Where is Your Laptop Data?

In the previous installments of this series, questions were presented that the small business owner should ask himself/herself when thinking about busines continuity planning. And some suggestions have been offered about how to answer those questions. But the big question everyone asks is "what about my data?"

I know some of you would rather talk about what you’re going to do about your data, mostly because that’s what you think about when you think disaster recovery or business continuity. I’ll give in – just a little bit. But there is a whole lot more to continuing your business than backing up your information. Unless your entire business is information, of course.

What is done about backing up data depends greatly on what type of data it is, how it is used, and how it is stored. Is the business web-based? If it is, do you host your own site on servers at your location, or is it hosted elsewhere?

Another consideration is your type of IT support. As a small business, are you large enough to have IT support on site? Or do you use a technical services company? Do you have servers at your location, or is your organization small enough that you are doing all of your work either: a) on a laptop or: b) in the cloud (think Google docs)? If you’re doing it all on a laptop you carry with you, you don’t have regular IT support, and you’re not already backing up your data, you’re asking for trouble!

That laptop is going to be the topic of today’s discussion. Laptop security is a topic that merits an entire book of its own. If you have a laptop, chances are you’re carrying it with you everywhere you go. Due to its portability, a laptop is often the ideal computer for a small business owner. Unfortunately, that portability can also be a laptop’s downfall.

So many things can happen to a laptop, some being exclusive to laptops. Spilling a drink in your keyboard on a workstation only gets the keyboard wet. Spilling a drink on the keyboard of your laptop can fry the laptop. Drop the laptop, and any number of things can happen, from a broken screen to a damaged hard drive (although that happens less now with newer technologies).  A laptop can be easily stolen, and are more often in places where they are accessible to thieves. Taking your laptop on a flight somewhere? Today’s TSA inspections can damage computers or erase data…or the inspectors can confiscate your computer at will. Do you use public wifi at coffee shops, restaurants or other locations? Your data could be at a higher risk due to hacking or infection at those locations.  The list of risks is exhaustive. But the portability of that laptop is why you have it, right? Well then, what about that data?

Data back ups for laptops are a requirement, given the multitude of risks listed above. Laptop data can be handled in several ways. There are online back up services that can store copies of your data. Some, like Mozy, offer you the ability to automate back ups, so your computer does the work without your input. Data storage is cloud-based (meaning it is uploaded through the internet to servers somewhere else), so when looking at these sorts of solutions, make sure to check into how they secure your upload/download process. Also consider their options for restoring data back onto a computer from the web. How simple is the process, and how fast.  Costs vary, depending on the amount of data you need to store.

Perhaps you have another computer in your office or you want to store back up files on a portable hard drive. This can be done as well, and avoids cloud storage. Some people would rather not trust web-based storage. That’s perfectly acceptable. Backing up data to your own server, a separate computer or portable hard drive requires a little more technical know-how, depending on what operating system you are using, but it can be done. Windows 7 pro can even schedule automated backups to a portable hard drive, with just a little input from the user. Or – if you have IT support, ask them for assistance.

If you’re traveling often, remember issues can arise with airport security. Cloud storage can be useful for the small business owner in these situations. Some solutions are designed so the storage is more like file synchronization. A copy of the data is made on the computer, put in a folder, and the folder automatically synchronizes with a server when it is connected to the internet. Other solutions (think Google Docs) are totally web-based, so none of your data is actually stored on the computer. In both cases, having an internet connection where ever you intend to work is required in order for them to work properly. But, your data is accessible anywhere you work, and from any computer, as long as you have an internet connection.

These are just a few solutions for recovering data for the laptop user. If you’re planning for business continuity/disaster recovery and your business is run mostly from laptops, laptop data back up will be an integral part of your plan.

Planning, Part Deux (Two)

There’s a lot more to be said about continuity planning. By now, hopefully you’ve taken a look at your surroundings and made a list of business interruption events – along with some avoidance or recovery thoughts. Don’t worry that you don’t have all the answers – or that you haven’t thought of every possible issue that could arise. This list isn’t set in stone. It is very flexible and can have information added at any time.

This is important to remember about continuity planning. Never expect your plan to be permanent. As your business changes, as your environment changes, so will your plan. Expect to revisit your plan every time you make a major change, and at least once a year to catch the changes you might have missed.

So you have your list of business interruption events. You have maybe even come up with some thoughts about how to avoid the events or what to do to recover from them. Great! If you have blank spaces for event recovery or avoidance, now is the time to talk to someone in the know about those particular types of events and find out what can be done.

Not sure about where your employees will work if the building is unavailable? Do you have more than one location? Some operations could be temporarily moved to another location within the company. If not, check with vendors or customers and see about reciprocal agreements. A reciprocal agreement is sometimes used between two companies to allow sharing of facilities in case one or the other experiences a facilities loss. Although competitors sometimes offer space in times of great need, this is more often seen between vendors and customers, or two unlike businesses that have similar needs. There are also companies whose sole business is to provide work space. This comes at a cost, of course.

What if the event is a power outage? Do you shut down and go home? Or do you wait it out? Is it just your building or area-wide? Do your servers and workstations have battery back up? Remember, the batteries are only meant to keep computers running long enough to save current work and shut down safely. Also consider your phone system. IP phones and their powered switches will also be affected by a power outage.  How about a water main break? If the water company calls and says they have to shut off the water to your building, how long can you stay open? Is there an alternative to closing?

Has anyone noticed I haven’t mentioned backing up data yet?  That’s because data is just a small part of your plan. Your people and processes should be among your first thoughts in a recovery situation. Without people, your business cannot run (unless you’re a business of one). Next up - Data.

Planning

Do you have a small business? What are you doing to ensure your business will be able to continue after a major (or minor) disaster event? How many days can your business be down and still recover?

How sensitive is your business to the loss of location? How about a power outage that would last several days? Is your business highly computerized – is it sensitive to hacking or virus attacks? Do you back up your data monthly, weekly, or daily? Where are those back ups stored?

Is your business web based? Where is your website hosted? Do you have a back up plan in place if your host goes down?

These are all important questions to ask. We all know about the big events – 9/11, Katrina, the Midwestern floods of 2008 to name a few. Some small business owners have taken these big disasters into consideration. We hear every day about fires all around the country that destroy businesses. It happens. Web servers are hacked – bank accounts are attacked.

Being “in the business” of continuity, I sometimes forget that not everyone is as aware of what can damage their business as I am. When I watch the news or read an article online – I see the potential for a business interruption. And then I start thinking about what can be done to reduce or eliminate the interruption from that cause.

Having a plan in place is like having an insurance policy. You buy the policy with the hope that you will never need to use it, but knowing it is there gives you a little bit of security.

Like that insurance policy, once the plan is created it needs an occasional review and update. Testing is as important as planning. Updating to cover changes in the business and new threats is as important as testing.

If you don’t have any plan at all – start small. Get some basics in place. Make sure your computers/servers/websites are backed up. Assure those back ups are being stored offsite. If you’re not technical, build a relationship with a business that can help you.

Look around your business (inside and out) and determine what sort of events could threaten your business. Put it on paper. Create a simple table – put the threats you discover in one column, and what you could do to avoid those threats or recover from incidents in another column.

And just like that, you’ve begun to plan.