Our computers have become almost indispensable ministry tools. What would you do if the worst happened and you had to function without your computers? Would your ministry survive?
This article is the first in a 3-part series on how to protect your ministry from serious computer-related loss. This time we’re going to focus on protecting your critical data with effective backups. In the next two installments, we’ll cover the basics of network security and finally what you should know about software license compliance.
Ineffective data backups really do have the potential to hurt your ministry. Here are some frightening statistics:
31% of PC users have lost all of their files due to events beyond their control.
60% of companies that lose their data will shut down within 6 months of the disaster.
Armed with the right knowledge, you can protect yourself and avoid becoming another statistic.
Back Up Your Data!
Most people would agree that computer data is one of their most valuable organizational assets. What would you do if all your donor and accounting files were suddenly gone forever because a hard drive on your server crashed? This could also happen through disgruntled employees, accidental deletion, corruption in one of your software programs or even because of an attack from an outside hacker. The first line of defense in protecting your ministry data is to perform regular backups.
What exactly is a backup? It’s when you make a copy of your important data and keep it in a safe place, so you can restore that data if it ever becomes necessary later. The most common method of backing up data is to use a tape drive and backup tapes. I’ll have some important recommendations for you later in this article, but the critical thing to understand is that you MUST do something…any kind of data backup is better than none at all. If you ignore your data, it just might go away!
Back to the Future
Remember the 1985 movie “Back to the Future”? Just like the character in that film used a sports car to travel back in time, you can take your ministry back in time, too. Instead of keeping just one backup copy of your data, you should set up a system that keeps copies of your data for set time intervals (every day, every week, every month, every quarter, every year, etc.). Use a different tape or disk for each backup you make and then label them by date, and you will soon have a library of archived data backups you can restore from as needed.
Why go through all that trouble? Well, suppose you find out that a very important Excel spreadsheet is now corrupted and you can’t open it. You haven’t used it for several months, and your backup strategy has been to keep writing over the same tapes every week. Chances are all the backups of that Excel file are probably corrupted, too! But what if you would’ve used a different strategy and kept an archive of your backups for each month of the previous year? You could then easily go back in time to the month when you knew the Excel file was still working and restore that copy…the issue would be quickly & easily resolved. Time travel can be pretty useful sometimes!
How to Make Effective Data Backups
If you have multiple computers networked in your office, keeping all your data in a single location (like a file server) and backing that up every night is the recommended way to perform backups. I would also recommend using a 20-tape rotation, which gives you the ability to “go back in time” up to a whole year (in various intervals) to restore important files.
You should also keep the most recent copy of your backup off-site (i.e., at another location away from your office). This is critical because if your building burned to the ground, your data backups would be destroyed right along with it. With a recent off-site copy, you could restore what you need on new equipment and get back to the business of ministry quickly.
I recommend using enterprise-quality backup software to perform your data backups. Good software, like Veritas Backup Exec and Computer Associates BrightStor ArcServe will schedule everything for you, run automatically and keep logs of everything that does and doesn’t get backed up. These programs can also notify you by email (or some other method) when a backup is finished, if it was successful and whether or not you need to address anything. Aside from a little ongoing monitoring, everything can be automated. All you have to do is remember to change tapes every day.
If you’re a home office or small office user without the resources to do tape backups, a ZIP drive, an external hard drive, a CD/DVD burner or even one of those cool little USB jump drives that fit on a key ring would all be options to consider. There are also services that let you do online backups over the Internet for a monthly fee. These are good options, as long as the amount of data isn’t too large. Some services you can check into include Remote Data Backups, U.S. Data Trust's LiveVault Online Backup Service and iBackup.
Another Form of Insurance
Backups are really like another form of insurance. What kind of problems would you have if your ministry data was wiped out? Could it be replaced at any price? With a relatively small initial investment in equipment and some ongoing monitoring and maintenance, you can practically guarantee that your critical data will be available when you need it.
Protecting your data by effective backups is only part of the solution. Next time we’ll talk about some simple steps you can take to protect your network against hackers, viruses, disgruntled employees and other potential vulnerabilities.
|W|P|114690024853590916|W|P|3 Ways Computers Can Hurt Your Ministry - Part 1 - Ineffective Data Backups|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIt's one thing to loose data and money because of hackers and thieves of various kinds; it's a different thing again when it's because you didn't back up your data properly or not at all. Value your data! Whether it's that critical business document, your thesis, your website or your home accounts and precious photo's.
Data can be lost through power surges, computer crashes, fires and theft to name a few. You wouldn't leave your home unlocked and the doors wide open without any occupants, so be sure to close the door to possible losses and theft of data.
The most important aspect of this issue, is to properly back up. So here are a few things to look for when considering a data back up solution.
1. Is it automatic?
You don't want to be using a system that is dependent on human action and consequently vulnerable to being forgotten or misused.
2. Is it simple to use?
You don't want something that's complicated and time consuming to understand. You need a set and forget system; at least until it's needed!
3. Is it secure?
Your data must be off-site. It is no good having a back up file on your PC. It must be remotely stored on at least one other PC. If your PC has a major fire etc the hardware maybe lost but the data and profit is safe.
4. Is it confidential?
A sad fact of life is that there are those around that get their kicks from destroying or stealing your data. Make sure the system you use is encrypted to at least 448 bit and password protected. That way total privacy gives peace of mind.
5. Is the data compressed?
If you have a lot of data to back up you'll want to reduce the storage requirement and cost by having it compressed first. Don't underestimate how much you business or study material will grow!
6. Is the system informative?
Don't put your self in the position of "hoping it worked". Get some form of feedback that assures you it has.
7. Is the system flexible?
Make sure that the system is capable of backing up any file size or type. Don't get caught out by thinking you don't need much storage or the ability to save certain types of files.
8. Is it versatile?
Make sure the system has the versatility to deal with pda's and mobile phones. Also make sure that it has both automatic and manual back facility. You want the automatic feature for the benefit of set and forget, but you also want the, "back up my data now" feature so that you have the benefit of not having to worry through the time between finishing your thesis or proposal and knowing it is really secure.
9. Is it backed up more than once?
Don't rely on a system that only has one copy. Make sure that it has several copies stored on at least 2, preferably 3, off-site computers. Think virus! If your system is hit with a virus you can then go back to a file before the virus took a hold.
|W|P|114690018125512521|W|P|9 Things to Look for when Considering Data Backup Solutions|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comBill gates provided a ready made option in Microsoft windows, which is very useful for data recovery.
Several time we make mistakes unknowingly and we lost our data, then we need to recover the data. There are so many data recovery solutions available but most of them are very costly. There may be a very easy way for data recovery.
To use data recovery you can back up your files to CDs, DVDs, external hard drives, other internal hard drives, tape drives, etc. They all work, it's just that each media choice has it's own pros and cons regarding ease of use, data storage capacity, and so on. It hardly matter what media you choose for data recovery but the important thing is that it should work.
There are several good backup programs that are very much useful for data recovery job, but Bill gates provided one very good option to do data recovery very easily. Most Microsoft Windows users have a great backup program included with their operating software. If you are a Windows XP user that program is called NT Backup. If it's not already installed on your computer insert your Windows CD, find the folder titled ValueAdd\MSFT\ntbackup, and run the program in that folder called ntbackup.msi. It will set up the backup software for use on your computer in no time and you will even have simple to use wizards that will walk you through doing file backups and restores simply and easily.
After properly installing the software you can be prepapered for any time data recovery. Probably this is the easiest way to recover your data. Whenever you will need this trick will work and the cost of data recovery will be negligible.
|W|P|114681290707161240|W|P|Bill Gates Made Data Recovery Easy|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAll computers and their components are subject to failure. In fact sooner or later every business will be confronted with some type of computer failure. The largest threat to businesses during a failure will be some type of data loss or data corruption. While the causes of data loss and data corruption vary, not all are easily fixed.
When a data loss or data corruption occurs, many times the only option is to restore the data from a previously created backup of the affected data. Many businesses today over look the importance of data backups until they suffer the unexpected loss or corruption of valuable data. Once this occurs it would be too late, unless the business is lucky enough to restore the data by physically recreating all the affected files from scratch. This of course is only possible if they have a hard copy or another source from which to recreate the data. It will also cost the business a valuable amount of man hours in recreating the data as well. That is if they are lucky enough to be able to even recreate the data in the first place.
If your business has made backups of all data stored on the hard drives, restoring that data will go much more quickly and require a lot less effort. It will also require a lot less man hours and tears shed over the loss that has occurred.
Today there are many options available to businesses for storing and backing up their data. Some of the options available are tape drives and tape libraries, CD-R’s and CD-RW’s to DVD technologies. There is also the option to use NAS (Network Area Storage) and SAN (Storage Area Networks) and even remote backups over the internet. Even Windows XP/Server 2003 offers a restore point in case your system becomes corrupted. Of course just having these tools available to you is not enough. They need to be used properly and on a continuous basis to be effective.
