Usually editors don't get so directly involved in a story. But as a cautionary tale about backing up data, it's difficult to avoid what happened with one home computer with a problem and the Dell attempts to solve it that ended up erasing every data file on the hard drive.After providing some assistance, the tech rep ran "System Restore" and called on the telephone. "Everything is working properly right?" "Well, I can't see a couple of folders,” I said. “In fact, I can't find a single data file." His action had wiped out all data files. Fortunately, all files were restored by utilizing ClickFree, which had cost me just under $100.
You can't have too much money, be too good looking or have too many backups and this summer's well publicized outages at Sage North America and Intuit showed that relying on online vendors is not fool proof.
But what are the best technologies for backup? There's old-fashioned tape, CDs and DVDs, online backup, and USB drives. And you don't just worry about office equipment; there's data on the wildly proliferating mobile devices.
"Since a backup is so important, I recommend using two methods, one online and one local," says Michelle Long, a QuickBooks ProAdvisor who operates Long for Success and M. Long Consulting in Lees Summit, Mo. She recommends users backup QuickBooks separately even if the business's network is backed up regularly.
"I had a client where the network backup would not restore - it had never been tested," she says. Veterans can testify that's hardly the first time that problem has been experienced. While the automatic backup of online services is helpful, Long also encourages clients to back up data locally.
For CPA David Cieslak, a partner with Sage reseller Arxis Technology of Simi Valley, Calif., the answer of which technology to use is all of the above.
"We are doing a combination of tape and an online service," he says. Essential data is backed up online with regular tape backups made of everything since the transfer speed of online systems is not likely to be good for terabytes of data.
Cieslak utilizes the Windows image back up "every month or two" with the hard drive image saved on an external device, such as a USB drive. Employees who carry laptops are given a USB drive and told it's their responsibility to store anything not safeguarded by network backups
Cieslak, who likes ClickFree for its simple operation, is also a fan of Good Sync, a Web-based utility that can automatically back up files and synchronize them between multiple devices and computers. GoodSync supports iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian.
GoodSync offers a downloadable free version along with GoodSync Pro. GoodSync and a mobile version GoodSync2Go are free for 30 days, and remain free for users with three or less backup/sync jobs and 100 or fewer files per job. GoodSync for Windows has a regular price of $29.95 for unlimited back up and synchronization and $9.95 for the second license.
Cieslak is also using a Web-based product called Dropbox for storing copies of all client folders and critical files in general. A basic account provides 2GB of free online storage. Cieslak notes this makes his files available no matter where he is and they can also be downloaded to a mobile phone.
"I travel with my netbook a fair and amount and it’s always synchronized to Drop Box. The synchronization is automatic," he says.
Dropbox also offers 50GB storage for $9.99 per month and 100GB for $19.99 per month. Cieslak is thinking of upgrading to one of the for-pay plans to store family photos. Among its file-sharing capabilities, Dropbox can automatically create shareable online photo galleries from folders of photos in a user's Dropbox.
Wayne Schulz, a CPA who operates Schulz Consulting in Glastonbury, Conn., is also a Dropbox fan and is using the free 2GB service, while a group of which he is a member uses another Web-based service, SugarSync.
SugarSync is utilized as file storage for all source disks. "Then, if a client calls and says they cannot find their original disks we can quickly send them a link via SugarSync and they download the full CD," he says. Schulz notes that SugarSync also supports the iPhone and Android systems.
"I've even sent clients a link to get disks while I've been pumping gas; it's that easy," he says.
Thirty GB of storage is available for $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year. There are plans for 60GB, 100GB and 250GB, the latter costing $24.99 per month or $250 per year. There's also an introductory rate of $39.99 per month and $399.99 per year for a 500GB plan. The company recently introduced SugarSync for Business, which provides 100GB of space for up to three users at $299.99 per month or $299.99 per year. The regular price is $49.99 per month and $449.99 per year.
Beyond that inexpensive USB hard disks are used by many of his sophisticated clients, although Schulz is quick to note that's not for mission-critical applications and data. There are USB drives with 2TB storage capacity at $100, he notes. For the Mac environment, Schulz likes Time Capsule, which he says, "backs up your data continuously while also acting as a wireless router."
