WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR BACKUP DID NOT WORK?

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Is your backup process adequate?? Even if you actually undertake routine backups, do you check that your backups work and is your storage safe?

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A MYOB or Quickbooks file is an accounting file and therefore contains invaluable information about the day to day operation of your business.? Could your business recover if you lost all of this information??

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So, why do we need to backup?? MYOB or Quickbook files are computer files and may suffer data corruption in many ways including viruses, power failures, external forces (theft) or user error.

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The backup process should be carried out on a rotational basis.? That is, if you are using your file every day you should have a different cd/disk/tape for each day of the week.? Mondays? backup should be placed on Monday?s disk, Tuesday?s on Tuesday?s disk and so on.? If your file is infrequently used then you should backup on a weekly basis with media being labelled Week 1, Week 2 etc.? The frequency of backups depends on the value of the information entered since the last backup, based on the cost of replacing or recreating it.

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An archival backup should also be made each month and most definitely at year end.? This archival backup should be stored in a safe place and should never be copied over.? The year end backup should be made before the MYOB file is rolled into a new year.

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It is important to remember that just because you have completed a backup, you need to ensure that your backup has actually worked.? Only discovering that your backup did not work when you need to restore a file is very risky. You should regularly test the backup to ensure the data has been backed up successfully and that the backup can be easily accessed and restored.? This is vitally important before and after any upgrades or system changes including hardware upgrades.

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Storing backups off-site is a critical risk management tool.? Natural disasters such as fire may mean that you cannot access the main computer site at all.? A backup is useless if you cannot access the main computer site.?Your applications such as the MYOB Software and the hardware are easily replaced but the information in the file is not!!!

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If you have any concerns about your backups or if you don?t know how to backup and restore please call your ABC consultant or the ABC office for assistance.

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Angela