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As a business owner,
I know you don't
have time to waste
on technical and
operational issues.
That's where we shine!
Call us, and put an
end to your IT
problems.
- Lauren Groff
Groff NetWorks, LLC
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4 Questions About Backups That Business Owners Should Know The Answers To
The old saying, "Pack your own parachute," comes to mind when I think of data backups or, more specifically, data RECOVERY. However, how many people actually know how to pack their proverbial data backup "parachute" and instead rely on someone else - be it an employee or vendor?
If that's you, read on. Since the absolute WORST time to check your backups is AFTER a data disaster, all company CEOs ought to know the answers to the following questions NOW so they aren't unpleasantly surprised later when data gets erased and they're scrambling to get back up and running:
1. Where EXACTLY is your data being backed up, and how do you get access to it? If it's being hosted in a remote place, you ought to have the account information and a direct contact you can call if your vendor or employee goes missing with this information. Ideally, it should be in your network documentation that is kept in your operations manual or somewhere you can easily access it if necessary.
2. Who's responsible for monitoring the backups to make sure they are working? When data is lost, the finger pointing starts. It's not uncommon to hear, "Well I though (they/he/she) was in charge of our backups!" only to discover that this person (be it a vendor or employee) actually has no idea that they had such an important responsibility. Keep in mind that many offsite backup companies allow you to store your data there, but they won't agree to ANY responsibility for whether or not the data is being backed up correctly, completely or in a format that can be restored.
3. How often do you run a test restore? The only way to know if your backups are working properly is to conduct a test restore or "fire drill" of your data. We recommend running this once a month at a minimum to verify that you can actually restore from your backups in an emergency.
4. If your data is lost, what's the process required to restore it? Some business owners don't realize that their raw data backups would take a LOT longer to restore than they imagine. If you are not "imaging" your data (a process that takes a snapshot of your server as is) you will have to reload all of your software, set up the network, reconfigure your settings and THEN restore the data - a process that can take the better part of a week PROVIDED you still have your original software discs and licenses.
Our Free Backup Audit will give you the answers to these critical questions. If you don't know the answers to these questions, give us a call to schedule a FREE inspection of your data backup process. At a minimum you'll know for sure that you data is safe and in a format that can get you back up and running again FAST.
Call: 518-320-8906 or e-mail us at: support@groffnetworks.com. |
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Who Wants to Win a $15 Stewart's Gift Card? Take Our Monthly Trivia Challenge!
The Grand Prize Winner of last month's Trivia Challenge Quiz is (drum roll, please) Brian Meers, account manager for Colt Recycling in Schenectady. He was the first person to correctly answer our question below:
In 1657 the first chocolate shop opened up in what city? a) London b) Vienna c) Amsterdam d) All of the above
The answer is "a": London
Congratulations, Brian!
He won a $15 Stewart's gift card.
Now, here's your chance to win a $15 Stewart's gift card!
This Month's Trivia:
According to legend, what did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland? a) Witchesb) Leprechaunsc) An SUVd) Snakes E-mail us right now with your answer!trivia@groffnetworks.com Please note: One prize per entrant per year. Entrants who have won a trivia contest in the last 12 months are ineligible to compete for prizes. |
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Can Criminals Use Your GPS To Burglarize Your Home
The Story: A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, and the knew when the game was scheduled to finish, so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It seems they even brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.
True Or False? While there are cases in which GPS devices have been used in crimes against their owners, this particular story is a "friend of a friend" e-mail legend according to www.scopes.com. That said, there is a vaulable lesson here: Don't leave valuables in the car! GPS devices, like cell phones and laptops, are expensive electronic devices that are attractive to thieves. Plus, you should always make it a habit to lock your electronic devices using a strong password (one that contains upper and lowercase letters and numbers). |
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3 Reasons To Have A Blog
(Even If Nobody Reads It)
Building a massive following online is no easy task. But before you give up on your company blog due to the disappointing number of people who read and comment on it, here are 3 reasons to reconsider:
Search Engine Optimization. If for no other reason, blogging weekly about a particular topic will work wonders for your search engine optimization. Make sure your blog entries frequently include the keywords that people are likely to use when searching for your services online, but avoid spamming the blog (overusing the words). There's no scientific percentage here; just don't repeat them so often that your writting seems unnatural to your readers.
Free PR. The media is constantly surfing the web for content and for experts who can provide content and commentary. All it takes is one reporter to find you online and you could get tons of free publicity. You can bolster your chances of getting mentioned by writing about current events in the world or local news. For example, if you sell insurance and a hurricane or other natural disaster hits your town, you should blog about useful tips for people submitting claims to their insurance agents or how to determine how much insurance you should have, etc. Indirect Selling. Writing stories about projects you are working on, clients you're serving or case studies is a great way to showcase your expertise and "indirectly" sell services. Of course, you can also use your blog for new product or service launches and get direct input from clients and prospects on new products and services they want to see. |
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Client Corner
"We are always looking for opportunities to improve our IT system and support people's abilities to do their best work. Groff NetWorks does a tremendous job partnering with us to respond to these needs. It has been great from day one. Some businesses go through customer service cycles - it's great for a couple of months, and then it slacks off. I don't have that experience with Groff NetWorks. Their service levels and quality of those services are consistent. My NetWorks Plan has truly impacted our bottom line; it has made budgeting finances easier with no unexpected costs."
Bert Jones | Senior Financial Analyst
The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc.
Troy, NY
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Shiny New Gadget Of The Month
This month's "Gadget" is not an electronic device. It's an online tool I'm sure you'll be interested in checking out.
RescueTime is a web application that tracks where you spend your time while working on your PC and then reports how productive you are based on what you consider productive time. Want to know how much time you REALLY spend checking e-mail, watching YouTube videos or on Facebook? RescueTime will tell you. After you've let it collect some data, you can go back to the site and tag various activities such as "work" or "fun time" to better track where your time is going every day. You can also set goals for yourself on how much productive versus unproductive time you should be spending every day and get notifications when you aren't hitting your goals.
They offer a free version you can download or a paid version that will track the productivity of your employees or a team of people.
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Lauren's Corner
Recently, our daughters had an art show opening. (If you missed it, stop in to Artcentric at 274 River Street in Troy through the month of March.) So, my wife, Erika, sat down to chat with the girls -- Grace is five, Satya four -- about their craft and color choices.
Erika: So, Grace, why do you want to be an artist?
Grace: Because I love to paint.
Erika: What do you like to paint?
Satya: Ballerinas, because I like pink.
Erika: Do you want to be a ballerina? Why?
Satya: Because I like pink.
Erika: Do you have a favorite color that you like to paint with?
Grace: Blue, blue, blue.
Satya: What about sparkly gray? Do you like sparkly gray? What else, Grace?
Grace: Red, like your shirt.
Satya: Do you like pink?
Grace: Yeah. Every color.
Erika: If you had to paint with just one color, what would it be?
Grace: Orange.
Erika: Wht would you make with orange?
Satya: A sun.
Grace: (Silence) I'm thinking... An orange!
Erika: Do you want to sell your art?
Satya: Mommy, I want to sell my ballerina art for four dollars.
Erika: What will you buy?
Satya: A Barbie dollhouse.
Erika: I think that will cost more than four dollars. Would you sell your art for more?
Grace: How about twenty dollars?
Satya: No. Ten dollars.
Satya's Ballerina |
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