Sooner or later all systems will face some type of failure that will require a restore from backup. The point is to perform those backups so they are there when you need them.
It is recommended that you sit down with your systems administrator to create a backup plan for your business immediately if you have not done so already. Also recommended, is that you review your backup plan yearly as well. When discussing your backup plan there are certain options to consider. Such as how often to perform the backups and what type of backup media is best suited for your business. Depending on your type of business and how much your data changes from day to day you may want to perform backups weekly, daily, or several times per day. For most small to mid-sized businesses I would recommend a full backup once per week with incremental backups at the end of each work day.
You will also want to consider whether or not to keep some of your backups off site in the case your business is affected by some type of natural or man made disaster. In addition you may also want software to monitor your backup process in order to ensure that your backups are not corrupted as well. This is a common experience with some types of backup media as well.
Finally you may also want to perform a system restore on an occasional basis so that you can check the effectiveness of the restoration process that you have set in place and to practice it so it goes as smoothly as possible.
Following these steps may be essential to your business continuity should your systems fail and you suffer a loss or corruption of data. Setting up a backup plan as well as a restoration plan will also go a long way in ensuring your business operations if you run into a system failure. This would help establish a “who is to do what” list if your systems should fail.
Failing to backup your business data, especially mission critical data is nothing short of a recipe for disaster. Nothing is as important to your business as the data that sits on the hard drives of your systems.
|W|P|114681286836222589|W|P|The Importance of Data Backups|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comSix months ago my computer crashed. When I turned my computer on it would not load Windows XP and so I could not get into my two hard drive files. As an author and writer of ebooks, I had all my files in two hard drives without any other backup. At first, I panic. The thought of losing all my data files and writings was unthinkable. Then I got angry with myself for letting myself get into this situation.
Have you ever felt the terror, fear, and then anger connected with losing data that you value so much? I started to think about the different ways I could try to get my data. After trying different things, I knew I could not recover my data by myself. I finally gave in and knew that I need help.
I thought about pulling the hard drives out or taking my computer to a data recovery service. As I looked in the yellow pages and through goggle search for local data recovery computer services, I was able to find a few. I knew it was going to cost me a few dollars, but I needed my data and I needed my computer to do my work.
Finally, I decided to call a computer friend of mine that had done some work for me in the past. After he tried what he could with his knowledge, he could not get windows to open. So here is what we decided was the best course of action:
* Buy a new 120-megabyte hard drive
* Format and install Windows XP on the new hard drive on another computer.
* Remove one hard drive C from old computer and install new hard drive on old computer
* Copy files from drive D that was left on old computer onto new hard drive
* Remove drive D old computer and install drive C
Job complete. With the new hard drive now call drive G, I now had drive C with all my old data and drive D with my old data.
There would have been many other ways to configure and transfer old hard drive data but this one worked for me and I was happy because I could access my files.
Cost was $150 for my friend and $100 for 120 MB hard drive and about a week of lost productivity.
I don’t know what cause my computer to fail but I could have been a virus. If your computer crashes, can you afford to be a week without your data? As an individual, maybe you can fix it yourself or with the help of a computer expert. For a company computer you will need the help of a data recovery service if you don’t have a resident IT person.
|W|P|114681282524611666|W|P|Data Recovery Processe|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIf you have spent the time to increase your computer's performance by setting up a hardware RAID array, you owe it to yourself to invest a little extra time and effort in maintaining the hard disks in your setup. Following these tips will help limit the need for data disaster recovery in the future.
1. If you are copying information from an old harddrive onto those being used in your array, be sure to keep the old disk around for a while. That way, if you discover any faults or errors in your raid array, you will still have your original data to work with.
2. Make sure you choose the raid level that works best for your needs. If you are just in need of faster reads and basic redundancy, RAID Level 1 may be your ticket. This basic level Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks ensures against data loss by incorporating 2 drives - one mirroring the other. Although the cost per megabyte is higher, the increase in speed and protection against data loss are well worth it.
3. If you are setting up a multi-user enviroment, creating a 3 or 5 drive RAID-5 array may be your best choice for speed and data protection. Keep in mind though, if your requirements are write performance sensitive, there are better alternatives.
4. If you are trying to decide between a software based or hardware based RAID array, remember, hardware based arrays do not require software to boot, have the logic within them and as such are much more fault tolerant. Stick with a hardware array if you are concerned about disaster recovery planning!
5. Despite the increase in speed and performance using RAID arrays, files can still become disorganized and corrupted. Be sure to run your preferred software for scanning and checking your disks on a regular basis.
If you think taking the extra time to follow these tips and care for your RAID array sounds tedious, take a few moments to check out the cost of raid data disaster recovery. That alone should make you realize that your efforts are not in vain!
|W|P|114681278075874666|W|P|5 RAID Data Recovery Prevention Tips|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comAs a home computer owner, one of the greatest threats to your information and to your wallet, is hard disk failure. When your drive crashes, you will quicky realize how valuable the information you can no longer access is.
And when you start searching for disaster recovery services, you will be surprised how much it will cost to recover that data. Here are a few tips to help you prevent a data disaster on your harddisk.
1. If you have an older hard drive, be sure to run free tools like Data Lifeguard software to check the current condition of your drive. By discovering any problems before they crash your disk, you'll have a chance to copy your information before all is lost.
2. When the time comes to copy your data from one disk to another, remember to keep the old hard disk. You'll want to make sure you have a backup while you give your new drive some time to make sure it is running well.
3. Even on new computers, files on your hard drive can become disorganized over time. Make sure to run your favorite defragmentation program regularly.
4. Partioning your disk can also help improve performance. Make sure to do this from within your operating system if your disk already has partitions on it. This can often be done through your operating systems management console.
5. Do not ignore any problems that crop up. If your computer starts acting strangely, running slower, or giving your error messages, run a scan disk or CHKDSK immediately. Remember, it will be much cheaper to repair your hard drive prior to a total crash!
If you think taking the extra time to follow these steps to care for your hard disk seems time consuming, I recommend you check out the cost of harddisk data recovery. You'll quickly realize the value of these tips!
|W|P|114681252643373606|W|P|Avoiding Hard Disk Data Recovery Services|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comWith the value on information rising day by day, one of the greatest threats to businesses of any size is data loss. If the data centers in your business have ever experienced a hard drive disaster, you quicky realized just how valuable the information lost is.
And then, the situation becomes even worse, when you realize how much it is going to cost for a disaster recovery specialist to try and retrieve or restore your data for you.
Here are some basic tips for avoiding such a situation.
1. If you company is using older computers, be sure your tech support is regulary checking for any problems on your hard drives. By discovering problems before they have a chance to wreak havock on your data, they will have an opportuntiy to back the data up before it is no longer retrievable.
2. Make sure your techies are giving you the old hard disks when they do hard drive upgrades on your systems. Even when the information has been copied onto new disks, the old drives still contain all your valuable data. You don't want this getting into the wrong hands. Plus, it is always good to have a backup while the new hardware is settling in.
3. Especially in a fast paced office environment, the thousands of computer files can become disorganized over time. Make sure your computer support is running defragmentation programs on a regular basis.
4. Keep the operating systems the same across all machines in your office. This will help prevent hard drive corruption from various users incorrectly installing programs on a system they are not familiar with. Better yet, leave program installation, removal and system partitioning to your tech support.
5. Make sure employess report any problems that crop up on their machines. If even one computer starts acting strangely, running slower, or giving error messages, have support run a scan disk or CHKDSK immediately. Remember, it will be much cheaper to repair one computer's hard drive than to pick up the tab after a total system disaster!
Keeping the following tips in mind when creating your data loss disaster prevention plan will help limit not only headaches, but losses to your bottom line.
|W|P|114681243220705026|W|P|How To Limit Hard Drive Data Recovery Costs|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIt's 10pm. Do you know where your data is?
Data. Small bits of information clustered together to make Word files, documents,pictures, MP3s, HTML etc. We work on our computers every single day never sparing a thought for all those millions of chunks of data spread all over our hard disks. The data is there and it does it's job.
Until of course the data is not there anymore.
72 hours ago I suffered from massive data loss. There were no hackers involved. No power surges or lightning strikes. Just wear and tear on my hard disk. 20 Gigabytes of business and personal information gone forever. Passwords, HTML files, ebooks all gone. I didn't lose any sleep though. Why? Simply because this was my secondary hard disk that was only used as a backup drive. All my critically important data is safely stored elsewhere.
Picture this scenario. You sit at your computer, turn it on and nothing. Dead. You've just lost everything you've worked on for the last 12 months. All your Adwords campaigns, website templates, ebooks, Excel files. Everything. How do you feel? How do you go about recovering?
70% of companies who suffer serious data loss go out of business within 12 months.
The truth is that most people never recover from losing all their data.
What can you do to prevent this happening to you? Backup.Backup. Backup. Use a backup system.
