How on Earth do Companies and Organisations Lose Data?
Browsing the web I became engrossed with the concept of data backup and data loss. There is almost an almost unlimited amount of information covering subjects such as how to keep computer and server data secure, how to back-up data, how to restore data, how to replicate data, who will remove your backup tapes to an remote location, which companies can restore data from corrupt disks. With all this information and data technology available I keep asking myself the same question over and over again, how and why is data terminally lost? Much information on one web site does tend to contradict information on another site, but after all, most companies with sites of this nature are trying to sell you their solution so you will never get an overall unbiased picture, but there is one underlying fact which we can not get away from, a fact that is stated on most sites and the following fact that I totally agree with is, “Data is the lifeline of all companies and organisations; if data is terminally lost then the chances of a company trading efficiently or even surviving after 2 years of the disaster not at all good”. There are various statistics relating to this fact, but it is accepted that 50% to 70% of companies will go out of business within 1 year if data is lost. It is also acknowledged that everything within a business can be replaced, desks, chairs, buildings, even people can be replaced, everything but the data. Imagine, you sit on a chair and it breaks, you buy another one, you get the picture but imagine the consequences of data loss, you don’t know who your customers are, you don’t know who owes you money, you don’t know who you owe money to, you don’t know what orders you have to ship or who you are supposed to be visiting. Dire times are ahead. Taking all of the above into account I go back to the original question, if people, companies or organisations understand the true value and importance of their data, how do they manage to lose it? Data loss is totally unnecessary and unacceptable! I honestly feel most IT administrators do have the best intentions when it comes the preservation of data. In my experience data loss stems from only a few sources, human error, lack of resource or lack of planning. Total data loss should never occur when hardware fails. Human error – I forgot to take the tapes offsite when fire or flood struck offsite tape removal company incorrectly labelled your tapes, I did not test the tape prior to backup and consequently my data was not backed up, I forgot to backup! I did not put my tapes in a secure safe and they were stolen overnight. My backup server crashed in the middle of a backup. The web is littered with stories like this; they are almost a comedy of errors. Responsibility for data backup cannot ever be placed upon the shoulders of one person or one team of people, if there is room for human error, then you have a flaw within you backup system. Lack of resources – If you work for a corporate, your backup and restore system will have probably cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds. You will enjoy an automated disk to disk system replicated to a second remote location. Even though you are replicating to an offsite location, for added security, you will most likely use this second site to backup to tape. This replicated infrastructure is way out of budget for small to medium enterprises backup to tape is still not a cheap task, by the time you have purchased a tape drive, server to fit the drive into, tape media and the backup software you will have spent at least £3,000, plus backing up to tape in the conventional way is still prone to the same potential human errors. The humans that make the error also have to be paid, if a backup solution is not automated then you will have to employ someone to take care of this, I would prefer my staff to be carrying out more proactive, revenue generating tasks. Lack of planning – probably a harsh way of putting it, a lack of understanding potential disasters may sound more forgiving. It all amounts to the same thing, but a lack of planning was recently highlighted in the UK when the Bunsfield oil terminal exploded. Companies who backed up to tape and secured said tapes in a fire and water proof safe were cruelly exposed when their building collapsed as a result of the explosion, backup tapes could not be recovered for weeks as they were in the safe under hundreds of tonnes of rubble. Their ability to trade was rendered impossible. Most companies feel that this situation will never happen to them, but let’s put this situation into context, Bunsfield is only the fifth largest and one of over 40 oil terminals and depots in the UK all of which are near major towns and cities, so it could happen to you. This case is one of many where buildings have been destroyed and data has been lost as a result. If you are still with me you will notice I have only mentioned reasons for and ways of losing data. The rapid growth of cheap high speed internet connectivity and consequently the greatly reduced cost of highly secure, fully automated offsite backup solutions is the reason I ask “how can companies and organisations lose data?” Offsite backup, also known as remote backup, online backup, is a solution that ticks all the boxes for a small to medium companies with limited budget and resource. Why is this the case I hear you ask? If you deal with a reputable company, remote online backup is cost effective, solutions start at around £25 per month, totally automated therefore requires no human intervention resulting in no human error and your data will always be available as it will be replicated between two data centres. To summarise you have an enterprise class backup solution at your disposal for less than the cost of a low end tape drive.
