Any documents associated with your work should never be kept in a single place. Laptops can be easily lost, stolen or corrupted and are less reliable than a PC. Ensure your data is stored in two different locations to guard against fire or theft. Having perfectly arranged CDs with all your data backed up is no good if a house fire destroys both your PC and your back-up. When storing files to CDs, DVDs or USB memory sticks, remember that these media can be easily corrupted so make sure you don’t cut costs too much by buying the cheapest available. When you have created your back-up, test it on your own PC and on a different PC, checking that all files have been stored correctly. External hard drives are useful for larger volumes of data, though it is often advisable to use two hard drives, one to store with your PC, and one in a second location in case of fire or theft at your office. You may find it useful to keep a text document with a list of all the files you will need to back up, making sure you include Outlook or Outlook Express, your internet Favorites, Program Files and all other documents, including the locations of each of these files in your record. If you wish, you can outsource your data back-up needs to an external company. Many of these companies operate online daily back-up services for a monthly fee. If you have excessive paper records that you want to scan and convert to digital format, there are also companies available offering this kind of service.
Content by: Made Simple Group
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