Is it a distressing but inherent fact of life that computer systems can go wrong. Failure can take many forms: software bugs or problems, hardware device failure, viral attach - the list goes on and on. Whilst every effort to minimise these problems can and should be made, sometimes the situation is caused by entirely unforseen circumstances. Theft of equipment, fire, or even something as mundane as a burst water pipe in the office upstairs can cause enormous disruption.

When contemplating such an event, the immediate tendency is to consider the value of the damaged hardware. But this is normally covered by insurance, and in any case, the replacement cost is generally insignificant compared to the primary threat: loss of your data.

A reliable backup system is essential in any situation where data (be it accounting, email, intellectual property, or customer records) is crucial to the running of your organisation. For many companies, a simple nightly backup of the servers onto a magnetic tape, which is then stored offsite for a period of a fortnight or so, is sufficient to mitigate all these risks.

For very small organisations, the backup can take place at the end of the working week, with a cd-rom being recorded manually, containing copies of all users' data and emails.

Larger institutions may prefer a managed online (internet) solution, to move this mission-critical process into the hands of a specialist company.

Whatever solution suits you, it is essential that an absolutely reliable and stable system is in place. The safety of your organisation depends upon it. Dean & Hilton specialises in all types of backup systems, and we can recommend and implement a solution that is correct for you.