You walk into your dental office one morning. To your horror, you discover there’s been a fire. Your computers are destroyed and all your practice data are gone.

Data loss can occur all too easily, caused by hardware failure, human error, software corruption, computer viruses, theft or a multitude of physical disasters. Fortunately, you can protect your practice by regularly backing up your computers.

Backing up simply means to make copies of your PC (or server) data onto an alternate media. Backups make it possible to recover data when the original information becomes lost or damaged.

Despite the importance of backing up, many individuals and businesses still neglect this task. There are several reasons people cite for not conducting backups:

• They don’t appreciate how important backups are to their practice continuity, particularly if they haven’t experienced a disaster (yet).
• They don’t know how to do backups.
• They forget to complete backups because the process is not automated.
• They are concerned about the time it takes to complete a backup.
• They don’t trust the accuracy of a backup.
• They are unsure how to restore data from a backup.

This article addresses the basics of backup so you can get started protecting your data.

Backup Devices/Media

There are many different backup devices and methods available. Frequently used methods include:

• Floppy disks
• Fixed and removable hard disks
• Fixed and removable tape drives
• CD/DVD drives
• Network Attached Storage devices (NAS)
• External storage devices
• Internet backup services

The media and method chosen should depend upon the quantity of data that need to be backed up, and how often and how quickly the data need to be restored. Convenience, reliability and scalability also enter into the decision.

Considerations

The backup option(s) a dental practice should consider depends on a number of key conditions:

• How much practice-critical data needs backing up? Floppy disks don’t hold as much data as other backup devices.
• How dynamic is the data? How often does it change? The more often your data changes, the more often you should conduct backups.
• How much backup automation is needed? What level of simplicity and convenience are needed? You should consider the capabilities and time commitments of those responsible for conducting backups.
• How quickly will business-critical data grow? You don’t want to select a backup system that your practice will outgrow in a few months.
• What performance requirements exist? How long will it take to complete the backup? Can it be simply scheduled during off-hours?
• What are the cost-benefit expectations? Backup systems have different cost and value structures, which you should consider carefully, based on your practice’s specific requirements.

Once your practice determines its capacity requirements and how often its data changes, it should focus on a backup choice that provides a good balance among features such as risk level, dependability, cost and speed.

There are a few guidelines that can be followed to ensure a predictable level of data protection for your practice. These tips outline best practices for backups.

7 Backup Tips

1. Develop a strategy/plan –Do an inventory of your business, based on the considerations listed above.
2. Back up often - Err on the side of backing up more often than not. Consider doing a daily backup, especially if files are heavily accessed and change frequently.
3. Back up more than select files – Back up all documents and files. It may seem extensive, but if you experience a disaster you can restore all your data in a shorter amount of time.
4. Perform intelligent backups – Select software that can efficiently create a backup that doesn’t include previously deleted or renamed files and folders (progressive rather than incremental backups).
5. Make several backup copies – Back up at least two copies (preferably three), with one copy kept in a secure offsite location.
6. Automate your backups – Choose software that facilitates backups automatically and with a schedule planner that is flexible.
7. Verify your backups on a regular basis – Don’t assume that your backup is always accurate and complete. Even though software reliability has come a long way, it’s a good practice to restore file samples periodically.
   

For a dental practice, there are a number of viable backup approaches that can work well. The first involves the use of an external drive; the second employs the Internet.

External drives are effective, efficient and easy to operate as adjunct storage devices for a PC. One popular brand is Maxtor’s OneTouchtm external drive, which operates at the touch of a button. It can conduct backups on-demand, or can be set to conduct automatic backups at specific times.

External drives are compact and weigh about three pounds. They also have a large capacity and can be easily scaled as the needs of the practice grow. Prices start at about $200 for a single PC.

This option is suitable for a single PC that gets high amount of use, and where daily backups are a necessity. However, in order to avoid the situation where both the PC and data are damaged (as described earlier in the instance of a fire), it is recommended that the external drive be ported to a safe, secure location on daily basis.

An alternative to the external drive is the option of using the Internet for online backup purposes. This eliminates the need to physically carry the backup files to an offsite location. Additionally, this option is growing in popularity as use of Internet becomes more widespread and costs are more manageable (~ $30/month).

Online backup involves backing up over the Internet to a secure, reliable data center. No equipment or software is required at your office. Instead, you are provided an account, and through a Windows interface can trigger the backup process or set a schedule for the process. It is recommended that high bandwidth connectivity be used such as cable or DSL or a dedicated connections such as a T1

Internet backup protects the privacy of your data by encrypting it as it travels from your computers to an off-site center (using SSL).

Restoration can occur on-demand, whenever you request it. Internet backup offers high performance, high-speed transfer and simplified data recovery. Data center partners can archive backups for weeks, months or even years, and can organize data in the most logical way for your practice’s needs.

The most important thing to remember about backups is to select a method that you will actually use and will allow fast, dependable recovery in the case of a disaster. The health and continuation of your practice depends on it.

Concurrent Technologies designs and develops custom Web-based interactive solutions for a diverse clientele ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations. In the business for over 18 years, Concurrent Technologies is a Total Solution Provider (TSP) offering a range of services from e-business strategy to complete technology outsourcing. For more information, visit them at www.concurrenttechnologies.com or call (800) 345-3895.