| New technologies and recent storm reports
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| | prepared for a disaster will reopen their
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| have forced many companies to review
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| | doors. Some of the less fortunate
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| disaster recovery plans and data
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| | businesses did not have their data
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| protection policies.Hurricanes striking
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| | (backup tape) in an off-site location or
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| the Gulf Coast and Eastern seashore have
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| | had it in a nearby location that was also
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| a significant impact on the businesses
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| | devastated by the same disaster. Even
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| operating in their path. Hurricanes
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| | with a disaster recovery plan in place,
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| Katrina and Rita have IT managers and
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| | companies are still faced with the
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| company owners all over the United States
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| | possibility that their data cannot be
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| evaluating or creating disaster recovery
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| | restored due to corrupted data on disks
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| plans. They recognize the need to be
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| | or tapes. The following passage,
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| prepared for what would otherwise be a
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| | retrieved from the National Archives and
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| devastating scenario.Many companies that
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| | Records Administration in Washington,
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| were very diligent in protecting their
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| | D.C., is an eye-opening statistic
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| data to tape or disk onsite found their
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| | regarding business continuity. 93% of
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| offsite protection was inadequate. Some
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| | companies that lost their data center for
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| had a total data loss as a direct
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| | 10 days or more due to a disaster filed
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| consequence of a natural disaster. An
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| | for bankruptcy within one year of the
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| example of this occurred in Houston, when
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| | disaster. 50% of businesses that found
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| Tropical Storm Allison hit in June 2001.
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| | themselves without data management for
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| The threat this storm posed was widely
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| | this same time period filed for
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| dismissed. No one foresaw the disastrous
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| | bankruptcy immediately. Companies that
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| impact it would have on Houston
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| | backup their data to a secure off-site
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| businesses. During the height of the
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| | location can move their operations to a
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| storm, the basements of many corporate,
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| | new location and continue their business
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| governmental and medical buildings
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| | as usual. The companies who are prepared
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| flooded. The basements of these buildings
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| | with a comprehensive disaster recovery
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| housed power equipment, computer
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| | plan, including an offsite backup of
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| mainframes, and data storage for medical
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| | there data, are much better prepared to
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| research. Many of these basements were
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| | deal with a catastrophe. Those companies
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| connected by tunnels and walkways, so
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| | will be the ones that endure this type of
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| when one basement flooded, the adjacent
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| | extreme event.When choosing or evaluating
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| buildings flooded as well. This created a
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| | your backup solution, pay particular
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| disastrous domino effect that either
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| | attention to the type of media you are
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| damaged or completely destroyed computer
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| | using.A nationwide study has shown
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| rooms. Years of tape and data storage of
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| | that:Over 34% of companies do not test
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| medical research were lost.In this
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| | their backups and of those that tested
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| instance, inadequate preparation caused
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| | 77% found their tape backups fail to
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| data recovery to be expensive or
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| | recover. (Storage Magazine) Nearly 50% of
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| impossible. Many of the organizations
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| | tape-based backup fail to restore
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| affected by this disaster have made
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| | correctly. (Gartner Group) Tape-based
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| changes to their infrastructure and
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| | backup systems are difficult to
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| disaster recovery plans. Moving
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| | administer, and as you can see from the
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| centralized computer systems and
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| | above statistics, often fail to restore
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| emergency power backup equipment out of
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| | your data. Tapes appear to be a sturdy
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| the basements was a starting point. Most
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| | media on the surface; however, according
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| of these organizations have also
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| | to an industry leading tape
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| incorporated remote data backup into
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| | manufacturer's specifications, tapes must
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| their disaster recovery plan. Several of
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| | be stored between 41 and 89 degrees and
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| these high profile stories were from
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| | 20-60 percent relative humidity. Tape
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| large Fortune 500 companies that have
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| | rotations require human intervention, and
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| money and resources to recover from a
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| | with that you get inherent errors and a
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| disaster. Small and medium businesses
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| | flawed process.If you choose to use tape
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| must plan ahead if they are to survive a
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| | to store your data, make sure your tapes
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| site disaster.Here are some things to
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| | are safe and working with the following
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| think about when putting together a
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| | procedures:Clean your tape drives once a
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| disaster recovery plan. It is by no means
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| | month. Replace tape media regularly.
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| a comprehensive list; each business has
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| | Rotate your backup tapes off-site every
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| its unique requirements:Prioritize your
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| | night via a bonded vaulting provider,
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| business needs and identify each class of
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| | while keeping them close enough that they
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| data. Determine which services need to be
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| | are easily accessible. Test and restore
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| restored immediately and which ones are
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| | once a month. Keep at least a 20 quantity
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| less critical.Mission CriticalBusiness
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| | backup rotation.Have easy access to your
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| CriticalOperationally important Once
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| | backup software if you have to re-install
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| you've established the relative priority
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| | it. Make sure your data is fully
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| of your business applications you need to
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| | encrypted before being written to tape.