How do I backup my data?
You could use a zip drive, a CDR/DVD writer, a USB drive or an secure online storage service. Using any of the above is far better than using nothing at all and hoping for the best.
Data loss cost US businesses in excess of 18 billion dollars in 2003.
How often should I backup my data?
You should backup all important data on your PC at least once a week. An easy way to do this is to use a rotating backup system. Get 4 blank disks . Label these disks Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. At the start of the month make a fresh copy of all your critical data on the Week 1 disk and continue this process on Week 2, 3 and 4. Following this procedure ensures that no matter what happens your stored data will never be more than 1 week old and you'll also have 3 other copies of your data stored away that are less than a month old. Simple. Effective.
What software do I need?
Microsoft Windows has its own backup software included. Apple Mac users can take advantage of Apples Backup software and iDisk backup service.
How soon should I do this?
Now. Even using floppy disks start the process of backing up your data today. The sooner you start the safer your data is.
Human error and hardware failure account for 76% of all data loss.
The cost of recovering from a major hardware failure such as a hard disk crash can be massively reduced by keeping a backup of your data.
You're worked hard to build up your business. Don't throw all that hard work away by not taking the proper steps to safeguard your critical information.
|W|P|114681238570026049|W|P|Data Backup for Beginners|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIf you’re like most small business owners, your computer data backups are one of those things that you rarely pay attention to. Computer data backups are kind of like flossing your teeth and eating low-fat, high-fiber foods… everyone knows what they’re supposed to do… but how many REALLY do these things religiously?!?
Unfortunately when it comes to your computer data backups however, complacency can be very dangerous. Of course, it’s always a good idea to have a local computer service company that you can rely on for advice on selecting and maintaining your computer data backups. But, unless you’re prepared to put a full-time PC support person on your company’s payroll, it’s really important that you get some basic understanding of the major issues with computer data backups.
So here’s a compilation of some really crucial tips on computer data backups that I’ve put together, after nearly 15 years of helping small businesses protect their valuable computer data files.
Test your computer data backups regularly and monitor their log files.
To be effective, computer data backups must be highly automated to ensure that jobs are launched consistently and correctly, but your computer data backup system also needs to be watched over diligently to make sure it continues to function reliably.
Unfortunately, monitoring the computer data backup system generally isn’t a priority until something goes wrong. By then it’s too late…. Like the article title says, “Test Now or Cry Later!”
People have a strong tendency with a computer data backup system to set it and forget it. Automation clearly has many benefits, but a totally hands-off approach can be very dangerous if no one is overseeing your computer data backup process.
Test and Then Test Again: VERY Important with Computer Data Backup Systems
With any newly installed computer data backup system, don't assume everything works correctly right out of the box. Even more important, don't take for granted that your backup system will continue working indefinitely. You need periodically to restore some folders and files from your backup media to validate that your computer data backup system still works.
If your automated computer data backup routine is configured to include a verify run with each backup job, testing a sample restore job monthly should be adequate. However, if you have an extremely low tolerance for risk, you may want to simulate a sample restore job once a week.
The Hazard of Moving Parts and Open Design with Computer Backup Systems
Why do you need to take these precautions if you’re purchasing a reliable, business-class computer data backup system to start with? Typically, a tape drive or other backup device is one of the few components in a PC or server that still have moving parts.
As a result, it’s more prone to mechanical failure. In addition, because a backup device generally is open, as opposed to the sealed design of a hard drive, it’s easy for the inside of the computer data backup system device to attract a significant dust buildup in a relatively short period of time.
Sample Restore Jobs and Cleaning Tape Heads of Computer Data Backup Systems
Testing a tape for a sample restore job is also a great time to clean the heads of the backup drive if your backup system requires this kind of maintenance.
Restoring a few hundred megabytes (MB) of data to a scratch directory and running a head-cleaning tape should take no more than 15 to 30 minutes.
When running a test restore job, always restore the data to an alternate server folder path, so as not to disrupt the use of any shared folders.
Building a Computer System Backup and Restore Procedure Checklist In times of crisis, the most crucial issue becomes how quickly you can get the data back onto your system, undamaged. So, as you build your computer data backup system, be sure to document your test procedures into handy checklists.
This documentation also can be great for cross-training and crucial for avoiding panic during an emergency. Be sure you have a hard copy of this documentation next to your system and stored off-site with your backup media.
Watching the Log Files of Your Computer Data Backup System
In addition to running test restore jobs, you must inspect your computer data backup system log files daily. When the backup system is first installed, take time to get familiar with the way log files look when everything is working. This way, if something goes awry, you’ll be better prepared to pinpoint the nature of the problem immediately.
As network operating system (NOS) suites and backup software have become more sophisticated, it’s now possible to monitor backup system log files remotely and more proactively. In most cases, the backup system log files are just plain text (.txt) files.
Many third-party tools and utilities, as well as those included with Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server (SBS) and Microsoft BackOffice Server, can automatically e-mail or fax a backup system log file at a preconfigured time.
Automatically and Remotely Monitoring Tape Backup Log Files
Many computer consultants have their small business clients’ log files automatically e-mailed to them daily, so the consultants proactively can watch out for potential problems with the computer data backup system.
However, don’t think this proactive monitoring is limited to professional consultants. If your company has one or more branch offices you support from a centralized location, you also can use a similar method to monitor backup system health in remote locations.
For greater flexibility, you can set up an e-mail alias so the computer data backup system log file automatically is sent to you, your second-in-command and perhaps an external computer consultant – so you are all kept in the loop. Also, this way, monitoring continues even when you’re out of the office or on vacation.
The Bottom Line
If your small business depends greatly on its computer systems, backing up your data is not optional… and it is not something that can be casually brushed to the back burner.
Use the computer data backup tips in the articles to help you become a more IT-aware small business owner. And remember, when it comes to computer data backups, “Test Now or Cry Later”. The choice is yours.
|W|P|114681234408119904|W|P|Computer Data Backups: Test Now or Cry Later|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comBackups of company data are carried out for two main reasons. The first is to cater for those times when a document is inadvertently deleted or damaged and you wish to recover the original document; the second is as part of a disaster recovery plan in case something catastrophic happens to your computers (e.g., victims of a fire or theft).
Backups cost time, money and effort to implement, and they are of no value right up until the time you need them. This means they tend to be given a low priority, but ultimately they may easily represent the difference between your business surviving and failing. In this TipSheet, we look at the most common mistakes businesses make with backups.
1. Backup often
Re-entering data is tedious and frustrating. Backing up your company data once a week means that the most you should ever have to re-input is one week's worth Backing up your company data once a day means the most you should ever have to re-input is one day's worth. Frequent backups lessen the impact of data loss.
2. Don't keep any volatile data on desktop PCs
In many organisations, documents are kept on the hard drive of desktop PCs. It is unlikely that this is backed up regularly, if at all. A PC can easily be replaced: last week's quotations may not be so easy to replace. In particular, check that email is not stored on the local hard drive (this is very common in small to medium size businesses). All documents, spreadsheets, email, etc should be kept on a central server, which is in turn backed up regularly.
3. Automate the backup process
Backups are tedious to do. At 6:30pm, most people would prefer to set off home or join colleagues in the bar rather than stay in the office to find the correct tape and start a backup. Automating tedious tasks means they get done.
4. Monitor the backup process
While automating backups is a good idea, do check that they are running correctly. Make sure new files are being backed up; make sure the files of new users are being backed up. A quick check once a week could avert a much more serious problem later.
5. Keep backups offsite
If your business premises suffer a fire or flood, it is likely that backup media will be lost as well. Fireproof safes only protect media for a given time, typically one hour - if you use one, check the manufacturer's specification. If you always keep your backup tape in the server then when it is stolen the thief will probably throw the tape away. It's worth nothing to him, but it could represent bankruptcy to you.
6. Produce a "backup recovery" manual
A major disaster is not the time to try to remember how to recover data from your backup media. Have an idiot-proof, step-by-step procedure written - with a copy stored off-site - detailing how to reinstate your company data.
7. Test the recovery procedure periodically
Without warning, give the backup recovery manual to a member of staff and see how long it takes them to recover data. Many organisations never do this! No one involved with creating the manual or the backups themselves should be involved in the test. The results of the test should be analysed and the manual updated accordingly. A recovery test should be carried out at least twice a year. This proves both that the backups themselves are usable, and that your organisation understands how to use them if necessary.
|W|P|114681230972324500|W|P|The Seven Golden Rules Of Data Backups|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comHackers, hurricanes, fires, flooding, power outages, denial of service attacks, application failures, employee error, sabotage and now terrorism are helping companies to focus on the necessity of a business continuity plan.
Through the late 1990s as companies prepared for Y2K, many IT executives, risk managers, CFOs and corporate managers realized that recovering computing systems, networks and data was not enough. As Y2K approached, it became more apparent that a disciplined approach was needed to recover not only data and systems, but also business processes, facilities and manpower to restore and maintain critical functions.
