Computers and networks are a great thing. We rely on them all the time and they are essential to our business everyday. Just like any other item once in a while they break. It is usually at a time when you need the computer the most. You can save yourself a lot of headaches by backing up your data. It is not that difficult. Go out and buy a USB Key, you can get one that is 8 or 16 MB. Most of your files that you create (unless you have tons of pictures) will fit on one of these. Once a week copy all your files that you create (My Documents, or wherever you save stuff to) to the USB Key. You only have to copy files you create, like Word Documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint files, etc. If you have a server in your office make sure that is being backed up to tape, an external drive, or an on-line service. If you are not sure how to do this send me an email and I can provide some help. My company provides local backup, on-line backup, and a new monitoring system that makes sure everything is running great!

Remember - backup your data on a regular basis!