Choices abound for data backup
David Hessekiel admits that finding a simple, effective, automated solution for backing up his company's data has not been easy. As president of Cause Marketing Forum in Rye, N.Y., Hessekiel has considered several approaches.
''Over the years, I've tried an external hard drive, burning CDs, saving to floppies, even e-mailing copies of important documents to myself. . . . I know I'm living on the edge, but in spite of all my good intentions, I've yet to develop a regular backup habit. As a one-man band with all of the things I've got to juggle, backing up just keeps slipping to the end of the to-do list."
Hessekiel is not alone. As more and more people have left the corporate world in recent years to start their own business, data backup has become a critical, but often overlooked, component of the small-business tool chest. And while advances in technology have allowed anyone with a laptop, cellphone, and high-speed Internet connection to set up shop, ensuring the safety of the information on which these small companies run often lags.
Ann Westerheim, founder and president of Westford-based Ekaru, a company that provides outsourced information technology for small businesses, sympathizes. ''The good news for small businesses is that there are many more backup options today than even a few years ago, and you get more capabilities for your dollar. Unfortunately, that range of options also makes the decision more complicated."
As Westerheim explains, backup possibilities include making copies to CDs and DVDs; automated portable hard drive solutions such as the Maxtor OneTouch; tape backup; memory sticks, and any number of automated online solutions such as Connected.com or IBackup. The complexity alone prompts many small companies to bring in expert help.
When Jack and Meg Speranza launched their Hopkinton cafe, Main Street Specialties, in September with another couple, they chose a nightly tape backup system for securing their state-of-the-art inventory control and e-mail data. Despite Jack Speranza's experience as a software developer, the founders brought in an IT consultant to help with the decision. ''We've got enough going on just running the business, and we didn't want to make the decision all alone," says Speranza.
Indeed, which solution or combination of solutions to use for data backup depends on several factors, including number of users, amount of data, anticipated rate of data growth, mobility of staff, and how quickly the data must be restored in the event of a loss. In addition, notes Westerheim, given the human tendency to ''not get around to it," automated processes that take the end user out of the loop are particularly appealing for companies without dedicated staff.
Bud Stoddard, chief executive of Amerivault, a Waltham company that provides online data backup for everyone from sole proprietors to the New England Patriots, agrees. ''People are not very disciplined when it comes to backup and not until a mini-disaster occurs do they get religion. There's an attitude that it won't happen to me, and if you don't have an IT person on staff, data backup is not perceived as a must-do."
To find the right solution for your company, Stoddard boils it down to three essential criteria: ''It needs to happen every day, the data needs to leave the building, and you need a way to restore the data quickly. If you can check those boxes, you've got peace of mind."
That, says David Hessekiel, is exactly what he's looking for.
If your small business is facing a challenge, describe it to us at smallbiz@globe.com.