The starting point is a risk assessment. Identify and define your mission critical business processes and systems. Review them for vulnerabilities and identify steps required for restoration and recovery. For your data, make sure it is backed up to secure and separate locations. Evaluate various storage solutions including storage area networks, data replication systems, new virtualization systems, network attached storage devices and managed storage. Pay significant attention also to your telecommunications providers to ensure they have built diversity and redundancy into their networks and have well developed and tested contingency plans.
The risk assessment will start to drive out real questions on the business impacts and losses that could result from disruptions. Mission critical impacts, key business functions, processes and records must all be identified. This is also the time to determine resource requirements and acceptable recovery time frames.
Various recovery strategies should be evaluated to achieve your cost, reliability and time to recover objectives. Include physical, technological, legal, regulatory and personnel considerations when you evaluate alternatives. Common points of failure are a lack of executive and budget support and not fully engaging employees. Along with your data, employees are your most valuable asset. An excellent checklist "Considerations for senior management during a time of crisis" is at www.globalcontinuity.com (enter checklists in the search box, click on DR & BC checklists).
Business continuity planning sounds expensive and it can be time-consuming. However, losing your business functions, processes and systems as well as your company, customer and financial data can be devastating. Build your plan. Train, test, train and test again.
|W|P|114681227127518631|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - A Business Not a Technology Issue|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comA good general insurance software package should improve the efficiency and profitability of insurance agencies by providing easy to learn systems at affordable prices. A few companies who provide such packages include:
QualCorp’s FormsPlus – a cutting-edge policy issuance and administration software solution that deals with all personal and commercial lines of insurance. The package includes ProjectPlus, a workflow administration and imaging solution and QueryPlus, a reporting tool that reads every database you operate on your LAN/WAN simultaneously and in real time.
INSolve manufactures the INSolve Policy Administration Suite (IPAS) that features a fully customizable web-based solution. IPAS will track suspense items, save applications as drafts, and perform customer account clearance. It has an automated quoting process, and policies are produced with all endorsement and exclusion forms with a built-in policy issuance engine.
Sapiens International offers the INSIGHT software program that
Includes life, health, property & casualty, and reinsurance policy administration and an expert underwriting system. It reduces the cost of doing business through automation and reduces risk selection through the use of rules based underwriting.
Insurance Systems has a comprehensive software solution to run your Property & Casualty insurance company called WebWriter BackOffice. This product combines ease of use with powerful features offering the most complete insurance program on the market.
WebPlus Software has LiveLink that electronically transmits a broker's entire package to you, handles all messages sent back and forth and sends the final quote back to the broker within seconds. Your company’s specific and ACORD forms are fill-able by the online broker using free software.
Insurance Software provides detailed information on Insurance Software, Insurance Billing Software, Health Insurance Software, Litigation Insurance Software and more. Insurance Software is affiliated with Stock Trading Software.
|W|P|114681203380805431|W|P|General Insurance Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comA screensaver is a kind of small software program or utility that protects your on-screen data from being viewed or accessed by any intruder; at the same time, it also enlivens your screen by displaying constantly changing, vivid, bright, and colorful images.
A screen saver appears on the display screen, if the screen is idle with no keystrokes or mouse movements for a specified duration. The original concept of the screensaver was created for the purpose of preventing the display screen from etching an image into the screen. With the modernization and updating of the computers and computer technology, the problem of etching of an image, also known as ghosting no longer exists. But the concept and popularity of the screensavers are still the same. Screensavers are used as a data protection utility, as a password-protected screensaver prevents helps you in preventing your data and information from any unauthorized user.
Downloading a screensaver on your computer screen is as easy as a child’s play. All you need to do is to choose your favorite theme from the countless screensavers available on the Internet, and click download. A few easy-to-follow steps will soon download your screensaver on your desktop without any hassle. You can set the time duration after which a screensaver should appear, in case the screen is ideal for the specified time. After downloading the screensaver, you can also make it password protected. This facility authenticates the user and restores the screen, only after the correct password is entered.
Whether it is Valentine’s day, Christmas or New Year’s, you can find and download a screensaver every day, reflecting the flavor of the day and the season.
Also available for downloads are screensavers depicting the theme of nature, lighthouse, automobiles, animals, motivational, sports, and so on. The countless themes and designs of screensavers make them available for all your moods and events. Download your favorite theme of screensaver now and watch your computer screen light up with vibrant colors and images to cheer up your mood and revitalize you in between your tight work schedules and deadlines.
Free Screensavers provides detailed information on Free Screensavers, Download Free Screensavers, Free Animated Screensavers, Free 3D Screensavers and more. Free Screensavers is affiliated with Free 3D Wallpaper.
|W|P|114681199323394702|W|P|Download Free Screensavers|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comA software is a tool that can single handedly perform the tasks of scores of specialists in a short span of time and thereby enable us to save in terms of money and man hours. The same holds true for rendering software and a designer can use it to create 3D models of various parts of the building including rooms, walls, ceilings, as also the colors and paints, fixtures, furniture, swimming pool, garden area, surroundings and the landscape etc. Imagine you are a proprietor of an architectural design company. To run your business, you need an office building, a number of architects, designers, technicians, and computer specialists to do commuter-aided designing, video grapplers, and a host of technically trained personals to create various architectural designs. It means a great amount of hard work and sleepless nights.
The best alternative to avoid all these hassles is to find a software program that performs the jobs of all these experts and in this way saves you a lot of energy, tension and money. You can use an architectural rendering software program to draw plans with correct graphs and diagrams. This software is a reservoir of huge data needed and you can select any item within seconds. You don’t require multi faculty skills to make use of the tools contained in the software. It is smart enough to work with great speed and versatility manipulating thousands of shapes and designs to choose and reject as per your needs.
While software eliminates many hassles and headaches and works great in ordinary situations, it cannot replace the creative genius of a human mind. We have to understand that even the huge data stored in it has limitations of its own. New innovative techniques are coming up in every field of human knowledge and so also in architectural rendering, which cannot be easily incorporated in the software. More over, handling software of a magnitude that contains thousands of library images requires specialized training. The software may need to be constantly upgraded to incorporate the latest developments in the field of architectural designing and engineering, which by itself may not be an easy task. If you do not upgrade, you are sure to be left behind in the competition.
|W|P|114681195761392735|W|P|Architectural Rendering Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comFor those of you who would love to play a good game of chess but don't know anyone who has the smarts to take you on, there's no need to fear. Thanks to computer technology, there are enough chess software programs to keep you more than challenged and even give you fits in the process.
Actually, chess software is not just limited to programs that allow you to play chess against the computer. There are programs that, in addition to that, allow you to plug in the moves for an already played game and do an analysis of that game. For some reason, as much as chess players love to play the game, they love to analyze it just as much.
One of the most popular chess software programs in the world is Fritz. This chess engine is so powerful that when grand masters play for the world championship, many chess enthusiasts will use the Fritz analysis engine to determine at every point in the match, who is actually ahead. The engine is so good that more often than not it is able to predict who will win the game after only a certain number of moves into the game.
Of course, you can also use Fritz to play against the computer engine itself. These engines are actually programmable, meaning that you can set them to whatever skill level you like, from beginner, all the way up to grand master. These engines, unlike the early days of computer chess when a great player would pummel one, are actually quite good today and can even beat some of the better players.
But Fritz doesn't end there. It also has an online tutorial that will teach you the game. It doesn't matter what level you're at either. You can start all the way at beginner level or if you are an advanced player, begin with some of the more complex lessons. Some versions of Fritz actually have audio lessons by some of the world's greatest grand masters like Gary Kasparov.
There is also chess software made, not for the purpose of playing the game but for cataloging games that have been played and annotating them. This is very popular for people who belong to online chess clubs and want to share their games with other members. Usually this is as simple as copying and pasting the game from the software right onto the site's message board itself.
There is also chess software that will allow you to import 3rd party chess engines into the software itself. This makes it so that you can have virtually an unlimited number of opponents to play against. These engines can be found online with instructions on how to import them into the various chess programs. Not every engine will work with every program, so it is important to read the instructions and the read me file before attempting to do this.
The number of software programs that are available can be overwhelming, so it is best to do some research and maybe even read some online reviews of each one before making your decision. The last thing you want to do is get a chess program that will let you play but won't let you annotate your games if that's what you're looking for.
|W|P|114681183032774043|W|P|Chess - Chess Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comWhy a different approach is needed
Translating concepts into an implementation is difficult. The difficulty of trying to explain the subjects of interest in a call for papers, or proposals illustrates this problem. Because of the ambiguity of words, there is always going to be a problem of interpretation between those who specify the requirements, and those who need to understand and interpret them.
