Fact Sheet (Oct 2007): Ways to Protect Your Data
Fact Sheets
Thursday, 18 October 2007
PDF version

As mentioned in the previous newsletter (http://vistech-it.com/Fact-Sheet-Aug-2007-Hard-Drive-Failures.php), computer data has become an indispensable asset in today's organizations.  Since this is the case, it would make sense to implement measures that would help protect that valuable asset.  What are some ways the goal of data protection could be accomplished?

First of all, any computer that holds important data should be connected to a good surge protector and uninterruptible power supply (UPS).  The surge protector will protect the electronics of the computer by filtering the power coming into it.  A UPS does an even better job at filtering the power, plus in the event of a power outage, it will continue to supply power to the computer for a certain amount of time.  (One of the enemies of data integrity is shutting down a computer abruptly, by having it power off suddenly.)  

Secondly, good antivirus and antispam software should be loaded on each computer.  This software should be configured to perform on-the-fly scanning of files, and to fetch updates automatically.

Thirdly, users should be educated on safe computing habits.  Users should be careful with regards to which web sites they visit, which software they download, and which software they load on their computers.  User accounts should be configured so that the users only have the necessary rights they would need to accomplish the tasks they are required to perform.  (This single step goes a long way in preventing many computer problems.)

And lastly, a backup scheme should be implemented that would, at a minimum, automatically back up critical data files periodically onto a different medium (such as a tape drive or an external hard drive).  Also, creating a “clean image” of each computer would greatly hasten recovery time in the event of a hard drive crash or serious data corruption.

The next Fact Sheet will explore in more detail simple data backup schemes that should be implemented on every computer in your organization.  If you would like to discuss ideas on how to protect your organization's data, please contact VisTech IT Solutions, LLC at 440-281-4498 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thank you for reading!