Comments on: Redundancy in Business

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:37:17 +0000

@John – Computers are a lot like cars: you never know how reliable your specific car/computer will be, even if the particular brand you’re buying is known for reliability. Thanks for the suggestions.

@Tony – I’m still considering a Mac. It’s very tempting, even though I got my laptop working again.

@Lance – Wow! I was really impressed with your video. First time anybody has ever responded to one of my blog posts by VIDEO. Pretty cool. I linked to your video yesterday from my Twitter profile at http://www.FollowTheMonster.com

@Jane – Thanks for the recommendation.

By: Jane

Jane — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:10:08 +0000

Nice article!! I completely go for using online backup since I once lost all my files I saved on my external HDD.
For me SafeCopy (www.safecopybackup.com) is a perfect fit. I can backup USB drives, share files and backup both my Mac and PC with one account. It’s a different approach to online backup with one account for all your computers. I’m very happy with it and it may be worth checking out.

By: Lance Tamashiro

Lance Tamashiro — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:54:38 +0000

@Redundant Ryan… great post. Having a backup plan is vital in any business. I think this is something a lot of people “believe” will never happen to them.

I use Carbonite and RoboForm, but I think I will be checking out LastPass.

I might also have to check out these mac things everyone always talks about. I guess I am just to set in my ways and love rebooting my computer and crossing my fingers all the time. Some day I am sure I’ll learn…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHxMUi47FA

-Lance

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:17:09 +0000

I feel your pain. I have recently moved to a mac & can honestly say that it is worth it. It was a breeze because of the compatibility built inyo the mac programs

By: John C. A. Manley

John C. A. Manley — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:07:01 +0000

2005? I bought this computer in 2003 (soon after I got married). I’m still using it. I did send it into the shop last December for a performance upgrade which cost about $150 and took about 48 hours. Though, that’s one of my qualms with laptops, you pay more for something slower.

Like you, my wife’s computer is the back up. I’ve had to use it a few times (had an electrical explosion one day — and a problem with the monitor another time).

I’d also seriously consider backing up to an OFF-SITE storage service. I use carbonite.com which is very reasonably priced with unlimited storage. Backups every file you save. Just in case you have a fire, asteroid or something. Plus, two backups are better than one, for sure.

I remember Bill Glazer saying the that “one” was the worst number in business. It goes for computer, goes for assistants, goes for almost everything. E.g., I’m just starting to have an assistant scan and back up all of my financial records. I realized I’m only one fire away from a really nasty audit.

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:49:45 +0000

@Colin – Yes, the new logo is an abstract of the mountains. On Twitter, Norm Lanier said it reminded him of upward movement, which I thought was another good interpretation. :-)

@Tim – Man, you really do have a workhorse! I hope I can keep my Dell working for another few years, even if I do get a Mac in the mean time.

Ryan

By: Tim Schaefer

Tim Schaefer — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:14:06 +0000

My Dell laptop is from 2003 and still kicking thanks to the extended warranty I went with. They even came to me within a few days each time so I never had to send it in.

2 motherboards, 1 hard drive, 1 new screen, 1 replaced charger, and 2 batteries later, my old workhorse sits ready to go as my back up (and traveler) to my Mac. On its 5th birthday I even got it a present: maxed out RAM.

I still need to get around to picking up an external HD though.

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:09:03 +0000

Darn it. Ben & Keith beat me to it.

On another note, looks you you got yourself a new logo… representing the Colorado mountains?

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:19:05 +0000

@Ben & Keith – Nice one. That made me laugh. Getting a Mac *is* on my list of things to do. :-)

@Michel – Thanks for that info. VERY helpful. I’m going to check out both Karenware.com and LastPass.com for sure.

@John – I hadn’t thought of that before — making an image backup. Thanks for the advice.

Ryan

By: John

John — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:17:15 +0000

I’m another Mac user, but rather than point out that you should be using one I’ll suggest that all four of your key takeaways still apply if you switch to Mac ;-)

Another thing I’d suggest, on either platform, is to make an image backup of your system, using something like Acronis True Image or Norton Ghost on Windows or Carbon Copy Cloner on the Mac.

If you make an image of your system right after reinstalling everything, you can restore it back to that “clean” state a lot faster than by reinstalling everything from scratch. If it’s a year or two down the road, the software is likely not going to be the most current versions but it lets you get back up and running a heck of a lot quicker.

If you activate all your software before you make the backup image, you can avoid having to find all the keys when you restore it.