For software development, a good way to reduce the level of misunderstandings is to go through the loop from concept to design to implementation quickly and efficiently so that feedback can be returned from the software model. Then mistakes can be seen and corrected quickly. It becomes much easier to achieve this high speed development, if the interface for development is made sufficiently easy to understand, so that a domain expert can use it to create the software, or at least a simple prototype that a developer can then work with and improve. Even if the aim of the users is to specify requirements rather than create programs, creating working programs conveys requirements much better than any other form of requirement specification.
It may also prove possible to work in reverse from implementation to design, or design to conceptual model. A UWE paper explains how ontologies could be mapped to conceptual models, El-Ghalayini Et al. [1]. This process can be made easier if the same open standard software representations, languages, and structures are used throughout this process. This would be useful for checking software is designed well or re-using software designs.
User involvement is important in the development of software but a domain expert does not necessarily possess expertise in software development, and a software developer cannot have expertise in every domain to which software might apply. So it is important to make it possible for software to be created using methods as close as possible to that which the domain expert normally uses. The proportion of domain experts in a particular domain (aerospace engineering) for example who can develop their own programs is fairly low, but the proportion that are computer literate in the everyday use of computers is much higher. If this computer literacy is harnessed to allow the domain experts to develop and share models, the productivity for software development will be increased and the proportion of misunderstandings between domain experts and developers reduced. The domain experts can then explore a problem they are trying to solve and produce code to solve it. The role of developers would then become more that of a mentor and enabler rather than someone who has to translate all the ideas of experts into code themselves. Other developers may work at providing better translation software for the experts.
User Driven Model Development
The intention of the research into User Driven Modelling (UDM) and more widely User Driven Programming (UDP) is to enable non-programmers to create software, from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. The research involves developing ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages. This is very important and useful for many employees that have insufficient time to learn programming languages. To achieve this, visual editors are used to create and edit taxonomies to be translated into code. To make this possible, it is also important to examine visualisation, and visualisation techniques to create a human computer interface that allows non-experts to create software.
The research mainly concentrates on using the above technique for modelling, searching and sorting. The technique should be usable for other types of program development. Research relevant to User Driven Programming in general is covered, as this could be applied to the problem in future.
This research unites approaches of object orientation, the semantic web, relational databases, and event driven programming. Tim Berners-Lee defined the semantic web as 'a web of data that can be processed directly or indirectly by machines' [2]. The research examines ways of structuring information, and enabling processing and searching of the information to provide a modelling capability.
UDM could help increase user involvement in software, by providing templates to enable non-programmers to develop modelling software for the purposes that interest them. If more users of software are involved in creation of software and the source of the code is open, this allows for the creation of development communities that can share ideas and code and learn form each other. These communities could include both software experts, and domain experts who would be much more able to attain the expertise to develop their own models than they are using current software languages.
Criteria necessary for User Driven Model Development
This section explains the theory behind the User Driven Modelling approach, and the factors necessary to make this approach possible. For this research the focus is on combining the development of dynamic software created in response to user actions, with object oriented, rule based and semantic web techniques. Research has examined ways of structuring information, processing and searching this information to provide a modelling capability. Research by Aziz et al. [1] examines how open standards software can assist in an organisations collaborative product development, and Wang et al. [2] outline an approach for integrating distributed relational database systems. Our automated production of software containing recursive Structured Query Language (SQL) queries enables this. This approach is a type of very high level Meta-programming. Meta-programming, and structured language is explained by Dmitriev [3] and Mens et al. [4]. The approach proposed is intended to solve the problems of cost and time over-run, and failure to achieve objectives that are the common malaise of software development projects. The creation of a web based visual representation of the information will allow people to examine and agree on information structures.
Firstly it is necessary to find a way for people with little programming expertise, to use an alternative form of software creation, that can later be translated into program code. The main approach taken was the use of visual metaphors to enable this creation process, although others may investigate a natural language approach. The decision on what combination of diagrammatic or natural language to use in the representation may be influenced by the type of user and the domain to be modelled. Engineers usually deal with diagrams as a regular part of their work, so understand this representation particularly well. In fact developers also use metaphors from engineering diagrams in order to provide a user interface for software design. This is explained in Tollis [5].
A translation method can then be provided that converts this representation into program code in a number of languages, or into a Meta-language that can then be further translated. In order to achieve this, it is necessary for the translator to understand and interpret equations that relate objects in the visual definition and obtain the results. In order for the user to understand the translation that has been performed it is then important to visualise the translated code, and this must be accessible to others who use the translated implementation. Web pages are a useful mechanism for this as they are widely accessible.
|W|P|114681175631480173|W|P|User Driven Modelling - Detailed Explanation - Part 3 - Criteria Necessary|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThis research arises out of projects to create systems to facilitate management of design and cost related knowledge within aerospace organisations, with the aim of using this knowledge to reduce the costs of designing and manufacturing products. This paper identifies ways that problems arising from the model development process can be addressed, by a new way of providing for the creation of software. We have gained experience from projects, which have used a combination of proprietary software solutions and bespoke software. It is possible to identify the approach of User Driven Programming (UDP) as an effective software development technique. This research unites approaches of Object Orientation, the Semantic Web, and Relational Databases and Event Driven programming. The approach encourages much greater user involvement in software development. The advantages of increasing user involvement in software development are explained by Olsson [1]. The intention of this research is to allow users to create the whole model/program they develop without typing code.
User Driven Programming (UDP) and User Driven Modelling (UDM) are techniques of End-User Programming, http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bam/papers/EUPchi2006overviewColor.pdf explains End User Programming. A diagram from this presentation illustrates how small a proportion of development is carried out by professional developers.
Categories of User
It is important to distinguish between the two different types of users for the system, as they would work on different parts of the overall system. However a person may be represented in either or both categories.
Model Builders
Model builders create or edit the semantic representation of the model in an ontology editor in order to create models. Model builders do not need knowledge of a programming language, but do need training in how to use the ontology interface to create a model, and some knowledge of the domain to which it is to be applied.
Model Users
Model users make decisions based on their domain knowledge. This type of user manipulates the tree representation to obtain a result based on the input values they know, or otherwise based on default values. They will want to be able to use a model to evaluate a problem in order to help in decision making.
Expertise of Users
Within this paper the terms user, and domain expert are used interchangeably. The user is a domain expert who wants a problem represented and modelled using software. The domain is engineering but our research could be applied to other domains. The users/domain experts may well be computer literate and able to model certain problems using a software tool such as a spreadsheet. For reasons that will be explained later, this is only sufficient for simpler problems. The reasons that spreadsheets should not be used to represent complex models are connected with difficulties in maintaining, extending, and reusing spreadsheet models. This might not be such a problem in future if research such as that of Oregon State and Houston Universities can succeed in automatically generating correct spreadsheets, and solving errors of meaning (semantic errors) [2].
For now, to be able to model a complex problem, the users/domain experts currently must specify their requirements to other software experts, who may or may not have domain knowledge themselves. It is difficult to find and afford those who have sufficient expertise in both the software and the domain. Someone without the domain knowledge may not understand the requirements. Putting the right team together is a difficult balancing act, and sometimes may be difficult or impossible.
Software development is time consuming and error prone because of the need to learn computer languages. If people could instruct a computer without this requirement they could concentrate all their effort on the problem to be solved. This is termed User Driven Programming (UDP) within this paper, and for the examples demonstrated the term User Driven Modelling (UDM) is used to explain the application of User Driven Programming to model development. This research aims to create software that enables people to program using visual metaphors. Users enter information in a diagram, which for these examples is tree based. Tree based visualisation is often a good way of representing information structures and/or program code structures. The software developed as part of this research translates this human readable representation into computer languages. The tree also shows the flow of information. This technique is a kind of End User Programming, research in this area is undertaken by the EUSES (End Users Shaping Effective Software) research collaboration [3].
|W|P|114681171393668820|W|P|User Driven Modelling - Detailed Explanation - Part 1 - Research Aim|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThis research demonstrates how a taxonomy can be used as the information source, from which it is possible to automatically produce software. This technique is most suitable at present to modelling, visualisation, and searching for information. The article explains the technique of User Driven Model (UDM) Development that could be part of a wider approach of User Driven Programming (UDP). This approach involves the creation of a visual environment for software development, where modelling programs can be created without the requirement of the model developer to learn programming languages. The theory behind this approach is explained, and also the main practical work in creation of this system. The basis of this approach is modelling of the software to be produced in Ontology systems such as Jena http://www.hpl.hp.com/semweb/ and Protege http://protege.stanford.edu/. It also has the potential to be computer language and system independent as one representation could be translated into many computer languages or Meta languages (will explaine in other articles).
The research applies this User Driven technique to aerospace engineering but it should be applicable to any subject. The basis of the research is the need to provide better ways for people to specify what they require from computer software using techniques that they understand, instead of needing to take the intermediate steps of either learning a computer language(s) or explaining their requirements to a software expert. These intermediate steps are expensive in terms of time, cost, and level of misunderstanding. If users can communicate intentions directly to the computer, they can receive quick feedback, and be able to adapt their techniques in a quick and agile way in response to this feedback.