Other Trading Tips Articles
Identity Theft And Fraud Resources Unfortunately identity theft and fraud occur all too often. In case you need information on how to spot theft or fraud issues, how to avoid them and what to do if they happen to you, here are some handy resources. Some tips on surviving in the age of identity theft follow.Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center F ...Top 7 ClickBank Credit Card Processing Advantages Here are seven good reasons why you should consider ClickBank.com as your credit card processing solution and merchant account alternative.1. Accept Credit Cards Without a Merchant AccountIf your products are digital (such as electronic books or software), you can use ClickBank to process credit cards and on-line cheques. ...Are You Rich Yet? The stock market has been going up for the last three years. Are you rich yet? What most investors fail to remember is not how much you made, but how much of what you made you keep.There were thousands of paper millionaires in 2000 who are wishing they had known when to sell at that time. Of course, hind sight is always 20/20. Is ther ...Crude Oil - Big Profits Are Being Made Are You Being Left Out? Have you missed out on the recent huge move in crude oil? If you have and you are wondering if crude oil will stay high then this article is for you.Here we will outline the factors driving crude oil prices and how you can get involved and make huge profits, even if you have never traded before!Black goldThere remains no via ...Finding Hidden Profits In Your Business - 7 Strategies To Use Today If I walked into your business and spent an afternoon, I'm fairly confident I could find several little hidden profit centers, just waiting to be used. Let's talk about 7 strategies for finding hidden gold in your business.Strategy #1 Let someone else do the mopping and filingWhen you "save money" by doing $8/hour work ...9 Survival Tips for the Market Shakeout Blues Investors who bought during the top of the frothy commodities rally are now panicking or kicking themselves. Neither activity helps an investor or trader think straight. Below are a few tips for dealing with the current market shakeout.1. If you believe you invested in the right stock(s), then turn off your computer and do something enjoy ...The Joy of Writing “Passion” is a good word for what writing entails. I think of teenage ‘first love’--so filled with angst and joy, so desperately important. Writing is like that for me. But more, writing teaches me about myself. I have learned how serious I am, how intense. I’ve been accused of having a mind like a steel trap, but I confess, my memory only ...Burglar Alarms Think About it knowing about a burglar's three worst enemies -- light, time and noise -- can help you protect your home from crime. A burglar won't find your home an "easy mark" if he's forced to work in the light, if he has to take a lot of time breaking in, and if he can't work quietly."Case" Your Place Take the time to "case" y ...10 Tips To Collecting Free Golf Autographs By Mail Collecting autographs is fun, rewarding and can even be free if you know the right technique. Every day, people are going to their mailbox and pulling out autographs from their favorite athletes, movie stars and other notables. If you are a golf fan and/or a collector of autographs, then you are in luck. This article will provide you with 10 ...Stock Tips There are numerous services on the internet that provide discussions about specific stocks. The intention of these boards is to provide a forum where people can exchange information and rumors about a company in order to educate themselves.Unfortunately, these rooms are completely useless to anyone interested in trading the stock. Each po ...Forex Trading Tips Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading. Trade pairs, not currencies - ...How To Turn A Five Minute Presentation Into A $200,000 Marketing Bonus How do you increase your visibility by focussing on 'high pay off' activities to build your profile and profits?Speaking in public is the fastest way to attract, win and even retain more profitable clients.It is a 'one to many' activity that delivers an enormous return on investment for your time and effort.It also builds yo ...Tips for Online Currency Trading Did you realize that currency trading is the world's largest business? Yes, it's true. Over three trillion dollars worth of transactions take place each and every day in the world's currency markets and online currency trading is now available to everyone.The markets are extremely volatile and fortunes can be won and lost in mere minutes ...Trading Day Software Trading by computer using specific software is common and easy on the pocket as well. Computers are the best medium for all kinds of trading, but particularly for day trading. The systems works with two monitors connected to the same machine, and day traders can expand their trading screen across both the monitors. Thus, the graphs and the marke ...How to Delegate When There is No One to Delegate To Money is tight and you’re desperate for an extra pair of hands, but you don’t have a budget. This is also