One of the most overlooked facets of the company information technology structure is an appropriate backup and disaster recovery system. If your company does not have an adequate backup system, you are putting your digital assets at great risk. There are affordable backup and data recovery systems in every price range, so even companies with limited budgets can afford an elementary system at the very least. Also many computer services firms now offer backup and data recovery systems as integral parts of their managed IT services.

Here are the top 10 questions to answer when pondering the right backup and data recovery system:

1. What do I do if I delete a file I need?
2. Is my email stored and secured?
3. What if my computer crashes? Even if my data is backed up how long will it take me to rebuild my computer to a working state?
4. Is all of my backup data located in the same physical location?
5. Will a catastrophe wipe out my backup solution i.e. an earthquake?
6. Does my business rely on any one system for important functions? How long can my business operate without a functioning system? Does my current backup solution accomodate that expectation?
7. Does anyone I work with know how to recover information if I need to use my backups that are in place?
8. Are my backups tested so I know they work?
9. Are my backups monitored so I know if they are ever failing?
10. Is the backup data media (i.e. hard drives or tapes) transferred in a secure, controlled manor since it contains all data for my entire business?

These questions covers about one-fourth of the questions that you should review when it comes to a practical backup and disaster recovery system so if you haven’t asked yourself these questions, start today!  If you are confused, contact a local computer services provider which should be able to assist your company.