First, a reminder… Don’t forget to organize all your “B” files today (as described in the Alphabet Strategy post a few days ago).   Now on to our next letter…

Dec 2.  “B” is for Backup

In most businesses today, there are so many files on our computers that represent hundreds or even thousands of hours of effort.  In some cases, the information is simply irreplaceable. 

If you have ever looked at the insides of a hard disk, you know that they are very complicated mechanical devices.  They are also very reliable but “very” is not the same as “100%”.

That is why you must have a BACKUP strategy that protects this very valuable asset.  The first step in my opinion is to make a list of all the information that is on your computer that needs to be preserved…

A side note, I NEVER let my family (or anyone) touch my work computer, even for a quick search.  There is too much danger of an inadvertent spill or accident– and the resulting loss of data.  Or they could pickup a virus.  They all have access to their own computers so there is no reason to use mine.  I explained why this is the case to them a long time ago and it is just a rule. 

My list includes:

§       password data (saved in Roboform files)

§       contacts list and notes (in Act)

§       financial records (Quicken files and spreadsheets)

§       e-Mail files (Outlook files)

§       Spreadsheets (Excel spreadsheets)

§       Websites (XSitePro files)

§       Word documents (including Corporate veil Pro)

§       Audio recordings (Corporate Veil Pro, and Bold Calling, assorted other MP3s)

§       Photographs (family and business)

§       Videos (testimonials)

§       Etc…

You should do this list to wake yourself up to the danger that you are in if that $100 hard drive decides that it is tired and wants to retire…

There are several good ways to backup your system, and it is beyond the scope of this post to give you specific advice.  I know that a lot of people like to use off-site backups from people like Carbonite which offers a popular $50 a year service with a Free Trial Offer. 

They keep track of all the changes on your computer so that it can quickly back everything up.  ( I have signed up for their affiliate program and I will change the above to an affiliate link as soon as I am approved, but don’t let that stop you from clicking on the above now, and starting your free trial, this is too important to wait).

Other people get external hard drives (like the Iomega Prestige 1 TeraByte Ext Hard Drive) and just backup their information locally, either by selecting the files to backup manually or using a software program.  It is your choice, but do something now to get your most vital data to a safe place.

As part of the Asset Defenses line of information products, I plan to add a product on Laptop and Computer Security for the small business owner in the next 3 months… I will interview experts and give more detailed advice at that time…   What are your thoughts on this?

Tomorrow, we will move to “C” and we will be discussing “Cashflow”…