner of the business can trace and use your secure information. So remember where you used the Internet or make a note and if there are any subsequent problems trace back where it all started.

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Traveling with your portable computer is becoming more and more common. When using digital or video cameras it is far better to have a computer with you and download your pictures and film so that you can look at the results as you travel. More and more people travel on business with their computer to keep up to date with work and events, or simply to see a good movie in their own hotel room. Skype and e-mail are invaluable when it comes to keeping in touch with people. Also the availability of web sites where you can organize a birthday, Christmas, or anniversary card to be sent can save a great deal of embarrassment.

Backup data before traveling is a simple but often forgotten adage. Include e-mails and diary items on that backup. When you have made one copy of this backup, then you will need to create a second. Leave one backup behind and take one with you. Then you can restore if there is a problem on your trip and if you lose the computer and backup for some reason then you can return to your other backup and it is ready for you to use. Any work that you do while you are away you can always e-mail to a web-based e-mail so that you can collect it there later.

Don’t leave your computer behind. The saddest sight at an airport or hotel is a computer case left on its own. Don’t touch it but call the authorities. You do not want to be accused of stealing it and you do not want to find a bomb or other device.

Try not to allow it to be stolen. Lock your computer up. Do not leave it visible in a hotel room when you go to breakfast or evening meal, as the staff will have master keys that allow them access to your room. In the evening you may think that everything is safe but turn-down service is getting more and more prevalent in many countries.

Avoid drinks and water falling into it. Using a computer in a coffee shop or a fast food outlet may be tempting, especially if the access is free, but the visit of a drink or greasy food onto your computer may cause more than a mess as it may destroy your data, so be careful.

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Your first task today is to make your computer or computers safe. It does not matter if you have the cheapest and oldest computers around, the data the computers hold is the most valuable part of them. Their replacement value is negligible compared to the stress that you could have replacing the information held in them

Place your computer in a secure location. If you do have a computer in the middle of your shop then make sure it is clearly in the sight of a video camera and the security video is running all the time day and night. It is far better to have the computer hidden from public view and away from prying eyes as even the best security system and passwords can be broken if the thief has enough time and patience. At home avoid places where it can be seen, especially if you are working in a room with the lights on and the curtains open. Do not let your computer become someone else’s asset.

At home or in your place of work be sure that your power supply is safe. Put at least a surge protector between your computer and the power outlet. This will make sure that in the event of a lightning strike on the power line or a power surge that the surge protector is destroyed and not your computer. Also if you have problems of power failures, and some places in the world still do (California comes to mind…), then you should purchase a battery backup so that you can continue to run your computer for a period if the power fails. The effect of a power failure can be as devastating as a power surge and some protection is better than none.

Drinks and floods are a danger to computers. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone dropped a coffee, tea or juice onto a keyboard or portable. I have seen people spend hours trying to dry out a keyboard and remove the sticky sugar or juice and try to get it working. Give me a break. Go and buy a new keyboard as they are far cheaper than wasting your time. A new portable may be more of a problem. Today some portable computers have a membrane underneath the keys to protect the motherboard. On older computers there is no protection at all. Floods or simply washing the floor and forgetting that the electrics of the computer sit on the floor and maybe even the computer itself can be a disaster. Invest in a little stand to set the computer off the floor; it may even come free with the next desk you buy. So use it.

Cleaning the computer may seem harmless, but do not let your cleaner mess about, especially with spray cleaners. Read the instructions that came with the computer and follow them yourself or someone you trust implicitly. The wrong sprays can ruin an LCD screen, keyboard or an optical drive (CD, combo or DVD drive). These sprays could even penetrate into the hard disks of older computers and wreck them

Household disasters happen. I will list some of the obvious ones that will encourage you to put your backups somewhere other than the office or home where the computer is used. You may choose to take the office backups home and take the home backups into the office. The other option is to agree with a friend that he keeps your backups and you keep his and will meet regularly to give updated backups. The disasters start with fire and flood. They continue through hurricane and tornado. It may simply be that your computer is sited above your central heating boiler and that explodes. Remember that you can always have an accident so expect the unexpected.

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Write everything down and make copies and leave them at the bank. That may sound really stupid in this day and age BUT (and I deliberately used capital letters) it is less of a heart ache or heart break than to lose your computer information. Computer information can include your own copyright products including letters and books, your pictures and video, your music and recorded sounds from your family and friends, and finally financial information. In the end protection costs but it is far cheaper than loss, as you could lose all your money and have loans authorized in your name by an Internet thief. The disaster can just goes on and on. If you want to avoid disaster then read on and take action to save yourself more than just the financial problem of losing a piece of computer information or even all your hardware.

Before we start all the hard work let’s look at what we need to protect. Switch off your computer for a day and see what you need to have now. How much is that worth? You may be able to access some information from your local Internet cafe or library, but what have you just locked up that you need now. When you have done this exercise start to take an inventory, include all the personal and business information that you keep on your computer. If you lost it completely by it being totally destroyed or stolen, how would you get the information back? You could replace your computer as soon as you have a relatively small amount of money to buy another one. How long would it take to replace your data? One statistic is that if a company that fails to recover from a major computer crash in a month the business will fail. That may be over dramatic but a number of years ago I heard of a company near the place where I lived that had to employ some temporary staff to take all the invoices stored in the accounts department and input the client addresses and invoice details onto a new computer.

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