The overwhelming number of small businesses fail after losing their companys data through fires, virus attacks and other disasters yet having IT back-up is all that distinguishes most of the businesses who sink or survive, according to a computer expert. Richard Zybert, of Zybert Computing, Edgbaston, Birmingham, has many years experience in helping firms with disaster recovery, and is clear about what decides their fate.
He said: There is a real pressure on businesses to protect their IT, especially after the fire at the Buncefield oil depot in Hertfordshire, in December, highlighted problems around this. Small businesses are criticised for not backing up their data, as 8 out of 10 SMEs lack contemporaneous back-up. Survival depends on speed of recovery, which relies on recovering lost data."
But this is not fair, because no-one is offering them a solution that fits their needs.
Most recent figures show that 38 per cent of companies either do not back up data, or do not store back up offsite. Small and medium-sized companies are handling this risk by using Zybert Computings Z1 GEM computer which offers automatic backup every 24 hours, archive of old files, and an off-site disk that will boot and run in a computer which is located safely in another office.
The legal imperative for efficient email archival, to meet Freedom of Information Act requirements, makes this a priority for all businesses; but protecting data within legal practices is particularly important.
One small firm of solicitors in Llanelli, Wales, J. M. Parsons and Company, who set up just over five years ago, suffered inconvenience and downtime during the first three years. Solicitor Jeff Parsons said: We experienced innumerable problems with our server, until two years ago when we replaced the networked system with a Zybert server. Since, we have had no difficulties at all.
Another legal client who believed they had back-up, found that their system was unable to retrieve information when needed.
Richard Zybert, of Zybert Computing, said: Back-up can be easy; but recovering the information can be difficult, without the right system. What businesses we have talked to are really worried about is losing their data because someone made a mistake. And it is important for them that they don't spend manpower on any of this.
The Z1 system solves data problems (whether people or software corrupting or deleting files, disk failures or simple human errors - previous versions of all files are available immediately) and allows businesses to start again quickly after a disaster.
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