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Remember the Big Easy
and back ’em up today

When Katrina tore through New Orleans recently it left in its wake a flood of biblical proportions that spared no business or home. Computers were submerged in the blackened waters of the Crescent City, along with couches, deck chairs, file cabinets, lamps and frying pans.

Naturally the furniture and kitchen utensils can be replaced, but even digital business records, family photos, and personal music collections may be lost forever.

I read in the newspapers that a few individuals who got their soggy hard drives in the hands of professional data restoration experts in time may recover some of their files. However, they will also have to spend thousands of dollars on IT professionals to get the job done.

I know I've sounded off on this subject before but there is a lesson for us in Hawaii that we must not fail to heed. We need to back up our data in a reliable manner and store it someplace for safe keeping. I suspect the majority of the computer users in New Orleans--even those who backed up their data locally--did not always come out winners if their data was merely backed up and stored in the next room or even in the next county.

You'll also want a back up copy of your data on another continent--which means in the case of Hawaii having a backup on the Mainland. Many companies have online services that allow you to upload your data to a remote location via a broadband connection. The cost for this starts from about $5 per month for a 100 MBs and can go to $100 per month for 100 GBs. It can be done automatically so you don't even have to think about it.

You don't need to backup everything, just the most important things can be done fairly easily. Also, with the importance of computer information, I am sure that governmental guidelines for all businesses will be forthcoming on what data you will need to store off site.

Another very good option is to back up your data to an external drive that can ostensibly be kept in a waterproof, fireproof safe--out of harm's way. There are a number of companies that make external backup solutions, but I've had good luck with a product called "OneTouch II", from Maxtor which is packaged in a sleek anodized aluminum box the size of a paper back book. The cool thing about an external drive is that you can just unplug the thing and store it elsewhere. (I heard on the radio that New Orleans computer buffs now keep their backup drives in waterproof containers!) They are available in a variety of capacities including a 250-gigabyte unit for under $300 and a 300-gigabyte unit for about $325. Go to CNET.com to look at product reviews or take a stroll down to CompUSA to see the models they have in house.

If the lessons of New Orleans seem too distant to make you take action, you don't need to think just of Iniki. Just ask the researchers at UH who suffered through the recent flooding of Manoa Stream and lost their life's work.

Remember that it's not a matter of if your hard disk will crash, it's a matter of when. You may not be able to control the circumstances of a crash but you can make certain you have a backup.

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