Crisis On the Homefront
By Lisa
Reddell
Viruses, spam and system
crashes are just some of the challenges that online business
owners face on a daily basis. But there is another challenge
that many online entrpreneurs may overlook.
Across the
globe, Mother Nature wreaks havoc with monsoons, tornadoes,
hurricanes, and earthquakes. Would one of these natural
disasters create a crisis on the homefront for your e-biz? What
would you do? Are you prepared for the
worst?
Recently, a natural disaster hit my
town. Seventy to eighty mile per hour straightline winds ripped
through Cheney
Kansas. The damage left in the wake of the storm was
unfathonable. The town was
in shambles. It really got me to thinking about how it would
have effected my business
if the storm has destroyed my home. Since I work from home, the
destruction would
have likely taken my business down as well. Looking over my
files on my computer,
just my documents folder alone is 336 megabytes. That”s not
including my website,
graphics and the other tons of files I have.
I
remembered reading an editorial
from an ezine recently that spoke of online back up services. I
decided that an online
back up service would be worth looking into. After all, how
would I recover from
a tornado or flood, if it destroyed my home and business?
Computers can be replaced,
but what about the data and files? After a quick search using
the keywords “online backup”
and “online storage” (without the quotes I had a starting
point for my research.
What I found was a cornucopia of options, from pricey to quite
reasonable in regards to fees.
I chose the companies at random after careful consideration of
features included,
security issues, and amount of storage verses cost. The
companies I chose, in no
certain order are as follows:
target=_blank>http://www.bullguard.com/antivirus/backup.aspx
Free trial – no
$39.99/year/10 MB
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.backup.com/
Free trial period the first 30 days
$49.95/year/50 MB
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.streamload.com/
30 day free trial
$4.95/mo/3000 MB
Type – storage
target=_blank>http://www.usdatatrust.com/service/default.asp
30 day free trial
$199/month/5 GB
$150 activation fee
** Online information kit – very helpful
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.iomega.com/istorage/
30 day free trial
$2.49/mo/50 MB
Type – storage/back up
target=_blank>http://www.xdrive.com/features/backup.jsp
15 day free trial
$9.95/mo/500 MB
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.filesanywhere.com/Features.htm
30 day free trial
$8.95/mo/500 MB
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.ibackup.org/
(back up only)
30 day free trial
$14.95/mo/4 GB
Type – back up
target=_blank>http://www.ezbackup.com/
30 day free trial
$9.95/mo/250 MB
Type – back up
How does one know exactly how much storage one needs? Well,
that”s a good question.
I recommend that if you use your PC on a regular basis, you
probably have between
100 to 500MB of data to protect. You should only backup files
that you can not easily
replace. These files are usually created or named by you. Do
backup documents,
financial files and pictures, etc. Don”t backup operating
system files or applications. A
good starting point in determining your storage requirements is
your “My Documents”
folder. To do this, right click “My Documents” and select
properties. The size
displays on the General tab. Take a look at other folders or
files you want to protect
in a similar manner to determine your storage requirements. You
can always upgrade
or downgrade your account.
I would not recommend using
an online service in the direct
vicinity in which you live. If your community is hit by a
natural disaster, chances are, your back up service would be
affected also. Location of your back up service should be a key
consideration in protecting your data and files.
So, are
you prepared for a disaster on the
home front? If not, you should be. Take control of your online
business. Don”t wait
until its too late to take action.
Lisa Note: It is my
most sincere desire that
this article has made you go hmmm…and answered questions
about online services
available that can be utilized to protect an important
investment. Your business.
