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1Vol 11-11   December 2011
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Ekaru
Specializing in information technology outsourcing for small and medium businesses (1-50 Employees). "It's like having your own IT department"
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www.ekaru.com

978-692-4200
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Welcome to this month's issue! The Technology Advisor provides technology advice, strategy, tips and trends to help you manage and grow your business!


Image vs File-Based Backup - What you Need to Know

It's absolutely critical that you backup your files.  This is one of the most important things to do to protect your business and it would be virtually impossible to re-create your lost files.  Although we can sound like a broken record on the topic, we unfortunatley see cases where files aren't backed up, and data is lost, due to a hard drive crash, system loss, human error, or other disaster.

 

We are often asked, "What is the best way to back up data?".  There isn't a single "one-size-fits-all" answer, but there are some key things to know.

 

In a traditional file based backup system, you pick and choose the files that you want to include in your backup.  This works well if you know exactly what files are your critical files to backup.  

 

Taking it one step further, we strongly advise using an automated backup process, and ensuring that the backup is stored off site, preferably far away from your business.  For this reason, our typical recommendation is managed on-line backup.  The backup is automatic, data is stored far away from your business, and the backup is monitored for integrity so we know that the backup is up to date.

 

The problem with file based backup is that it's possible to miss important business information in the backup.  For example, if you install a new program, you may not know that the data is stored in "Program Files" or some other place on your hard drive.  This may mean that that backup is missed.  You can always pick and choose what files to backup, but the risk is that you may not know where they are.  After all these years, Microsoft has finally put the Outlook email files in "My Documents".  Typically people know to backup "My Documents", but in previous versions of Outlook the email files were actually buried in hidden folders, and often backup was overlooked as a result. Many other pieces of critical information can be missed this way.

 

This is why we often recommend image-based backup, where the ENTIRE hard drive is imaged an everything is captured.  The advantage is that you can't miss a file (everything is included), AND if you need to restore to new hardware because of a hardware failure or upgrade, the process will be a LOT faster becuase individual programs won't need to be installed one-by one.

 

Thinking through your own business backup strategy, the cost of all the options will need to be considered.  The ideal scenario is an image-based, automatic, managed, off-site backup, but the cost of storing ALL your hard drive contents may be too much.  We ask folks to weigh the cost of down time compared to the cost of storage to make a decision.  If you decide to do a file based backup, then put a note on your calendar to make sure you periodially check for new programs and the location of the stored data.

 

Tech Headlines
HP Refutes Inaccurate Claims; Clarifies on Printer Security. Wild rumors were circulating about the security of HP printers and HP set the record straight.  Read more in the HP Press Release.
 
The 25 Worst Passwords of 2011: "Password", "123456" -  If you see your password on this list, change it!  Read more in SmartPlanet.
  
Tech IPOs - Go, No-Go   
Facebook is planning a big IPO next year.  One dollar invested in Amazon in 1997 would be worth $140, but an investment in WebVan would be worthless.  Check out which companies succeeded and which ones didn't in this interactive graph.  Read more in The Wall Street Journal  
 
10 Android App Flops - Not every idea is a big hit!   Read more in InformationWeek

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Join us for a Holiday Lunch! 
Tuesday December 6, 2011
Noon to 1:30pm.   
We hope you can join us for a "friends of the business" holiday lunch on December 6.  RSVP so we can get an accurate food order (its ok if you're not 100% sure you an make it, or stay long):  978-692-4200 or [email protected].  Our engineers will be there and we'll mix tech talk with fun, including tablet demos.
Lunch & Learn Webinar - December 13:
Microsoft Office Tips and Tricks

 

Microsoft Office Tips & Tricks
Learn tricks to out-smart Microsoft Office!

This webinar was popular in September and we're running it again!  If you missed it the first time, or you want to come back again to pick up some new tricks, join us on the 13th.

 

Over the years, working with hundreds of local businesses, we've picked up a number of favorite tips and tricks to get more from Microsoft Office. These tips will help you save time and get more done in Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

 

Do you have any specific questions or topics you'd like to see us cover?  Let us know!

 

Where:  At your Desk

WhenTuesday December 13th at 12:15pm - 1:00pm

 

Sign up Today! 

 


Happy New Year 2011 

   Happy
 
Holidays! 

 



Introductory Technology Assessment Over 450 local small businesses have chosen Ekaru to manage their computers and networks. We offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation to get started. We'll visit your office, review your network, and make recommendations. Call us at 978-692-4200 or email us to schedule a no-obligation assessment. If you know someone who could benefit from this offer, simply forward this email to them. Thank You!

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msbs
Microsoft Small Business Specialist
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