Your business information is the only asset that cannot be easily replaced if things go wrong. A good backup system protects this valuable business asset.

In basic terms, a backup system takes a copy of your vital information and stores it in a different location to the original files. Therefore if something bad should happen to the original files you can go to your backup to retrieve the information from the last time a copy was made.

If you are serious about your data then you need to make sure that you have an automated, secure backup which is taken off site, at least, on a daily basis.

Traditional methods are normally based around some form of tape system but these can be slow and suffer from frequent mechanical breakdown.

The modern approach is to use a specialist online backup service, which automatically makes a copy of your data and stores it offsite on our securely encrypted servers. You don’t have to do anything, it just happens and reports back whether it worked or not.

So you have invested in a good backup system and you’re making sure your backups are taken off site with multiple copies of your data secured at different locations.

BUT how do you know that the data can be retrieved? Have you tried to do a restore? Have you seen whether or not you can get any of that data back?

It’s a common issue. Typically because the backup process runs and you receive a notification that it completed successfully it is easy to assume that should a disaster strike that your data would be easily retrieved.

Unfortunately this is not always the case for various reasons, such as the data may have not been selected to backup in the first instance or a problem may have occurred which has affected the system or notification. The only way to really know for sure that the backup system is working correctly is to regularly test it.

We recommend that you should test the restore process at least once every quarter (monthly would be better). It is only then that you’ll know that, should the unfortunate happen, you’re actually going to be able to get your information back quickly and reliably.

All software developers provide regular updates to their products including operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS X, and applications like Microsoft Office or Sage.

These updates typically include security updates, bug fixes and in some cases functionality improvements.

By keeping your software up-to-date you will benefit from the latest support and stability improvements.

Typically these are free for the version of software you own, however some developers will only provide updates if you have a valid maintenance plan for the software.

Many small businesses opt to use a friend or family member to support their business IT systems – and the reason is simple.

Although a friendly offer to help you out from a “tech savvy” friend seems like a really good way to save some money it invariably means that you will be at the end of the queue to their job, family or free time.

Using your friend often means you can only get support at evenings and weekends, you have no support when they are ill or on holiday, you feel awkward asking them for help, and if they give the wrong advice – it can hinder your business growth.

Often for the friend, the task at hand can become a much larger they first expected, which leads to them wanting to stop the arrangement, placing pressure on their relationship.

With professional dedicated IT support being really good value for money these days, there is really no business reason why you shouldn’t have professional business IT support available when you need it.

A business IT system needs regular maintenance, health checks and tune-ups to make sure it’s running at its peak efficiency.

To prolong the life of your business asset you should:

1. Make sure that your computers are not low on disk space.

2. Make sure that your processor isn’t over utilised.

3. Check that dust hasn’t built up in the system.

Also, make sure that temporary files, cookies and other things clogging the system are kept to a minimum.

Regular computer maintenance is something that is over looked by most organisations but it is essential to prevent many simple and recurring problems.

It’s advised that you dedicate someone to ensuring tasks like the backups have run, antivirus are updated and free disk space usage is reasonable.

These days the Internet is riddled with software that wants to obtain your credit card details, damage your PC’s and try to sell you products that you don’t want. Viruses, spyware and email spam is now a common daily occurrence and if you haven’t got sufficient security software on your system then your business is at risk.

To combat these threats you need to make sure you have installed a powerful suite of security software developed by a leading manufacturer (we recommend Sophos, but McAfee, Kaspersky and Trend etc. are other alternatives). The software should include products to deal with viruses, spam and spyware at the very minimum.

Typically these products will come with an annual subscription package, which if you allow them to expire, means you are no longer protected. New viruses are released every single day and if you’re not keeping your product up-to-date then you are not going to be protected from the latest threats.

We have seen many computer systems damaged, costing hundreds of pounds to repair because someone didn’t spend £30-£40 on a good piece of security software or didn’t ensure it was updating correctly.

Your password is your digital identity on your computer and the Internet. It is the only way that a computer system can identify that it’s actually you. Choosing a weak password such as your mother’s maiden name, your dog’s name, or your date of birth should be avoided. Strong passwords comprise of characters that are not easily recognisable.

A good suggestion for creating strong passwords incorporate using a minimum of eight alphanumeric characters, a mixture of lower and upper case letters and use symbols such as “&”or “£” to mask some of the characters.

Dictionary attacks are very common these days – meaning that a hacker uses a tool that tries every single word known in the English or a foreign dictionary as your password. If you use a proper word as your password, this type of attack is very effective and will compromise your security very quickly.

Strong passwords are the first line of defence when ensuring your computer security is adequate. It is also advisable to have different passwords for each system/service you log in to, thus if your password is compromised on one system it will not give automatic access to any others.

Taking the time to write a disaster recovery plan for your business is essential. The plan should look in to all areas of how your business will continue trading should something happen which will affect it trading effectively.

IT and telecoms will be part of the plan and will be what we focus on here. However the full plan should cover all aspects of your business including premises, stock, stationary, insurance etc.

A disaster does not have to mean an end-of-the-world scenario.

Any of the following events could have a major impact on whether your business can continue trading:

• Theft of IT equipment.
• Fire or flood in your place of business.
• Extended power cut.
• Equipment failure.
• Internet or telephone line failure.

A good plan will be written so that anyone can follow it. It should include what to do should a problem occur whilst you are not contactable so that whoever is in charge can act appropriately.

IT is a constant evolving process; it is a widely regarded fact that IT systems are out of date between three and five years after purchase.

If you don’t have a budget for those impending upgrades or you don’t give any thought to it, then you could come up with some unexpected costs impacting on your cash flow.

Upgrades are not only relevant to hardware such as computers and servers but also software including productivity software (e.g. Microsoft Office), accountancy software, and databases.

Eventually all versions of hardware and software will become discontinued and new versions will supersede them. You need to have a good grasp of putting aside a budget on a regular basis for future IT upgrades.

The other advantage to having a planned upgrade cycle and budget is that as you replace your equipment you will get the benefits of the upgraded systems, including warranties, enhanced security features and new functionality – not to mention the speed and productivity increases!

When it comes to security, your money and your systems, employees may not have the same vigilance as they do on their own systems or home computers.

For example; a little while ago we had a customer whose bookkeeper was sent a fake email supposedly from their bank asking them to confirm a payment of £10,271.18. These types of fraud are known as ‘phishing’ scams. The bookkeeper was alarmed as the amount / payment was unknown to her, so she clicked on the link in the email which directed her to what looked like her legitimate banking website. On entering her login details a message appeared stating the bank’s systems were down for maintenance and to try again in 30 minutes

.The bookkeeper was hesitant but waited about 20 minutes and tried again, this time using a link she had as a bookmark in her Internet browser. On logging in successfully she found that 15 minutes earlier “SHE” had logged into the account and transferred over £35,000 to another account she knew nothing about! Try imagining her next conversation with her employer and then trying to convince the police “SHE” hadn’t committed the crime!

The simple advice is make sure that your employees are aware of the types of security scams that are out there.