BUSINESS START UP - WORKSHOP - COMPUTERIZED ACCOUNTING

J. d. Back-ups

23. In this technological age, where disks are corrupted and there are power surges that affect our work and viruses that destroy all that we have worked for, it is imperative to have adequate back up facilities. Remember this is to keep your own work safe. If you are on your own, it is a good idea to diarize that the back-ups are done regularly, so that you don’t forget. If you have more than one staff member, it might be an idea to have a formal back- up procedure that is followed, and that appears on your checklist to ensure that it is done correctly and regularly.

24. It is also a good idea to have multiple copies or versions of the back-up maintained. They should be located in different places, leave one at the bank, one in the office and one at home, all in a safe place of course (and a safe place that you can remember!)

25. Your back-up files should be tested on a regular basis to ensure that the disks are not corrupt – it is no good having hundreds of back-up tapes and/or disks and none of them work properly. Disks are particularly prone to being corrupt as they are affected by such things as the weather and so on.

26. If your IT guy has to remove your hard drive for whatever reason, make sure that your confidential information has been removed – this will ensure that your confidentiality is safe and secure.

27. Your software must be legal. This is a legal requirement and failure to adhere to this could result in huge fines and prosecution. Don’t borrow a friend’s disk to load something onto your computer – make sure that you buy your own.

28. It is of the utmost importance that you load (and obviously therefore pay for) an anti virus program. It is in your own best interests to ensure that your computer is not affected with viruses. It is also in your own best interests to ensure that this software is updated on a regular basis (I would say at least once a week) and that you software is scanned on an even more regular basis (I would say at least once a day), particularly if you are downloading e-mails and using the internet on a daily basis.