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Articles:
Without Fail: Data Back-ups Very Necessary
Microsoft Vista - Is it Worth it?
Without Fail: Data Back-ups Very Necessary
Published in Asian Pacific Business Revenews: The Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Newsletter; Oct/Nov 2006
The majority of businesses depend on their computer data, but the reality is that hard drives can and do fail, so it is critical that all data is backed up.
Data protection can mean the difference in the company’s ability to sink or swim. And most people don’t realize they need to back up their data until it’s too late. Expendable information is nothing to worry about, but most data used by small businesses is not, so not backing it up could mean the loss of crucial information and hours of hard work.
While backing up personal information is important, for a small business the most important types of data to backup are data that is vital to the company and client documents. And not only is it a smart move, but most people don’t realize that backing up your Outlook files is something that can and should be done.
There are a few different ways to backup your data, all with their own benefits: you can back data up to a CD, which is easy to use and easy to store, or backup your data to an external hard drive, which holds a lot more information or to a save everything to a tape backup system, which is the backup method if you have a server. It recovers the whole system, along with all applications and since tapes can go bad, it is also important to run a test restore at least once a month to make sure the tape is running.
There is no exact time frame concerning when to backup your data – it is business specific, depending on how much work you’ve completed in a given amount of time – but a good rule of thumb is to perform a backup after a large project or after a lot of data has been changed or edited. Most businesses use their computers every day, so a daily backup may be a good idea.
For questions or more information on data backup, please contact Michael Nelson at TLC Tech. You can call (916) 441-3838.
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Microsoft Vista: Is it Worth it?
Published in Asian Pacific Business Revenews: The Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Newsletter; Quarter 1, 2007
Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista, is being touted as a breakthrough user experience – for both home users and small businesses. The most secure version of Windows to date, Vista’s new features include advanced search capabilities, a better media experience, built-in system backup and Gadgets (easy-to-use, customizable, mini-applications that offer a variety of information displayed on your desktop.)
While Vista is definitely a step in the right direction for Windows, there is one exception: It requires a much more powerful computer than Windows XP. It calls for a minimum of 1Ghz processor with 1 GB of RAM and a 128 MB 3D video card. Most computers bought within the last year will work with Vista with an upgrade to your RAM. Adding 3D to your video card will help as well, since the new Vista desktop has a 3D acceleration option.
While I agree that Vista does offer some great advantages for home users with better productivity, improved reliability, performance and security with multiple layers of backup protection, I am wary when it comes to business users. I recommend waiting to upgrade to Vista unless you are purchasing a new program that relies on it. I suggest giving Microsoft 6 months or so to get any potential issues worked out. Already, there have been reports of security flaws and weaknesses in the system that Microsoft has had to release patches to fix.
I also recommend having at least 2GBs of RAM and a dual core processor if you plan on running Vista on a business computer. This will assure optimum performance of your system for the next 3 years.
If you would like more information on Vista, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/. If you have questions about whether Vista is right for you or would like to learn about TLC Tech’s other services, please contact us directly at info@sactlc.com.
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