backup1.htm
Suggested Backup Ideas
Backup data DAILY- Make this an everyday procedure at the end of the day. Having a good backup of your data is one of the most important things.you can do for your business.
- Some users use two sets of disks, one for even-numbered days, one for odd-numbered days. At the end of the week, they keep either the even or the odd and replace it with another set. These are kept for up to a month, allowing the user to restore the system back to an end-of-week status, handy if a user uses cyclic billing or cyclic minimums.
- Another and better method is to have a set of backup diskettes for every day of the week, and if you decide to do this, you should, WITHOUT FAIL, backup daily. Use the Monday disk set for Monday, Tuesday for Tuesday, etc.
- Some users install a CD-RW or ZIP drive on their computers. These drives have much greater capacity, are faster, and make the backup process a lot easier. With them, you can simply use the Windows copy-and-paste method to copy whole directories from your hard disk to your backup medium. Instead of standing by the computer for 20 minutes to do the backup, it becomes a rather painless 1 or 2 minute procedure.
- There are many other methods, but whatever method you chose, you should (1), backup your data daily, (2) label the backup medium with the date and time the backup was made and (3), store the backups in a fireproof safe or even off-site.
Perform a month-end backup after monthly processing has been completed. Label the backup accordingly and keep it at least until the year has been closed.
Perform a programs backup (backing up the programs themselves) prior to installing an update. This ensures that if the update process encounters a problem, you’ll be able to restore your system to the same software you had prior to the update. Sometimes data files are modified during the update process and this protection assures that you always have a set of programs which match the data on your system.
Perform a year-end backup - follow the specifics outlined in your applications. Because different portions of the system may be closed at different days during a calendar year, and depending on what your fiscal year’s settings are, just follow the application’s guidelines.
Perform a full-system backup periodically. Suggested: twice a year at a minimum. Some users use tape drives for this procedure, which is usually more economical and more convenient. A full-system backup includes ALL programs and data, whether Club Data or otherwise. This assures that if something disastrous happened to your computer, the full-system backup is the first line of defense to ensure that all your programs and data can be restored to normal operation. Remember however, that such restoration is only as current as the date the full-system backup was performed! Note: some users perform a full-system backup as their daily backup – extra smart! (If you do this too, make sure you perform an internal backup first – it adds extra convenience and security to your backup procedures.)