A typical hard drive lasts about 6 or 7 years before it starts having problems or stops working altogether. When it does, the computer may not start up, certain files or data may not be retrievable, or everything on the system may be lost forever. And hard drive failure is just one of many threats to your data: user mistakes, power surges and lightning strikes, fire/flood/weather extremes, theft and malicious intruders into your workspace can all put your data and system at risk. And only a good backup system can protect you from all of these problems.

Really good backup software can cost as little as $40 per system – or even less with volume discounts. Costs for backup drives can vary depending on your needs, but consider $100 to be a good starting point for most individual users. Labor for installation and configuration is absolutely trivial, so a completely automated backup system is really just a phone call away.

Don’t put this off. This is an essential business practice that is as necessary as changing the oil in your car. Keep your business operations Rock Solid!