What should a home office computer user do to prevent data loss?

Preventing data loss in the home or small office

All too often business folks who work from home, feel that they shouldn’t have to spend as much on backup technology as their rental space peers. In fact this far from the case. Everyone should adopt strategies to ensure critical information is protected from corruption and loss.

Best practices:

  • Never upgrade any system without a verified backup
  • Use up-to-date hardware and software utilities for data security, such as firewalls and virus protection
  • Scan all incoming data for viruses, including packaged software
  • Use ventilation, fans and/or air conditioning to keep servers at the proper operating temperature
  • Connect systems to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect against power surges
  • Power down and take extreme caution when moving computers
  • Avoid static discharge when touching or handling the media, especially in excessively dry environments

Backup strategies:

  • Invest in redundant backup systems
  • Establish a structured backup procedure to make copies of all critical data files, using software compatible with the operating system and applications
  • Periodically test the backups to verify that data, especially databases and other critical files, are being backed up properly
  • Keep at least one verified copy of critical data offsite

Article Source: DriveSavers, Inc.

 
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