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 WORSE 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 thought (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 quarter 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.

I do a about three network assessments each month. In the last year, I only found one company who’s backups were being done properly! That’s a scary fact. If you’d like to have us check whether your backups are being done, just ask and we’ll be happy to check and report back.

I recently listened to an interview with David Avrin, author of the book, “It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You.” His message is pretty simple but powerful: the more your marketplace KNOWS your brand, the more sales and profits you’ll generate. I highly recommend his book since it contains a lot of good, common sense strategies for small business owners. Here are a few of the tips from David that I wanted to pass on to you and my other readers:

You Can’t Control Your Brand:

You can only INFLUENCE it. I actually thought this insight was very powerful. If you think about it, your ‘brand’ is formulated in the mind of your customer. It’s the feeling they get when they think of your company, product or service; but since the CUSTOMER generates the feeling, only they get to decide what that association is. To that end, your brand is the sum total of everything you do. For example, you eat at a restaurant where the food is outstanding but the bathrooms are dirty, the waiter is rude and they get your drink order wrong…twice. Unfortunately, the food may not be enough to get you to come back again.

 An Important Question You Should Know The Answer To:

As business owners we spend YEARS perfecting our services, working on our operations and building our business – yet most of us only spend minutes thinking about what message we want to portray to the marketplace. During this interview, David posed the following idea: “What question do you want to be the answer to?” For us, it is “Who do I trust to take care of my computer network?” 

Marketing Is Not A Department:

Most people think marketing is just about web sites, brochures and postcards. Not so. Marketing should infiltrate every aspect of your business. To that end, make a list of every touch point you have with your customers and prospects and ask yourself, “Am I being INTENTIONAL about how we interact with our clients to make sure we are fulfilling our brand promise?” That would include often overlooked areas like how you answer the phone, or what you print on the invoices you send out.

 Being “Good” Is Not Good Enough…Anymore:

With SO many choices, being “good” at what you do is no longer an advantage in the marketplace – it’s the entry point to doing business. Think of how many “good” restaurants you go to, or how many “good” stores you frequent. Chances are they deliver a satisfactory product or service, but not one that blows you away. In order to truly win the hearts (and wallets!) of our clients, we have to work on being outstanding.

I love what our clients are saying about us… what do your clients think of you?

Much like laundry and bills, no matter how much you try to keep up, e-mails just keep piling up in your inbox. E-mail is a critical part of your day-to-day work, so how do you keep it from becoming a distraction while balancing the things you really need to address? Here are 6 tips…

1. Zero your inbox. Do you remember the last time your inbox was empty? Probably never; that’s because it costs nothing to keep an e-mail and therefore you don’t delete items “just in case” you need them at some point. This really causes messages to pile up FAST. Truth be told, you really DON’T need all those e-mails. Make it a goal to “zero” your inbox every week, particularly on a Friday before you leave for home. If you can’t “zero” it, at least get the number down to fewer than a dozen critical messages you absolutely need to work on within the next 2-3 days.
2. Use folders sparingly. Only set up key, strategic folders or you’ll end up with dozens of folders filled with messages in addition to a massive number of messages in your inbox. You might keep one labeled as “storage” for any non-urgent messages that may need to be referenced at a later date.  This keeps your inbox free of clutter and helps you more easily find something in an old message when it is needed.
3. Delete first, read the surviving messages later. Many of the e-mails you get probably aren’t even worth reading. Start your day by immediately deleting these emails before you even start to open and read the important ones.
4. Take action immediately. Probably the most helpful way to keep your inbox uncluttered is to take action right away on all messages instead of reading them and then going back to them later when you have time to process the message properly. By taking action right away you avoid wasting time re-reading messages. If it does require a follow up that you don’t have time for, file the message and mark a reminder to follow up. Otherwise forward it, delete it or file it into a folder
5. Slow your roll. Your e-mail can be a constant distraction through your workday, IF you let it! Take control and set aside “e-mail free” time periods throughout the day so you can truly concentrate on projects without interruption. The world won’t stop if you don’t check your email every few minutes, I promise.
6. Install a GOOD spam filter. The vast majority of messages are unwanted spam, some of which contain viruses. But not all spam filters are created equal! (All of our ConnectCare clients get our premium spam filtration free with their service. If you’d are interested in finding out if you are eligible, read here for more info!) 

For more on getting your desk (and your life) in order, check out my post from last month!

The Junior Master of Disaster Learns How to Surf Safely

Your response to my daughter Rocco guest hosting The Master of Disaster has been overwhelming. Her first solo post on Creating a Personal Password was one of our highest ranked episodes, and with good reason. Rocco is the World’s Youngest Corporate Video Blogger. Today, she interviews Jarrett Edwy, the Head of Help Desk Services for Connections for Business. Jarrett shares with Rocco his top three tips for helping your loved ones surf the Internet safely.

Full directions for implementing Jarrett’s ideas are linked below the video. I know you will want to use these powerful, free tools and share this blog with family and friends.

Turn on and configure the Microsoft Firewall on Windows XP

Turn on and configure the Microsoft Firewall on Vista or Windows 7

Turn on and configure the Microsoft Content Advisor
(restricts surfing to only websites YOU approve)

“Like” Connections for Business and the Master of Disaster on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Even more episodes of The Master of Disaster featuring Rocco!

Thank you for watching. Remember to Share Share Share!

Rocco’s Safety Tips for Kids: Personal Password

Rocco is Back! Rocco is the Real Master of Disaster and now the World’s Youngest Corporate Video Blogger! Her first series of videos on Travel Safety Tips for kids was a huge hit. Now, she is back with her first solo blog. Rocco is a chip off the old Master of Disaster block. You do NOT want to tangle with this plucky six-year-old. In this episode she tells kids and their families how to create a Personal Password for security and kidnapping prevention. This is one video you will want to share with your friends and family.

If you want to see more of Rocco or want to give her your positive feedback, please leave her a comment in the “Comments Section”. I’ll make sure she gets them.

See Rocco’s First Set of Travel Safety Tips for Kids

“Like” Connections for Business and the Master of Disaster on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Thank you for watching. Remember to Share Share Share!

Wireless Broadband -- Your Disaster Recovery Ace?

I hope you caught my first two segments with Sprint found here. Following on my conversation with Glen Benjamin, we explore how 4G or any Wireless Broadband service can be Secret Business Continuity Lifesaver. I invited Glen Benjamin from Sprint to the Cubicle of Doom to help cut through the hype and discuss the real value of 4G for Business Leaders and Business Continuity. In these segments, I put Glen in the Hot Seat to find out why Cellular Communications may be your only means of conducting business after a disaster. If you are interested in leveraging Cloud Computing, Tablets such as the iPad and Androids as well as Citrix XenApp, you will want to follow this series. Be sure to bump of the resolution to hi-def!

Learn more about Cloud Computing and how it can work for you here

“Like” Connections for Business and the Master of Disaster on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Thank you for watching. Remember to Share Share Share!