There are a number of misconceptions that people have when it comes to backups and there data. In this post I’m going to cover two of the major ones.
Mistake 1: Theft is the biggest threat
Most people seem to think that theft is the biggest threat to their data. If I dig deeper most will tell me that they never actually lost data to theft. The majority that do had a whole laptop stolen.
Fast Finger - Data Enemy Number 1
From experience the most common reason for loss of data is fast fingers. People pressing delete when they shouldn’t, saving a file under the wrong name or just not paying attention. It’s such a big issue that I made sure to point it out in the company brochure. The online backup software that Shercom provides keeps a history of changes to files. The ability to restore accidentally deleted files or incorrectly changed files are one of the main reasons our users restore files.
The next most common reason - from experience - is hardware failure. It’s an especially big problem in Ireland where servers are stuck in a cupboard and have a tendency to overheat. A few extra degrees can be a real nightmare and will take years off the lifetime of a harddisk. Many servers have very little maintenance performed on them - the amount of dust and dirt inside can be quite shocking at times.
A few years ago the next biggest issue was damage from viruses. Thankfully most people have gotten much better at installing up to date virus checkers and this problem has dropped off dramatically.
Mistake 2: Only My Documents needs to be saved
Although it may feel like everything is being saved in the My Documents folder structure - there is still a lot of data that gets stored elsewhere. Accounts and invoicing packages have a habit of storing data in their own structure. Many people get in the habit if saving files to the desktop and specialist programs (machinery control systems, cash register systems etc) all have their own way of saving things.
The default settings for our backup software will automatically pickup as much as possible - but we make a point of contacting customers that have installed the software themselves via the website to make sure they have everything. We recommend you review your setup quarterly - call us anytime for help.
This is a press release we actually issued in Feb 2008 - I’m republishing it now for reference.
Shercom Limited, Ireland has been awarded 5000 Euro through the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Program. This acknowledgement of Keith Shirley‘s vision for the company will further his commitment to developing the Irish market. Shercom Ltd. will work closely with the Carlow Institute of Technology to research additional offsite backup options for those companies hampered by slow or expensive broadband connections.
Quietly launched in 1999, Shercom Ltd. has been focusing on international clients in the IT and Telecoms sectors. Mr. Shirley, a Carlow native, recently saw this opportunity in the Irish technology market place to provide dedicated managed IT backup solutions and is currently concentrating on the Midlands and Southeast.
Broadband speed may mean nothing to the normal user checking their emails but it is vital when providing for modern secure and efficient backup services. For most companies, broadband is the safest, most effective and most efficient solution for backing up data. However, for the few companies with exceptionally large amounts of data daily, the currently available broadband is often too slow to deal with backups in a reasonable amount of time.
The seriousness of this issue for the Irish economy as a whole was emphasized in a report from Forfas recently (www.forfas.ie). Slower broadband connections in Ireland cost “four to five times more than considerably higher-speed broadband services in countries such as France, Germany and Hungary.”
Awareness of the value of data is also increasing. A survey by MJ Flood Technologies has found that 18% of enterprises have said that a loss of data could lead to the complete business going under (quote from the Irish Independent 8 February 2007). Just imagine, you are doing “all the right things.” Every day, you change your backup tape and even take copies out of the office in case of a fire. Then, just when disaster strikes, you try the tapes and they are useless – the backups have not recorded properly at all!
Other than lobbying for the increased speed of our broadband, Keith Shirley says “my mission is to take the fear out of backing up your valuable work. You don’t need special computer knowledge. The backups are personally managed for our clients. From day to day, the software allows the client to track changes and retrieve previous versions of documents. At any time, the information is available on line so it is instantly retrievable. And, with the successful conclusion of our research, we will be able to help the clients with even the biggest data volumes to concentrate on their business and not have to worry about tasks such as swapping tapes.”
For media related queries, please contact Megan McGrath at pr@shercom.com
For sales and support queries, please contact Keith Shirley at info@shercom.com
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Not sure if I should post this as it might give people some ideas….
Damien Mulley provided a link on his blog to some pranks that people do on their last day on the job. The post was picked up by Brian Honan where he reviews the risks posed by people leaving their jobs. Having witnesed the damage disgruntled employees can do I though it was a very good article and I recommend everyone to have a look.
It has very important implications for your backup strategy as well. Tape backups are generally not encrypted - so it’s not a big issue for an employee to take a complete copy of everything you have to review on their own PC’s at home. Many are aware that there is a certain level of monitoring you can do in the office -but if they steal an unencrypted tape you’re in trouble.
I thought this video story on CNN might be of interest to you. I do of course have a motive. It’s about a disgruntled employee deleting the files at their office and shows the importance of a reliable backup system.
Ah yes - the traditional welcome message. The Shercom blog will be used to keep you informed of service changes as well as useful information from the backup industry. Feel free to let us know if there is anything special you would like to see covered.