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| determine your recovery objectives for
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| | The main risk of using tape systems is
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| each category of data. Recovery Time
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| | that they can malfunction, but appear to
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| Objective (RTO) - The time objective to
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| | be working. All indications are that
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| bring the system back on line following a
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| | backups were successful until you try to
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| failureRecovery Point Objective (RPO) -
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| | restore. If you want to continue to use
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| The acceptable amount of data loss from
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| | tapes as your primary backup, consider
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| the last good backup prior to the point
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| | using an off-site backup service as a
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| of failureIdentify potential data loss
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| | secondary backup solution, just in case
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| events that can happen to your business.
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| | your primary backup system fails.
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| Develop a plan to minimize the impact of
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| | Remember, redundancy is the key to data
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| these events.File loss (83%) - Due to
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| | protection. Most of our clients were not
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| human error, overwrite, etc.File loss
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| | aware a cost effective automated off-site
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| (10%) - Due to corruption from viruses,
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| | data protection solution existed. Some
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| application error, etc.Storage loss (5%)
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| | were not convinced they needed to store
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| - Failure of primary storage, corrupt
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| | their data off-site in a safe and secure
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| raid, bad hard drive, etc.Site loss (2%)
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| | location. A fireproof safe seems like a
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| - Site disaster, fire, flooding,
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| | good location to store your tapes, but
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| etc.Server loss (1%) - CPU failure,
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| | two problems exist with that solution.
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| theft, various catastrophes, etc.Create a
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| | First, in the event of a fire, your
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| chart or correlation that identifies the
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| | office will be inaccessible for several
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| recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) for
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| | days while the fire marshal determines
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| each class of application relative to the
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| | the cause. Secondly, fireproof safes are
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| scope of the data loss event. For
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| | not necessarily water proof and tapes
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| instance, a lost file may have a RTO of
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| | that are exposed to damp or wet
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| 15 minutes. If the file is lost due to a
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| | conditions may not be readable.Off-site
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| site disaster, the first 4 hours may be
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| | data vaulting is not just for large
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| dedicated to the safety of your employees
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| | companies with multiple data centers. It
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| and your data RTO may be hours or days
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| | is a data protection strategy that should
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| instead of minutes. Define your backup
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| | be employed by all organizations
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| system in accordance with your data
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| | regardless of their size. Secure Backup's
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| recovery goals and budget. Determine what
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| | off-site data vaulting service can scale
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| data needs to be backed up and how many
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| | to meet all of the data protection needs
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| generations you need to store.Establish a
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| | in your customer's environment, whether
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| backup schedule to meet your recovery
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| | it is preserving and protecting an
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| objectives.Maintain a copy of your back
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| | individual PC or the corporate server
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| up data offsite that will meet your data
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| | farm. This scalability combined with the
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| recovery goals. For example, if you can
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| | automated remote vaulting of data creates
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| only afford to lose 24 hours worth of
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| | a powerful data protection solution that
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| data then taking a tape offsite every
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| | plays a key role in your customer's
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| Friday does not meet that goal.Designate
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| | disaster recovery planning.In conclusion,
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| an emergency response team and educate
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| | data storage and disaster recovery are
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| them on their role in bringing the
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| | two important factors in managing
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| company back online after a disaster.Make
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| | business continuity. Today companies
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| a list of emergency contact information
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| | cannot operate without their business
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| for all employees. Make sure you know how
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| | applications and data. Owners and
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| to contact them and they know how to
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| | managers of businesses, who do not place
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| contact you.Make a list of critical
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| | a high value on the importance of their
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| vendors and their emergency contact
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| | company's data, risk the financial future
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| information.Make a list of vendors for
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| | and viability of the organization. The
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| replacement computer and operating
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| | company's historical and current data is
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| equipment that is necessary to resume
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| | its life blood. Without data protection
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| business.Make a list of possible
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| | and disaster recovery policies in place,
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| replacement sites.Disaster recovery
| |
| | a company risks the possibility of not
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| planning and advanced data protection is
| |
| | being able to recover from a data loss
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| not just for large companies. Businesses
| |
| | event. Whether it is caused by human
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| of all sizes have become increasingly
| |
| | error, a disgruntled employee, hardware
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| dependent on data for their very
| |
| | or software failures, or even worse, a
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| existence. A large number of the
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| | fire or natural disaster, you need to be
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| companies affected by the recent
| |
| | prepared.Mike Colesante is a writer at
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| hurricanes were small to medium
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| | Terian Solutions and can be reached at
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| businesses. Only the ones that were
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| | 713-482-6900.
|
