THE NECESSARY EVILS OF BACKUPS

Your computer system is only as good as your last backup. Do you know when you performed your last complete system backup? Did you verify the backup? Do you keep a current backup off the premises? These are important questions and we at Accuvar, Inc. want each of our clients to be able to answer a resounding YES to each of these questions.

We have experienced breakdowns with many of our clients due to earthquakes, floods, power surges and system failures. Our clients who answered YES to the above questions undoubtedly came through those disasters much better and with less re-entry than those who had incomplete or old backups.

There are many backup systems available in the market today at very reasonable prices.

	Make sure that you purchase the correct size backup system for your needs.
	Your backup system should handle the software you have on your machine and still have room to spare.
	Make sure that you know how your backup system operates.
	Perform a Full Backup. Do not override, append or modify the data on your backup tape or disk.
	Keep a current backup off site after business hours.
	Test your backups regularly. If you do not know how your system works, call your hardware technician or the manufacturer of the backup system.
	Verify that your backup system is working. Verification of your backups can save you hours and even days of data entry in the event of a disaster.

It is important to always remember to perform a full data backup prior to executing any period end processing. If there is a system failure during a period end, or an error occurs, the best plan of action is to restore your data from a backup. When the program is processing period end information, there is no way to tell how far the system has progressed therefore, a full data restore is the cleanest and safest route to follow.

It isn't often we write about hardware issues, but we feel this topic is critical. Please take this message to heart and test your backup system now.