A modelling environment needs to be created by software developers in order to allow users/model builders/domain experts to create their own models. This modelling environment could be created using an open standard language such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language). As the high level translation though this would depend on tools developed using lower level languages, this is why tools such as Protege and DecisioPro http://www.vanguardsw.com/are used. Vanguard are creating a modelling network where universities can share decision support models over a network [Vanguard 2006]. This tool was used because it was selected during a project to evaluate, and then use software to solve costing problems. We are creating a modelling network that will link to that of Vanguard http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/amrc/seeds/models.htm.
Until recently XML has been used to represent information but languages such as Java, C++, and Visual Basic have been used for the actual code. Semantic languages such as XML could be used in future for software development as well as information representation, as they provide a higher level declarative view of the problem.
A requirement of this research is that open standard semantic languages are used to represent information, to be used both as input and output of the model. These languages are based on XML. These same open standard languages can be used for developing the program code of models. It is proposed that software and information represented by the software, be separated but represented in the same open standard searchable way. Software and the information it manipulates are just information that has different uses, there is no reason why software must be represented differently represented differently from other information. So XML can be used both as the information input and output by the application, and for the definition of the model itself. The model can read or write information it represents, and the information can read from or write to the model. This recursion makes 'meta-programming' possible. Meta programming is writing of programs by other programs. The purpose of this is to provide a cascading series of layers that translate a relatively easy to use visual representation of a problem to be modelled, into code that can be run by present day compilers and interpreters. This is to make it easier for computer literate non-programmers to specify instructions to a computer, without learning and writing code in computer languages. To achieve this, any layer of software or information must be able to read the code or the information represented in any other. Code and information are only separated out as a matter of design choice to aid human comprehension, they can be represented in the same way using the same kinds of open standard languages.
Dynamic software systems such as outlined by Huhns [1]. Huhns explained that current techniques are inadequate, and outlines a technique called Interaction-Oriented Software Development, concluding that there should be a direct association between users and software, so that they can create programs, in the same way as web pages are created today. Paternò [2] explains research that identifies abstraction levels for a software system. These levels are task and object model, abstract user interface, concrete user interface, and final user interface. Stages take development through to a user interface that consists of interaction objects. This approach can be used for automating the design of the user interface and the production of the underlying software. Paternò states that 'One fundamental challenge for the coming years is to develop environments that allow people without a particular background in programming to develop their own applications'. Paternò goes on to explain that 'Natural development implies that people should be able to work through familiar and immediately understandable representations that allow them to easily express relevant concepts'.
The methods used for this representation and translation will be explained in the rest of this document.
|W|P|114681166730446922|W|P|User Driven Modelling - Detailed Explanation - Part 2 - Research Approach|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comMeta-languages describe the structure of information to enable this information to be searched more easily by software systems. XML (eXtensible Markup Language) has emerged as the most important of these Meta-languages and is the base for many languages. XML standards are important for the Semantic Web, many computer based reasoning systems, and for communication between different software applications. Alternative representations of information should not be used in any system being developed now unless the author has examined XML based standards and found them insufficient. Such a situation is highly unlikely. Any software system that does not use these standards will have difficulty communicating with other software systems. Use of a generic standard keeps open the possibility of communication with the widest possible range of other software systems. Use of a domain specific standard targets the communication to a particular domain.
Extensible Markup Language XML is an important standard in the development of ontologies. This language allows for the construction of text documents in which the relationship between concepts is represented. Because it is an accepted standard it is possible to use XML on any type of computer. Further developments such as Resource Description Framework RDF add a layer of standardisation of semantics, above the standardised syntax of XML. It is also possible to represent diagrammatic, and graphical information using a variety of XML called Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG).
These open standard languages can be used for developing the program code of models. It is proposed that software and information represented by the software, be separated but represented in the same open standard searchable way. Software and the information it manipulates are just information that has different uses, there is no reason why software must be represented differently represented differently from other information. So XML can be used both as the information input and output by the application, and for the definition of the model itself. The model can read or write information it represents, and the information can read from or write to the model. This recursion makes 'meta-programming' possible. Meta programming is writing of programs by other programs. The purpose of this is to provide a cascading series of layers that translate a relatively easy to use visual representation of a problem to be modelled, into code that can be run by present day compilers and interpreters. This is to make it easier for computer literate non-programmers to specify instructions to a computer, without learning and writing code in computer languages. To achieve this, any layer of software or information must be able to read the code or the information represented in any other. Code and information are only separated out as a matter of design choice to aid human comprehension, they can be represented in the same way using the same kinds of open standard languages.
|W|P|114681161969386322|W|P|Meta-Languages and their usefulness for User Driven Programming|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comFor this research the focus is on combining the development of dynamic software created in response to user actions, with object oriented, rule based and semantic web techniques. This helps solve problems of mismatch of data between object oriented and relational database systems identified by Ambler [1]. The information is highly structured. Visualisation of this structure in order to represent the relationship between things clarifies the semantics. The meaning can be seen not just by the name of each item but also by the relationship of other items to it. It is envisaged that this taxonomy will provide a design costing capability, but the taxonomy and the techniques used to put it together could be re-used for other purposes. Eventually this taxonomy could become part of an overall ontology. At first this would be a light-weight ontology and this could be evaluated for usefulness before deciding on whether it would need to be more structured. Hunter [2] evaluates engineering ontologies and gives examples. Issues involved in visualisation of light weight ontologies are examined by Fluit et al. [3]. An important reason for creation of an open standards central ontology is that it can be accessed by many different applications. The open standard OWL (Web Ontology Language) is explained by Bechhofer and Carroll [4]. Research of others in this field have been investigated Corcho and Gómez-Pérez [5] and Corcho et al. [6], Noy [7].
The approach involves adapting or creating software systems to provide the visual editor for the source tree, and model builders would create a model by editing this. By doing so they would create a generic model for a particular modelling subject. This is enabled by provision of translation software to translate the taxonomy into a decision support and modelling system. The model users could then use this decision support and modelling system to create their models. These models are a more specific subset of the generic model, and could be applied for their own analyses. Current research is on provision of a translation mechanism to convert information or models into other languages (primarily web based), and to visualise this information. This mechanism has been used in projects with two major aerospace companies. Examples of this are shown later in the article.
The alternative approach involves creation of an elaborator that can output code, in various computer languages or a Meta-programming syntax such as metaL [8] or Simkin [9]. The elaborator needs only a few pieces of information. All information other than that dependant on user interaction, including the names of each node and its relationships to other nodes, needs to be held in a standardised data structure, e.g. a database or structured text file(s). A visual interface to this ontology is required so that model builders can maintain and extend it.
Each node (elaborator) needs to be provided with the following pieces of information -
1) A trigger sent as a result of user action. This is a variable containing a list of value(s) dependant on decisions or requests made by the user the last time the user took action. Each time the user makes a request or a decision, this causes the production of a tree or branch to represent this. This trigger variable is passed around the tree or branch as it is created. The interface to enable this is connected to and reads from the ontology.
2) Knowledge of the relationship between this node and its' immediate siblings e.g. parents, children, attributes. So the elaborator knows which other elaborators to send information to, or receive from.
3) Ability to read equations. These would be mathematical descriptions of a calculation that contains terms that are items in the ontology. The equation would be contained within an attribute of a class, e.g. The class Material Cost would have an attribute Material Cost Calculation that holds an equation.
4) Basic rules of syntax for the language of the code to be output.
The way the elaborator finds the information held in 2 and 3 is dependent on the action that is taken in 1. Thus, if a suitable ontology is created the basis of the rules of construction of the code to be created are defined 4, and the user has made choices, the user needs to take no further action and just wait for the necessary code to be output.
|W|P|114681157173002221|W|P|User Driven Modelling - Detailed Explanation - Part 4 - Translation|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comConclusion
We compared the approach of developing decision support models using a spreadsheet, for design and costing, to the approach of User Driven Modelling, with open standards languages, and a web interface for this purpose. We conclude that the use of spreadsheets for this purpose is beset by problems. These relate to Maintenance, Extensibility, Ease of Use, and Sharing of Information.
But an alternative is required so modellers can continue their work without having to rely on software developers. The alternative approach involves development of a system, where a model builder, via visual editing of library taxonomies can undertake maintenance and extension of information. As yet a prototype only has been created for this, and a great deal more work is required to finalise the structure for the holding of this information, and agree standards for terminology. Also we need to provide more validation of user input.
