What would you do if you lost everything in a server failure?

Diane,

This question seems targeted at a small business that has a single server and all of the data resided (or resides) on this server. Let us just say that this is highly undesirable.

Any business, of any size MUST take steps to include some level of backups into their daily regimen such that it would take an extraordinary problem (and not a run-of-the-mill issue) to destroy all of their data.

Tape technology is still viable, but there are plenty of other means, from USB drives to cloud storage to cloud backup solutions, which can be used -- independently or in tandem -- to provide backups.

So, if you've lost everything in an unfortunate circumstance, you should be reaching for your backups -- which, of course, were stored offsite. At least one copy is off-site, certainly.

How long it takes to recover will depend on what backup approach was taken, and how much equipment you need before you can begin the restore.

Backup plans, like wills, are best created and tested before they are actually needed. After you have hit an iceberg, it's a bit too late to see if you have enough lifeboats and flotation devices on board.

-ASB: http://xeesm.com/AndrewBaker