RESCUECOM Offers Advice About Data Backup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 25, 2006:

The Most Important Rule for Computer Users? Backup Your Data!

Syracuse, NY, January 25, 2006 - A recently released FBI study found that almost 90 percent of American businesses were affected by some sort of computer security attack in 2005, typically coming from viruses and spyware. The average cost associated with these attacks was over $24,000. Much of this cost is directly attributable to failed or insufficient data backup systems. Similar problems are increasingly impacting home and casual users as well. RESCUECOM, a leading North American franchised computer repair and technology services company, is leading the charge to strongly encourage all computer users - not just businesses - to immediately backup their data.

"This report shows us how vulnerable we really are. American businesses certainly know about computer threats, yet almost 9 out of 10 of them are still attacked,'' said David A. Milman, CEO of RESCUECOM. "That is a sobering reminder that all of our data - from digital photos and music to tax returns, budgets and even our identities - must be protected."

This is particularly important given the ongoing proliferation of computer viruses and spyware, which today are more potentially destructive than ever before. Even with the best virus/spyware protection software, new threats are emerging that can avoid detection and cause serious damage. As anyone who has gone through the nightmare -- usually preceded by a lump in the pit of your stomach -- of losing his or her information can attest, the relatively simple step of properly backing up a computer is often neglected until it's already too late.

How should you protect and backup your computer?

There are many excellent methods of saving and storing your files, many you can do yourself, and others that are done automatically off-site. RESCUECOM recommends that each level of computer user consider a remote and/or tape back-up system to protect your entire system and in case of a fire or other disaster. Also, any data that is placed on a CD, disk drive, or off-site should be encrypted, in case those back-ups are lost or misplaced. There are several additional backup options. Choosing the right one depends often depends first on identifying your user profile.

• Casual User - You occasionally log on the home computer and keep a few important documents on your machine, such as tax returns, family budgets and maybe online games and email. RESCUECOM recommends casual users save those documents on a CD or DVD, Zip drive or a portable "key drive," which are flash memory sticks about the size of a lighter. Flash drives have become smaller and more affordable, though you must be careful not to lose them. To prevent others from gaining access to your data should your backup tapes/discs be lost or stolen, it is also important that all sensitive information be encrypted. Also, make sure when you save to a CD or DVD, you are not overwriting previous files that you have saved and will need later.
• Power User - You have all your CDs downloaded to iTunes and your ipod, have pictures of all your friends' birthdays and holidays and copies of your last five years of cancelled checks on your hard drive. You've also saved the first draft of the great American novel and your autobiography. You use your computer on a daily basis and would be significantly inconvenienced, if not devastated, if you lost your data. RESCUECOM recommends that power users take steps to back up their entire system, rather than just specific files, which generally suffices for casual users. Investing in a software program such as Norton Ghost satisfies this need by backing up your system and storing it on an external drive or storage device. The difference here is that in addition to your important files, all your software and other system components will be saved as well. This means besides having access to your files, you can quickly be back on line using them if your system fails. Such software is generally available for under $75. It is important to set up and adhere to a regular schedule to run these programs or other back-up options, particularly when important files have been saved to the hard drive. A newer and potentially easier option is to engage with a remote backup service that automatically backs-up your files on a nightly or more frequent basis. Disaster recovery using this option is simple and will ensure you can retrieve your critical data, though generally does not restore an entire system. There are several companies that provide this service, which generally charge a monthly fee based on the amount of data you store - normally between $9.95 per gigabyte to $25.00 per gigabyte per month. RESCUECOM can provide this service for $98.00 per month per 10 gigabytes.
• -Small Business Owner - You run your business out of your home or you own a small business using one, several or dozens of computers. It is crucial that your data is backed-up on a daily basis.

RESCUECOM recommends several options, including:

Tape: While many think of tape as an "old" technology, advances in compression and other improvements have kept tape as one of the most reliable, consistent backup methods. It is relatively easy to automate, though to do it right it is important to store the tapes at a second location (to prevent against fire, etc.), which can be a bit cumbersome. It can also be one of the more costly solutions, typically ranging between $1000 and $10,000 for the total investment.

Remote Backup: As mentioned above, remote backup is an easy, worry free way to ensure your data is safe. This is used by a growing number of small businesses. Remote backup should be done in conjunction with a tape backup regimen, if possible.

Duplicate or Mirrored Drives: As the name suggests, these options simply duplicate the contents of your hard drive, providing instant online backup should the system fail. However, as these devices are on site, if disaster hits the facility or the system, recovery can be difficult.

Offsite System Redundancy: For organizations that cannot afford a minute of downtime (such as Google, Yahoo and Amazon), this option is costly, though as close to full proof as you can get. It includes creating one or more entire systems in geographically dispersed locations.

If you're not sure about which method is most appropriate for your situation, RESCUECOM can analyze your data and computer, on-site, and make an expert recommendation, if you call RESCUECOM at 1800-RESCUE-PC.

For those who have lost their data and never implemented a backup plan, in many cases RESCUECOM technicians are able to retrieve some or all of the data. Should such service be needed, it is highly recommended that RESCUECOM be contacted immediately, as a quick response is often extremely important. If you have been the victim of data loss, the most important thing to remember is to not touch anything, do not try and do recovery yourself, as this can put your data in jeopardy. A RESCUECOM technician can be on-site in such circumstances in less than one hour.

About RESCUECOM

RESCUECOM is a North American franchised computer repair and technology services company that provides on site, 24/7 service from coast to coast. All local RESCUECOM franchisees offer guaranteed results and on-site, emergency one-hour response service with or without a contract, providing the industry's fastest response and easiest relationship.

RESCUECOM services everything from home computers to super computers, wireless Internet to global networks, hardware to software, e-mail to ERP. In addition to one-time, on-site solutions for virtually any computer problem, RESCUECOM provides comprehensive, ongoing IT management services for businesses. Since 1997, RESCUECOM has been providing the "last mile of IT services" to consumers and SMBs.

RESCUECOM has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006 as part of the "Franchise 500," as one of the fastest growing franchise companies in the United States. For more information, please visit www.RESCUECOM.com or call (614) 600-1862.

For More Information, Contact:
Christina Johnson, PR Specialist
1-800-737-2837
cjohnson@rescuecom.com