However dealing with this proof of concept has indicated to us that it is far easier to maintain, search and share information using this approach than it is using spreadsheets. The ability to visualise, search and share the information using structured languages and web-pages, is a huge advantage, and allows us to create dynamic image views and decision support models over the web.
|W|P|114681151378118392|W|P|User Driven Modelling - Detailed Explanation - Part 5 - Conclusion|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comIn the risk evaluation phase, there are a number of key areas that must be covered. One of the most important is to understand probable threats. In an ideal world, which most of us have noticed does not exist, we would identify and protect ourselves against all threats to ensure that our business continues to survive. Obviously, we are constrained by other factors such as budgets, time and priorities and need to apply cost benefit analysis to ensure we are protecting the most critical business functions.
A second important step is to identify all probable threats and prioritize them. Threats, typically, can be classified in several ways such as internal/external, man-made/natural, primary/secondary, accidental/intentional, controllable/not controllable, warning/no warning, frequency, duration, speed of onset etc. While classifying threats is helpful in terms of understanding their characteristics and potential controls, grouping and understanding by business impact is also important. Obviously, the same impact can result from a number of different threats.
Identifying mission critical business processes and systems is another fundamental building block of the business continuity plan. After your critical business processes and systems and probable threats are established, the next step is to identify vulnerabilities and loss potential. This requires an extensive scan of the organization to identify vulnerabilities and then analysis to understand those vulnerabilities which would have the greatest impact on your critical business processes and the organization. This starts to clarify and quantify potential losses, which helps to establish priorities.
Following the identification of the most probable threats and vulnerabilities, an analysis of existing controls is needed. This spans physical security as well as people, processes, data, communications and asset protection. Some controls such as physical security and data backup are obvious. Other controls required are often less obvious, but they can be identified through the risk evaluation process.
Once the key building blocks of critical business functions, most probable threats, vulnerabilities and controls are identified, the next stage is to develop an understanding of the probability of threats factored by the severity or impact of the threats. This leads to the business impact analysis phase which establishes priorities for protection.
The goal is to minimize threats, impacts and downtime and to mitigate any losses. Fundamentally, the goal is to protect your people, protect your data, protect your vital communications, protect your assets and to protect your brand and reputation. Overall, of course, the goal is to ensure your business continues to operate and to do it in a cost-effective way meeting standards of reasonable and prudent judgment.
|W|P|114674504904057336|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Risk Analysis and Control|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comBusiness impact analysis is a critical part of the business continuity planning process. This step quantifies data and gets into the real world issue of potential losses that can negatively impact your business. It is used to understand the most important impacts and how to best protect your people, processes, data, communications, assets and the organization’s goodwill and reputation.
Organizations often think in terms of disaster recovery. Business continuity and the business impact analysis is more focused on keeping the business up and running and less focused on recovery after a disaster. The business impact analysis also is not focused only on the potential disasters, but on all potentially critical discontinuities. Key elements of the Business Impact Analysis are to identify critical business functions, establish the maximum acceptable outage time for each of these functions and then to determine the impact of not performing those functions. This can be measured against regulatory, legal, financial, operations or customer service requirements.
Once the adequacy of security and controls is evaluated and critical business functions and outage times are defined, the business continuity planner needs to develop an understanding of the probability of threats factored by the severity or impact and to start to develop a cost benefit analysis of the largest impact and highest probability threats.
It’s virtually impossible to create an absolute value and prioritization of threats and impacts. Generally, a relational system is used to drive out the key priorities. Often, each threat is evaluated according to its probability and assigned a 1, 5 or 10 rating. Then, each threat is evaluated according to its impact on critical business functions and on the business overall. For example, a discontinuity in a critical business function of less than one hour might receive a value of 0. A discontinuity of one to eight hours might be ranked a 1, eight to twenty four hours might be ranked a 2 and over 24 hours might be ranked a 3. Obviously, these rankings need to be developed on a company specific basis. Probability factored by impact creates the relational prioritization list.
This approach to risk evaluation and control allows management to start to quantify the risks and potential impacts on the organization in a thoughtful and analytical way. This results not only in higher quality decisions, but also provides an audit trail that demonstrates that management is paying attention to its risk management responsibilities. These responsibilities might be established by regulatory or legal bodies, demanded as a contractual commitment by customers or simply expected by shareholders as sound and prudent management. The key corporate goals are to protect people, protect assets, protect data and to protect the brand and reputation of the organization.
|W|P|114674500693017873|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Business Impact Analysis|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comThe risk analysis and business impact analysis have identified risks to key business functions. Also, the potential impacts and probabilities of these risks as well as the costs to prevent or mitigate damages and the time to recover will have been established. Evaluating and selecting strategies is based on using this knowledge. Strategy selection involves focusing on key risk areas and selecting a strategy for each one. The primary goals are to maintain business continuity in the face of a disruption or disaster, to recover key business functions quickly and to mitigate damages.
Many companies associate disaster recovery and business continuity only with IT and communications functions and miss other critical areas that can seriously impact their business. Other common areas for strategy development and selection are employees, facilities, power, customer service, billing, and customer and public relations. All areas require a clear well thought out strategy based on recovery time objectives, cost and profitability impact.
Recovery related to employees is the most overlooked part of strategy selection. Simple steps like the ability to contact employees at home or on their personal cell phone and to ensure all are accounted for at each facility are often overlooked. Communications is critical to keep employees informed and engaged. The most powerful tools for continuity and recovery are the knowledge, capabilities and motivation of employees.
Developing strategies with implementation steps means no time is wasted in a recovery scenario. The focus is to implement the plan quickly and successfully. The right strategies implemented effectively minimize the disruption and mitigate damages.
In some cases, a strategy decision may be no strategy at all. In this scenario and others where there is significant risk to the financial viability of the organization, business interruption or business income insurance may be a viable strategy. Generally, this provides the company with the income it is losing due to damage to its property. It therefore increases the company's chances of survival and the ability to keep its customers and recover.
|W|P|114674497037031073|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Selecting A Business Continuity Strategy|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comEssentially, the plan addresses the who, what, where, why and when of recovery. Goal number one is to reduce the risk profile of the business. Goal two is to be well prepared so the impact of any disruption is minimized. Overall, the objective of the plan is to effectively minimize the chances of disruption and, if there is a disruption, to quickly implement the recovery and get the business or organization working again. The "why" is to maximize business continuity and minimize damages to company assets. Ultimately, the goal is to protect the organization from the key risks identified and to effectively implement the recovery strategies.
The "what" is a clear, detailed, but focused business continuity and disaster recovery plan, a plan that provides a successful road map to minimize business interruption and maximize business continuity.
The "who" refers to the teams. The recovery effort is focused through teams. While the Emergency Management Team is the leader of the recovery efforts, other teams could include: IT, telecommunications, facilities and power, customer relations, public relations, billing, customer service, and human resources.
The "where" is, of course, company facilities, but it's also other alternate sites, location of all employees and the ability to find and communicate with employees. Effectively organizing and deploying employees is the most fundamental requirement for successful recovery.
And finally, there is the question of "when." Unfortunately, hackers, hurricanes, fires and other risks seldom follow our agenda. The "when" we can control is the "when" of lowering the company's risk profile by implementing solutions before the problem develops. "When", of course, also has to do with the priorities of the recovery. These hopefully would be in place as a result of selecting effective strategies.
If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there. The business continuity and disaster recovery plan is the road map to get you to your destination of minimizing risks, mitigating damages and reducing your risk profile.
|W|P|114674492115685685|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - The Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comLike all plans, there is an ultimate goal to achieve. The goal in a business continuity plan is simply that: to continue your business in the face of a disaster or a disruption. A business continuity plan is not just for a disaster. It’s also for the smaller things in life, like your friendly neighborhood burglar who decides to borrow all of your computers or the small power interruption, which causes loss of data and downtime or the fire five floors below you, which causes a 5 hour building shutdown. These are a few of the many things, which do occur every day and do happen to companies like yours.
Disaster recovery has traditionally been associated with computing systems and data storage and recovery of data. Different than business continuity, disaster recovery is focused more on after the fact, quickly and effectively recovering from a disaster or disruption.
There are many good sources of information on both business continuity and disaster recovery. Some of the more authoritative sources are: Disaster Recovery International (www.drii.org), Disaster Recovery Journal (www.drj.com), and Global Continuity (www.globalcontinuity.com).
It’s, of course, not realistic to think that you can guard against every risk. However, through risk analysis, business impact analysis, selecting effective strategies, documenting detailed recovery plans and testing your plans, you can significantly reduce many of your risks, often in a very cost effective way. You have an important management responsibility to safeguard company assets. Reducing your risk profile through a well thought out business continuity and disaster recovery plan is an effective way to do so.
|W|P|114674486374920735|W|P|Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - Reducing Your Risk Profile|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comEvery person who uses a personal computer will eventually face the challenge of data recovery. Computer hardware and software can be temperamental from time to time. Hard drives and other mechanical components of personal computers and servers do not last forever, and when they fail recovering your data can be difficult, time consuming and costly.
