Disaster Planning:

How much is the data in your computer worth? Of course, it's worth the payroll expense it took to enter it originally. There is a value to the control you have over your accounts receivable. There is an intrinsic value to your customer list, your inventory list, your payroll, your order file, and your day to day ability to analyze that data.

If your files disappeared right now what would it cost, in hours of labor, for employees to sift through file cabinets of hard copies organizing the paper and reentering the data into your computer? Do you have paper records of your electronic files? Can you afford the expense of losing control of your business? For a day? A week? A month?

Fire is unlikely, but you carry fire insurance. Although data loss does not occur every day, the fact that an entire industry is growing to protect and recover data reflects the need for planning on your part. Because disasters can occur beyond your control through viruses, sabotage, fire, and flood, it is critical to have regular backup copies of your data files at all times.