How
to protect your HR Files (employee records), accounting files and other
electronic information…
By:
Keith Green, Mastermind Data
How important is your information to your
survival in business?
The one thing we need the most in our day
to day routines is our information.
Everything we do from emailing to writing
estimates, accounting, to employee relations (discipline letters, personal
information, payroll, etc.) is performed on a computer and stored on hard
drives. We are connected to the internet
and each other in so many ways that to lose that continuous thread is not only
time consuming but can be fatal to your business.
So how do we put a disaster plan in place
in case all or part of our infrastructure is disrupted?
There are 3 rules to ensure the protection
of your business’ information:
- Backup
- Backup often
- Backup Right.
So how do you protect your data with the
least amount of effort?
Contract your IT supplier and ask the
following questions …
- Am I backing up my critical information? Docs, Databases, accounting
etc.
- How often and to what devices?
- Is it being removed offsite?
- Have you performed a restore lately to see if we are able to get
back up and running in a timely manner?
Answers
- If yes, you need to pick what data is critical and what you can do
without. If no, you need to make it a
priority to install a system that is within budget and covers your possible
losses.
- Check your backup schedules. Make sure you have the latest
technology to handle your needs and your best recovery times. Some systems take
a long time to recover. Determine how quickly you need to be back up and
running. Example: 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks from a total melt down of your IT
infrastructure.
- If you are transporting your data offsite you need to be aware of several situations that can arise from poor planning and a lack of knowledge.
- Tapes are the most
common media
available to transport off site but
they are not encrypted, can fall into the
wrong hands and are
very susceptible
- Online Backup services are available over the internet from dozens of websites and provide an easy, fast and convenient way to backup all of your data automatically without the fuss and expense of tapes, hard drives, etc.
You need to keep the following in mind when investigating an online backup service:
- Where is my information being stored?
- Ask the address of the data centre and
suite number. If they hesitate and
give you the lame excuse that is a secret for security reasons, it is
likely they are storing your private information in another country
because it’s cheaper and they really aren’t concerned about your
information being secure.
- Your data must be kept in Canada, under
our privacy legislation and the backup company must be owned and operated
by a Canadian owned company, otherwise it may be stored off shore.
- Is it secure?
- Your data must be stored in a PHIPA
(Personal Health Information Protection Act) & PIPEDA (Personal
Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) compliant facility
and have 24/7 guard and fire protection along with the most up to-date
encryption technology.
- Trust - is the company local and part of
your IT support or business community or did you like their website and
they said they were secure?
4. Make sure you do a routine restore of your backed up information to
insure a swift recovery and peace of mind that your data is being backed up right.
I hope this gives you a heads up to the
importance of backing up on of your most valuable assets - “your information”.
Mastermind
provides global backup solutions that protect your data under Canadian Privacy
laws. Designed to provide IT professionals with a comprehensive and complete
backup solution for their workplace and customers.
For more information please
call:
Keith Green
Mastermind Data Corporation
Inc.
Direct line 1.888.628.1882
keith@mastermindata.com
www.mastermindbackup.com
