Backups and disaster preparedness

System crashes happen. So do power outages. And sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you inadvertently delete files. Back up your system regularly to make certain you never lose data. We recommend backing up at least once a month, and when you do, always make at least two copies—one for home and one for a separate location. For example, you may want to back up to two CDs and keep one disk at home and the other at work. Or, if you work at home, use an online service to store your data remotely. That way, should you experience fire, flood, or theft, your data will be safely stored on a remote server.

Those of you with small offices or extensive home networks may want to consider creating an exact replica of your entire system, including all your data, system settings, and preferences. Should your system become corrupt, we can help you backup and restore your entire system. Or, if you want to add a computer to your network, we can create an image to bring additional computer online, fully pre-configured. We can also provide a way to track and recover critical files or settings should a data or system corruption occur. As part of a good computing practice, don’t ignore these other basic backup tasks.

·	Back up data every month

·	Store your backups in two separate places

·	Create an emergency system disk and store it in a safe place