Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009 - (Page 16)

TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR ONLINE BACKUP PROVIDER 1. How secure is your data: Does your backup provider use encryption when they store your data? 2. Is the software easy to install? 3. Is the backup continuous or does your online backup service only back up ﬁ les when you tell it to? 4. Does your online backup service keep multiple versions of ﬁ les to prevent accidental backup of a corrupted ﬁ le? 5. Does your backup tool backup the whole ﬁ le every time it changes? 6. What happens if the backup gets interrupted, such as by Internet connection drop or power outage? 7. Will they delete your ﬁ les without asking? 8. Can you back up multiple PCs, servers, or networks or is there a charge per machine? 9. Does your backup service require you to buy more storage than you need, then what happens if you exceed your storage plan? 10. Will you be able to access your data remotely? for data needing to be stored long term, such as ﬁ nancial records for seven years. External portable USB or ﬁ rewire tape drives are available starting around $450, depending on capacity and ease of use. What if there was a way to get the fast, random access that CDs provide, but with the durability and permanence of tape? There is, as Hubbell again explains, “Some technologies bridge the gap with disk-based systems that virtualize the disk to look like tapes to popular tape management software. These virtual tape system (VTS) products look and feel like tape storage to your software, but have fast disk-speed access. VTS allows you to keep a local copy of recently stored data, while copying it also to tape for off-site and long-term storage.” Especially for those without an IT department, the trend towards online storage and disaster recovery plans is an attractive solution. Some software solution companies go one step further: not only can you outsource a company to backup your data, you can also purchase “hosted software,” where solutions that you purchase are housed at the company you purchase from. You do not have to worry about software installation, hardware or maintenance, yet your data is secure and someone else worries about the backups. Consider the total cost of ownership when deciding on a system. How much does the media cost? Is it scalable? Could I expand the system later if I needed to? How much would it cost for recovery of data? Does it require special knowledge for maintenance? Do you have to buy or upgrade software to use that particular hardware or medium? Sure, you already have the hardware to burn your data to CD, but how many CDs are you storing and how long will they last? “How do we restore data in case we have a failure?” When recovering after a virus crash, make sure your backups go back far enough before your system was infected. Archiving multiple versions of ﬁ les can prove invaluable in these situations. When recovering from a V First Air Valve with NSF/ANSI 61 Certiﬁcation that also meets AWWA standards Our drinking water air valve product line is certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for Drinking Water System Components. Val-Matic is the first Air Valve manufacturer to have a complete line of air valves certified to both AWWA and NSF/ANSI standards. V 16 • First Quarter 2009 359591_Val.indd 1 905 Riverside Dr. Elmhurst, IL 60126 P: 630-941-7600 • F: 630-941-8042 www.valmatic.com • valves@valmatic.com 1/27/09 4:25:26 PM http://www.valmatic.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009 Contents From the President Question & Answer: Water Conservation in the Home Avoiding the Humpty Dumpty Approach to Data Backup From the CEO What the Future Holds Asset Management for Small Communities Understanding Your Surface Water Source: The Rivers Hydraulic Models Expeditionary Water Packaging System Graces Delta The Rural Water Rally in April Training in Hawaii Regulatory Update Rural Water Releases Report on Water Infrastructure Projects and Economic Stimulus Legislation Throwing My Loop Advertisers.com Index to Advertisers

Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2009

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