known as, “I have no one to delegate to, so now what?” Don’t despair, there are several no cost ways to increase your productivity and find ways to delegate. Even if you do have a budget, these tips will enhance your budget and help you get ...Choosing A Forex Trading System - Part 1 There are many different kind kinds of Forex trading systems.Of course, the most important Forex trading system is the one that is right for you.As you search the web for Forex trading systems suitable to you there will be many seemingly appealing offers many promising to be so much better than the rest.It can be difficult t ...Traders, Defend Against the Dreaded Death Spiral. It has often been said that there is only two ways to get hurt really bad on a stock trade, getting caught in a "death spiral" by not using DTM: Decisive Trade Management in the way of stop loses and having a stock halted on you. Halts you have zero control over. Death spirals are of your own making if you do not practice the use of stop loses. ...Relationship Advice: 9 More Must-Know Tips for Couples The Law of Two QuestionsThere are two questions that couples must ask and answer:1) What do I want?2) How do I help you get what you want?The Law of Conflict, Part 1Much conflict is the result of failing to ask both of the above questions and/or an overemphasis on either one of the two.The Law of Conflic ...Commodities Futures – The Best Contracts to Trade Here we look at the best contracts to trade, for long-term trend followers - and how to blend these commodities and futures contracts, to obtain good diversification - and great profit potential. We also reveal the one commodity contract, which any trader should be looking to trade.One of the great advantages of commodity futures trading ...Tips in Choosing the Perfect Online Dating Site The internet has become a breathing ground for both professional and amateur matchmakers. Although some matchmaking are conducted through chats, friendster messages, yms and emails, the use of cupid’s arrows are basically done through online dating sites that seem to have mushroomed in the World Wide Web.In fact, there are about a hundred ...Online Bond Trading Online bond trading is a far less risky venture than online stock trading. It is because bonds are usually long-term investments and have maturity date. If you invest in bonds, you get a steady stream of interest because unlike other assets, bonds are not subject to shifts in interest rates.In the past, online bond trading is lagging behi ...5 Ways To Protect Your Bond Portfolio From Rising Interest Rates The Federal Reserve recently raised its target federal funds rate for the first time since March 2000. This could be just the tip of the iceberg, though, as many experts believe rising inflation and a strengthening economy will spur continued rate hikes for the foreseeable future.This is bad news for bond investors, since bonds lose valu ...Penny Stock Trading Penny stock aspirants need not worry too much over how they can get started. For the procedure required to be followed in the case of penny stocks is similar to those applicable to other stocks. In other words, you have to open a brokerage account. However, actual trading in the penny stocks is not as simple as in the case of (for example) blue ...Beginner Day Trading Tips for Success Why is it that some people are successful in trading the markets? And some people fail?Critical Factors for Successful Day TradingThe ability to adjust to changing market circumstances is just one of the traits of a successful trader.When money is on the line all traders emotions come into play and unless you can main ...Executive Summary Preparation Tips An Executive Summary is a more finely tuned version of your full blown Business Plan. Some people get the two documents confused and others use the two terms interchangeably. There is no special set of rules for preparing either document although most people would probably agree that the Executive Summary should be contained ...Loans for Self-Employed One of the most fundamental details that all banks will look for in all loan applicants is a steady, dependable income. The amount of this income will decide how much the applicant will be granted. If there were no dependable income, then on the face of it, it would appear to a lender’s calculation, that the loan amount should be zero. This is t ...International Monetary Fund (IMF) IMF was created to faster economic growth and to decrease the unemployment level in different countries. IMF’s purpose is to provide the financial assistance to developing countries that seek it. There are economic policies that enable this initiative. IMF was created in 1944 along with World Bank and it provides aid to countries to pay back the ...Investing Tips - How to Make Time Work for You Almost everyone has heard about compounding interest in one conversation or another over the years. Some of you may even have a pretty good understanding of compounding interest, but I doubt it many of you truly grasp the enormous power that compounding interest has to offer over time. To demonstrate, I am going to give you an example of two inv ...
|
