Safety First!

Problem:

How much blood, sweat, toil, and tears have you invested in your computers and the data they contain? What damage to your operations and peace of mind could a single hard disk crash or (shudder!) a file server or network crash cause?

Solution:

Lock the barn door before the horse is stolen. Establish back-up policies and execute them consistently. If you share diskettes or networks, install virus detection vaccine software.

Tools:

Networks require more protection than single-user computer systems. With more and more local area networks in operation, more solutions for protecting networks have appeared with better technology at lower prices. The best back-up software can use scripts to back-up files at night or during non-use hours, making the process nearly invisible to users. Most network back-ups concentrate on document files rather than software back-ups. As with backing up a single computer, network back-up procedures can also handle incremental back-ups that replicate only new or altered files, though good network software will retain earlier versions of files as well. The system administrator sets the schedule for centrally administered backup and maintains password protection on the tape data files.

Tape drives operating under automatic backup procedures and software offer the best value for …

Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information: Article title: Safety First!. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: Searcher. Volume: 1. Issue: 5 Publication date: October 1993. Page number: 40+. © 1999 Information Today, Inc. COPYRIGHT 1993 Gale Group.

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