How to backup your files now
March 4, 2011 by Luigi Benetton
We all buy insurance, maintain our homes and cars and generally safeguard things that matter. But the information on our computers? Surprising numbers of people don’t create extra copies of the electronically stored information (ESI) they depend on.
Lawyers, like other business people, can ill afford to not back up their data. The continuity of their practices depends on it. Consider these tips to get your firm’s backups in shape.
Ditch tapes
Music and movie lovers have long abandoned cassettes, opting instead for optical discs or hard-disc-based devices. If only these same people would see the folly in continuing to back up business data using tapes.
“Tape wears,” says John Pater, director of information technology for Davis LLP. “It’s hard to ensure the integrity of the data on it, since it’s more sensitive to dust, heat, magnetic forces, moisture and so forth.”
And as technology evolves, machines and software that read backup tapes become scarcer. “Even if you have the hardware, the software likely won’t run on the physical systems you have,” says Chuck Rothman, director, e-discovery services for Wortzman Nickle Professional Corporation.
CDs aren’t much better.
Download a .pdf version of this article here - How to backup your files now
Luigi Benetton is a Toronto-based freelance writer, editor and trainer -- visit his site at http://luigibenetton.com/
