Chapter 3. Backing up HandiBiz 2015 HandiBiz 2015
Computer viruses
Computer viruses that are often brought in as e-mail attachments can cause major problems with your data. You can take the following precautions to minimise the possibility of computer viruses infecting your system.
Make sure that you have an up-to-date version of virus protection software installed on your computer system. It is a good practice to update your virus protection software daily.
Adopt a policy of verifying all e-mail attachments before opening them. Even trusted sources can unknowingly send you a virus.
Unauthorised access (“hacking”)
If your computer system is permanently connected to the Internet, you will be the target of multiple malicious attempts to access your data. It is, therefore, essential that your computer system be protected by a firewall that is designed to prevent unauthorised access. There are many types of firewalls available, including free versions that you can download over the
Internet. You should contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for more information on firewalls.
Suggested hardware
To minimise the chance of losing data we recommend that you purchase the following computer hardware:
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).
The UPS unit will help to minimise the loss of data due to power fluctuations or blackouts.
Please ensure that your UPS is sufficient to support your entire network.
RAID storage controller with at least two hard drives.
The RAID system will provide redundant disk storage, and thus minimise the risk of losing data through mechanical disk drive failure.
Removable data storage device, for example, Tape Drive, portable hard drive, flash memory stick etc.
Tape drives are generally used where there is a large amount of data to be backed up.
Tapes have the advantage of having a large storage capacity, but restoring data from them can take time. Smaller companies can use flash memory drives, which are quick and easy to use.
Suggested backup regime
We suggest you take backups as follows:
Prior to initial installation and upgrade.
Once a day ( this is a minimum recommended situation).
Weekly copy
Monthly copy
Three monthly copy
Six monthly copy
Rotate your backup tapes in such a way that if a problem occurs with your data, you do not continue to back up the problem. The following two examples illustrate this principle.
Example 1: Lot's Salt Works maintains seven daily backup tapes, rotating the tape each day.
Lot's data becomes corrupted, and they do not detect the corruption until 10 days have elapsed. Unfortunately, all of Lot's backup tapes contain this corruption.
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