Managing data for your small business entails carefully weighing costs versus risk management. The goal is to reduce the risk of a crash and avoid data loss, while keeping the costs of data storage as low as possible.
Here are a few popular data storage options for you to choose from.
==> On Site RAID Systems
A RAID system is a system where instead of having just one hard drive storing data, all the data on one hard drive is also mirrored by another hard drive.
Let’s say you have a one terabyte hard drive running on RAID. Instead of having 1 TB of storage, you’d have just 500 GBs.
However, those 500 GBs will always have a duplicate on another drive. That means that in the event of a disc failure or a crash, you can easily recover the data from the second disc image.
This is one of the simplest methods of protecting against corrupt data. However, it won’t protect you from theft, or if there’s a disaster like the building catching fire.
==> Off-Site Backups
An off-site backup is yet another relatively simple method of backing up all your data.
Every few months, you do a hard backup of all your most vital data. This includes your database, your content archives, your customer list and anything else that is vital to the health of your company.
Put all of it on a hard drive, then ship it off to an off-site backup facility. They’ll store the drive for you just in case a fire or other disaster hits. If it does, you’ll always have at least that copy backed up.
==> Online Backup Systems
Online backup systems can range from the extremely simple to the highly complex.
If you manage large amounts of data that need to be constantly backed up, you’ll want to have a direct uplink to an online backup facility. This kind of backup system will allow you to instantly back up all your data at all times.
You can also choose to just back up your data every day after the workday automatically.
On the other hand, if your needs aren’t as urgent, you can choose to only back up your systems sporadically. This saves a lot of money in both bandwidth costs and personnel costs of managing the backup system.
==> Dropbox
One online backup system that small business owners should be aware of is Dropbox. Dropbox is an extremely simple and easy to use system that makes it easy to back up small amounts of files.
One folder on computer is designated the Dropbox folder. Anything in that folder is automatically backed up.
You can either manually save everything to your Dropbox folder when you want to back it up, or you can work directly out of your Dropbox folder.
Dropbox folders can be shared. So you can have the whole office working out of a Dropbox account where the most important files are shared with everyone and automatically backed up at the same time.
These are some of the most prevalent backup systems for you to choose from. The decision of which system to choose really comes down to weighing how much it costs, how often you need to back up and how much data you have.