Can you recover from a data disaster?

How quickly could you recover from a failed hard drive on an important computer or server? What about a ransomware attack or a virus?

What types of data are critical to your business?
*Billing and accounting information
*Scheduling information
*Spreadsheets and other documents
*Procedural documentation
*Business Proposals
*Emails
*Databases
*Commercial software packages
*Software such a web applications and the code supporting those applications.

I offer a detailed audit of where your data is stored, if and how it is backed up and is it actually working. This is both a detailed questionnaire and a physical audit to force you and your IT department to demonstrate you are backing up all of your data and confirm those data backups are in place and usable. I also offer suggestions and best practices tailored to the types of data you utilize.

This audit should not be taken as criticism of you or your IT people; it's simply a double check of procedures that were likely setup a long time ago, along with suggestions for improvement.

Why use an outside source? No one wants to admit they are not doing something as basic as backups; especially not an IT department. However, it's one of those tasks that's easy to take for granted. It is easy to put off a check of something you set it up a long time ago and haven't thought about for years or confirmed you could utilize the backups if needed.

My primary line of work is as a software developer and database consultant but I also spend quite a bit of time advising organizations on managing their data and developing responsibilities and best practices surrounding their data. I created the recovery audit because I see many issues with people not following best practices in regards to managing their data; and then struggling to recover data.

Outcome of Audit: Each type of data is reviewed separately. I will provide you with answers to all the questions collected during the audit and essentially score your ability to recover each set of data and current backup practices. I will also give suggestions for improvements and best practices surrounding each type of data.

Getting started and Cost
The first step is to have a telephone discussion to determine if you even need an audit. At that point I can give you a fixed cost for a small office. For larger companies with more complex needs we will likely need to meet and discuss a longer list of your data systems.

Small office audits will usually start at $400 and take 2-4 hours of your time. Small offices will typically have two or three types of critical data they should be backing up and some other procedures in place for quick recovery. I will need access to the office manager and IT people and it may also require I talk to any commercial software vendors you use. It's best to do the audit in person because they will be required to demonstrate the location of the backups and even recovery if necessary. There is no reason I need to see any sensitive data or know any passwords but I am more than happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you feel the need.

Data Recovery Assistance

There are never guarantees on how much data you can recover but I can help you ensure you get the most data possible. Many people end up being able to recover a lot of there data through a carefully executed plan. Some people panic and start from scratch without even exploring all their options. All of the data may not come from a single location and you will need a high degree of technical support to merge all of the possible data sources back into your working environment.

Pacific Database can then help you put in place best practices surrounding data backups so your recovery is faster and less stressful the next time.