More than most
other industries,
professional
speakers trade
in intellectual
property, which
is likely housed in a computer.
But what happens if that computer gets a virus, becomes damaged or crashes unexpectedly?
Is all of your data in a safe place
even now as you’re reading this
article?
I probably sound like your
mother telling you to clean your
room. A messy room, however,
doesn’t have the same disastrous
impact on your business as losing data. Think about operating
your business for even one day
without access to the information on your computer. Could
you send an email to your clients? How long would it take
to reproduce that workbook?
Will you be able to send the correct invoice on the first of the
month? Could you update your Web
site? I’m getting nervous just thinking
about it.
Backing up data is a pain. It takes
time, and it requires a storage device
that costs money. Where do you store
the backup device? The typical reaction
is to just hope nothing goes wrong.
So, what’s new? There have been
advances in backup capabilities that
make it easy to safely and efficiently
protect your intellectual property
and computer files. The most efficient approach I’ve found automatically backs up data every night to servers online. It doesn’t require storage
devices, cables or manual intervention.
The cost for storage is
only 15 cents per giga-byte. My monthly backup
charges average $3.50,
which is very inexpensive. Aside from the initial
download, which can take
a few days, and setting the
backup to occur in the middle of the night, the process
is virtually seamless.
By efficiently organizing
your working files on your
computer, you can segregate
the files that you transfer
to another machine, such
as a laptop, without having
to move all of the program
files. There are a number
of cost-effective external
hard drives that allow you
The most efficient approach I’ve found
to move data around effi-
automatically backs up data every
ciently. You can copy all of
the working files to exter-
night to servers online.
It’s very inexpensive for the peace of
mind you’ll gain by simply knowing
your data is safe and can be retrieved
if and when there is a technical breakdown or natural disaster at your office.
Although there are several alternatives available, my business uses a piece
of free software called Jungle Disk
( www.jungledisk.com) to manage the
process, and all of the data is stored on
Amazon’s servers. Yes, the same servers used by Amazon.com. The service
is called Amazon S3 for Simple Storage
Service. Jungle Disk works with multiple computers and walks you through
the setup process and creating your
account with Amazon. For more information, visit http://aws.amazon.com/s3/.
nal hard drives for transfer, thereby creating a bonus
second backup.
By taking the necessary measures,
you can easily and affordably protect
your intellectual property and stay in
the know—no matter what the fate of
your hardware.
Jim Canterucci, the author
of Personal Brilliance, is an
executive adviser and
professional speaker who
helps bring innovation from
the boardroom to implementation. He is
the founder of Transition Management
Advisors, whose clients include Fortune
500 companies. For more information,
contact Canterucci at jcan@corpchange.
com or http://MyPersonalBrilliance.com.
