This may sound familiar...I’m working on the latest video for a client, I’m almost done, and my computer crashes.  While this is highly unusual (since its not all that old), a tiny ripple of fear enters my mind, and then cascades into a wave of horror as I realize my computer won’t re-start.  I’ve been around computers for 26 years and I know the symptoms - my hard drive has just died. If you’ve never experienced it... you will. 

Now imagine its your computer at the church or ministry - with all of your financial records and member profiles stored on it... What would go through your mind if your hard drive failed... or the building burned to the ground... or someone broke in and stole everything... Imagine your most important information - gone - in an instant.  Are you terrified yet?

The fact is that arsons, thefts, burglaries, and vandalism occur on a regular basis in churches and ministries; often the computers are the targets.

This brief article will help you understand your options for safe and secure on-site and off-site backup.

Do you backup?

This is the first and of course - the most important question.  Do you have copies of your important information - financial records, documents, media files, emails, databases etc?  Many organizations have this information scattered over a number of computers, with no strategy for data recovery in case of disaster.  Here is a simplified step-by-step approach:

1.    Plan - identify what data is important or “mission critical” and determine where it is currently stored.  Think both applications (databases/programs) and data (documents, email etc.)  Store this information in a spreadsheet or document and keep it up-to-date.
2.    Set up an on-site and off-site backup solution. This will include taking inventory of current computers etc. and probably spending a little money (which pales in comparison to losing all your data)
3.    Schedule backups to both regularly. “Regularly” means as often as necessary to ensure adequate data recovery.  For some, that means daily, for others, less often.
4.    Test your backups. On a regular basis, make sure you can get your data back!

On-site backups

Single Computer backups
One of the best things Apple included in the latest versions of OSX for the Mac is Time Machine.  Simply hooking up a large external hard drive to your computer and allowing it to back up your system incrementally can give you a lot of peace of mind.  For Windows users, some level of backup software is usually included when you purchase an external drive (around $100 at any large computer store or online).

Multiple Computer/Network Backups
A better solution if you have multiple computers in one place is the NAS (Network Attached Storage).  “A NAS unit is a computer connected to a network that only provides file-based data storage services to other devices on the network.” (Wikipedia)  This allows for all the computers on your network to store and back up their data to one storage unit.  NAS systems can be configured with multiple hard drives (RAID) to avoid the issue of failure.

There are a number of configurations for NAS systems - you should consult a networking professional to give you customized advice.

Off-site backups

While on-site backups are great, they are useless if your building burns down, or is vandalized by thieves.  Off-site backups alleviate all the worries - especially for your mission critical information.  One option is to rotate backup disks and take one off-site on a regular basis.  While effective, it is prone to human error (someone forgetting or losing a disk).

The better solution is Internet based.  Two of the best options here are Mozy.com and Carbonite.com.  They essentially do the same thing.  You will need a high-speed connection to the Internet for either of these.  Once you sign up, the software regularly sends the contents of the folders you specify from your computer/network to their online servers.  They are secure and backed up - guaranteed.  Both companies charge around the same amount.  Again, you should take the time to read the material on both sites before making a choice.

Mozy.com
Desktop - $3.95 + $0.50/gb per month
Server - $6.95 + $0.50/gb per month

Carbonite.com - 150gb - 199gb - $100 / month

Redundancy is the key here... be redundant!

Testing backups

A backup is only as good as its ability to be restored.  You should set up a schedule to restore your information to a computer so you can be completely certain.  The software you are using (like Norton etc. - see comparison here: http://data-backup-software-review.toptenreviews.com/) will have a data restore function built in.

Testing your off-site Internet based solution is just as easy - click the restore button and your data will begin downloading.

Conclusion

When my hard drive crashed, I panicked for a moment - but only for a moment.  I’ve had my computer backing up consistently using Apple’s Time Machine.  I went to the computer store, had them put in a new hard drive (the computer was out of warranty), came back to my office, plugged in my external hard drive - and 45 minutes later - my system was completely restored, including the video file I was working on - with only a few edits that had not been saved.

The key question you need to ask yourself at this point is:

If disaster struck tomorrow and all of your data was lost, could your ministry be back up and running by the next day?  With a good backup plan in place, the answer would be - yes!

Bonus Thought:

How critical is your website? For many ministries today - their website is definitely defined as “mission critical”.  Online donations, ministry information, years worth of articles and blogs... what if your ISP had a meltdown (it happens all the time). 

Backing up your website can be done in a variety of ways - but don’t overlook this important piece of your strategy.  Talk with your web team/company to make sure this is being done.

Rod Martin is the CEO of NavigateTomorrow, Inc., an Internet marketing and web design firm located near Cincinnati, OH.  (http://www.navigatetomorrow.com / http://www.twitter.com/navtomorrow)

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Comments from last weels' article about utilizing off-duty police officers for church security:

"Good article! At least here in central Ohio, virtually all agencies do have a set hourly special duty rate (usually in the $20-30/hour range)which is set by the department. And some have a minimum number of hours that an officer can be hired (ours is 3 hours). Generally speaking, this is not something the officer can negotiate." - B.Y.