If you are working diligently away on a document or spreadsheet in Microsoft Office and the power goes out, you may still be able to recover the documents you were working on when the lights come back on. This type of data recovery is relatively easy and straightforward. Software manufacturers recognize that power outages are inevitable and unpredictable and most office applications incorporate what is known as autosave features. At set intervals, the documents you have open are saved to a cached file. They remain in that cached state and should be accessible once your power is restored. Simply opening Microsoft Word or Excel will usually bring these documents back.
For instance, when you open Word after a power failure or a software error, you will be presented with a document followed by the word recovered in parentheses. This is the document you were working on at the most recent autosave point. You may still lose a couple minutes worth of work this way, but it sure beats having to go back and retype the entire document.
If the recovered document does not appear automatically, search your hard drive for files ending with tmp. Look for one created close to the time of the power failure or software error and open it. This is most likely the document you had open at the time. If this method of data recovery does not work, you may need to follow the steps listed below.
Of course not all data recovery is so easy and so straightforward. If you delete a file accidentally, it is a simple matter to recover it from the recycle bin. Once you empty the recycle bin, however, things become more difficult. The deleted file still resides on your computer somewhere, but the pointer that tells the program where to find the file is now gone. There are various software tools available that promise to help recover deleted files, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some of the major players are Norton, McAfee and Computer Associates. There are a great many smaller vendors as well.
Even if all these products fail to recover your data, you may not be completely out of luck. Data recovery services specialize in recovering data from failed and corrupt hard drives. These data recovery services have tools and equipment not available to the general public.
Government and law enforcement forensic teams will often make use of these advanced data recovery techniques to investigate cases of computer crime. Businesses also will turn to a professional data recovery service to recover mission critical data from damaged hard drives.
It is important to choose a reputable firm any time you need to have data recovery services performed. The firm you choose should be able to provide references from previous clients. You should make sure to follow up with the references they provide.
The cost for the data recovery service will vary according to the type of equipment and the difficulty of the job. You should get several estimates to make sure you are paying a fair price for the service you receive.
|W|P|114674480540622788|W|P|Data Recovery|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comWhy should you backup your data on the Internet?
There are several reasons.
* The backup is located at a secure place for away from your computer. * It's is easy to do. * Free available disk space on your web site can be used for storage. * Disk space on remote server can be used for storage. * It’s a practical backup solution for small businesses and home users. * It’s gives extra security for documents and files.
There are basically three different types of data backup you can make!
* Full Backup of the hard disk. * Full disk image backup for fast recovery. * Backup of specific files and folders.
Online backup of a complete hard disk is not practical to do. Although, it can be done. The size requirement and the transfer speed over the Internet makes it yet not powerful enough to do. However in the future complete backup of hard disks online will be more common. Backup over the Internet is best suited for storing limited numbers of specific files and folders.
To do this you need an FTP software which makes it possible to move files over the internet. FTP stand for "file transfer protocol" and is the most commonly used method of transferring files between computers over the Internet.
Use FTP transfer and backup to your web site or to a remote server as a safeguard of your vital data files!
Learn how at http://www.data-backup-and-storage.com/ftp-backup.html
Normally you don’t need to backup all the content of your hard disk, to recreate your data.
To be able to make a full recovery of your data, make sure that you keep CD’s of all your installation programs and operating system in a safe place. In addition, if you have installed software from the Internet you need to keep copies of the installation programs as backup together with the installation codes.
After you have done that, you need to identify the files and folders that are important to backup.
These are the files you use on a daily basis either in private or in your business. If you are using Windows this can be files in My Document folder and/or your Outlook email files.
These are the files you need to backup so that you can recreate your computer back to what it was if you have lost your data.
If you transfer files from your hard disk directly to the remote site you risk exposing your data to hackers. Your data are not secure from outside preying eyes.
To get full protection you should use a backup software to first create a backup file which is stored temporarily on you hard drive. This file is then transferred with an FTP program to the online server.
There are also a number of online backup services you can subscribe to for this purpose. They often use their own transfer protocol.
Online backups should be made at regular intervals. It is also a practical way to make backup if you use a laptop and are on the move, given you have access to an Internet connection, of course.
If you get a hard disk crash or if your computer gets lost, then you need to be able to recover your data back to what it was
The first step you have to take is to install the operation system and the software from the installation CD’s which you have stored in a safe place. Next step is to download the backup or backups you are keeping on the Internet.
If you store your backup on a web site or on a server you should make sure that the backup is encrypted so that nobody else is able to read it.
You must keep the server’s username and password you are using as well as the password you use for encryption of the backup written down on paper in a safe place so that you can recreate your data.
Full backup can be made using other types of media such as tapes, DVD’s, on different disks or on networks.
To do this you need to have access to such devices.
This will cost you money.
The memory requirement for today’s computers has increased. The cost of regular backup on tapes or on DVD’s is high.
If you are an entrepreneur or a home computer user, this may not be an option available for you.
What happens if your computer gets stolen?
What happen if the building you keep your computer are struck by fire and destroyed?
Laptop and mobile computer are especially prone to theft. Not only because it is easy to carry away, but also because it is easy to get money by selling.
Therefore, you need to make backup of your important data on a location that is different from where you have your computer. Internet backup of data files is an attractive and cheap solution.
|W|P|114674475839891868|W|P|Learn How To Make Data Backup Over The Internet!|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comLosing files on your computer can be a frightening experience if the files are of importance to you personally or professionally. Computer data recovery techniques include the most simple of operations, like simply retrieving an accidentally deleted file, to very complex file retrieval procedures that only professionals should attempt to do.
If you are trying to proceed with your hard disk recovery solution on your own, first start with the most obvious answer. Look in your recycle bin to see if the file has been placed there. If it is, you can choose the "restore" option, and your system will automatically put the file back on your computer where it was stored originally. Of course, if every retrieval was this simple, there would be no need for computer professionals who specialize in data recovery, so chances are you'll need to try a different technique to find your lost data.
If you've deleted a file on your computer, and you've emptied your recycle bin, don't despair. When a file is deleted on a computer, it's not erased immediately from the system. What actually happens is the computer marks the deleted file as "deleted", and it is no longer in view to users within your computer's files. The file remains on the hard drive until new data is saved over it, similar to recording songs on cassette tapes. So, in order for computer data recovery to happen on files that have been deleted, you'll need to attempt to recover them before new data has been written over the file.
The best thing you can do to increase your chances of success is to immediately stop using the computer until you've retrieved the deleted file. The more you use your computer, the more information will be saved and the more likely the information could be saved over the file you are hoping to get back!
|W|P|114674469738484654|W|P|Computer Data Recovery Options|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comSoftware programmers recognize the importance of data files, and thankfully, they have been able to create products that demonstrate their understanding of how often people accidentally delete or lose important data. Thanks to software programmers and development companies, people have a variety of data recovery software programs available to purchase in the event they've lost vital data.
There are disk recovery applications that are specific to recovering files of a certain format, like graphics files as opposed to word document files, and there is software that can recover any type of lost file regardless of the format. If you've accidentally deleted an image on your digital camera, there is even software available to retrieve that!
It's important to take the time to research and compare each software program before purchasing one in order to make sure that it will have the best possible chance at retrieving your lost file. Remember that there is no program on the market that can guarantee recovery of every file, as there are simply too many factors and situations that effect whether or not a file can be retrieved once deleted or lost. You can increase your chances for recovery by selecting the appropriate program for the file you are trying to save.
Do-it-yourself software is less expensive than hiring a company that specializes in data recovery and you should at least attempt to recover your data yourself with the use of this type of software program if money is of concern for you. Even if money is not a concern, your first step should be to check whether or not recovering your data is as simple as running a software program, as that will be your fastest and most convenient way.
In addition to recovering data files from accidental deletion, there is data recovery software that can recover files after you've formatted the drive, after a computer power failure, natural disaster, or files lost from a virus.
|W|P|114674466294019510|W|P|Comparing Data Recovery Software|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.comOkay, computers a machine, right? Okay, maybe not yours. You have this special relationship, but that a subject for another article. Machines break. Software gets fouled up. People make errors. These things happen, and for those reasons alone, you need to back up all your critical data, redundantly, in a couple of different locations.
You can do this using the tools your system provides, or a utility you buy for that purpose, but however you do it, do it! Some more things that can go wrong include disks that turn bad and erase sections of your files, power failures or surges, the aforementioned human error (one of the most frequent causes of data loss!) overheating, water or your beverage of choice, magnetic issues and last but certainly most popular, computer viruses.
How is all this accomplished, you ask? There are many ways to backup your data these days, from DVD's to CDR's to ZIP drives, to portable hard drives, as well as offsite internet backups. All have their pros and cons, but the cold hard facts are that it's becoming increasingly easier to back up your critical data.
Don't let that lull you into a false sense of security regarding your sensitive data. Either do it now, and frequently, or start preparing an epitaph for your lost files!
|W|P|114674463164129479|W|P|Do I Really Need To Backup?|W|P|venkat@sgdnetworks.com