5 Data Backup & Disaster Recovery Tips

Backup your files on discs and be sure to store them in a secure location off-site.

Whether you own a large corporation or run a small business from home, it is essential that you are aware of the Importance of data backup and disaster recovery. Unfortunately you can never predict when disaster is going to strike in the work place. A disaster can be anything from system failure, to damage caused by a flood, fire or earthquake. Many businesses that experience a disaster never fully recover. Follow our simple tips below to ensure that your business does not become one of them.

1.) Primary back-up solutions:

Your customer database is one of your most valuable assets. Without it your business may not be able to function. This is why it is essential to make back-up copies of your database as well as other important files and information. Back-up copies can be made on disks, USB sticks and external hard drives. Understandably many business owners are wary of copies being made, especially of confidential data, so it is important that these copies are stored in a secure location off-site.

2.) Secondary back-up solutions:

Larger businesses will be able to store back-up copies of their files in an off-site data centre, but this is not an affordable option for many small to medium sized businesses. Instead why not Store your files on the cloud? This virtual form of storage, known as cloud computing, enables businesses to upload their files to a safe place on the internet. These files can be accessed remotely using a username and password.

Cloud computing is an affordable solution for small to medium sized businesses. Shop around to find the host offering the best price and be sure to check their terms and conditions. Using cloud storage will give you the peace of mind knowing that your files are safe, even if your physical IT infrastructure has been damaged.

3.) Use a virtual server:

A virtual server is capable of hosting a replica of your physical environment. It can be accessed remotely and often works out much cheaper than having a physical back-up server. If something unfortunate has happened to your workplace, you can simply access the virtual server within minutes from an off-site location.

4.) Create a data retention policy:

All businesses should have a data retention policy in place. This policy should inform your employees of the importance of backing up their data. It should tell them what data they need to back up, when they should do it and how it needs to be done. Business owners should schedule regular back-up sessions and appoint a member of their team to oversee it. If you fail to teach your staff the importance of backing up data, you may find that you are left with out of date copies of your files, which will not be of any worth to your business in the event of a disaster.

External hard drives are great for backing-up data but it is essential that they are kept in a secure location, especially if they contain confidential data.

5.) Test your plan:

It is important to create a disaster and recovery plan that is clear, concise and easy for your staff to follow. A step-by-step guide is always useful. Appoint a leader to oversee the whole procedure as you may be busy doing other things like contacting your insurance company.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to regularly test your plan. It would be no good to find out that your back-up copies do not work, or that you cannot gain access to your virtual server in the middle of a disaster. The more you test your plan, the less likely you are to face problems recovering your data, should disaster strike your workplace.

The key to successful data back-up and disaster recovery planning is to always plan for the worst. It is much better to spend time and money preparing for a disaster than to find that you are left with no resources to run your business if something unfortunate happens.

Author Bio:

Written by SAS London, digital agency based in the United Kingdom.

Image credits: bobbigmac&miss karen

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Few Most Popular Online Bmx Games

Online gaming industry has been on a roll recently. Millions of games have emerged on the surface of internet and thousands are adding up daily. This immense addition is because of the massive demand of online gaming that has emerged. Due to the advent of fast internet connections and high-end graphics cards, it has become possible to play high graphic games online without having to install anything in your PC and waste your disk space that much. Same goes for the industry of BMX Games Online, more and more companies are launching various kinds of BMX games due to its high demand in online gaming industry.

Most of the BMX games you will find on web will have high-end graphics and fancy background music being used in them.

Few of the most famous Online BMX games are:

• Alex Trax
• Extreme
• Park
• Ramp
• Tricks
• Street Ride
• BMX Boy
• Ghost
• BMX Master
• Pro-Style
• Stunts
• BMX Back Flips

BMX Street Ride is considered as best of all of them, with a very high-end graphics and detailed instructions for beginners on how to play and master BMX. Games like BMX Street Ride has made it very easy for beginners to learn the BMX riding and master the tricks and stunts, most of the beginners prefer to play the Freestyle BMX ride in this game which makes it a very good learning experience for beginners and can be used as an effective training tool for even experienced Cyclists.

BMX Master Game is one another popular BMX game online, this game has a lot more professional look and provides cooler and sophisticated features, such as you can conduct a championship in this game which make the whole BMX gaming a lot more fun and interactive. Furthermore, if you are a cycling enthusiast, who likes to perform cool stunts, than this game would be the perfect choice as it has a huge library of tricks and stunts to perform.

Similarly, BMX Pro Style has very impressive features as well, which makes it a great choice for both BMX beginners and experts. You can try most of the real-world tricks and scenarios in this game without having to actually put your body on the line and face the risk of an injury. This game has a very simple learning curve, and within a day or two you would be able to play it like an expert. Amazing back flips and wheelies are the best attraction for this game which makes it liked passionately among young cyclists.

Another game that has a very good following is BMX Park, which is popular because of having very cool backgrounds and locations; its graphics is also very high-end and makes you feel as if you are riding the bike in real world.

Above mentioned are just few of the many popular BMX Games online. In order to choose the right game to play you would have to find out your exact requirements and preferences and then select the most appropriate one.

Author Bio:

Eric is Hardware and Networking Technician who loves to write on the Latest in Gaming Technology. In his Free Time he loves to play BMX Bike Games.

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The Best Concert Ticket Apps For Amazing Deals

Getting tickets for the biggest concert of the Summer is not always plain sailing and quite often we need to tighten the purse strings so we can afford that ticket. Concert ticket sites like BoxOfficeHero and TicketMaster usually offer some good value deals for shows, but to be sure that you are getting the best possible deal you should take a look at these powerful smartphone apps specifically for buying tickets, to make real savings on your tickets.

eSeats Tickets (Free)

Download via Google play

eSeats is an app that is well loved by all of its users. Money back guarantees and a dedication to customer service make it a safe bet for those of us that are new to ticket apps. eSeats prides itself on allowing only genuine tickets to be sold through its app and their well placed connections within the business enable them to offer tickets to shows that are already sold out.


Verdict – A simple app with great resources for finding good deals and excellent customer service.

StubHub (Free)

Download via iTunes
StubHub boasts that they bring the world’s largest ticket marketplace right to your Smartphone, and with hundreds of ticket retailers to choose from, finding good value for money is not such a difficult task. StubHub also allows ticket holders to sell on unwanted tickets through the app and while buying tickets in this manner usually ends up costing a small fortune, you’d be surprised how much some will sell their extra stubs for just to get rid of them.

Verdict – A large database of ticket retailers plus private sellers gives you greater odds at finding a good deal.

Live Nation (Free)

Download via Google play
The world’s leading live entertainment company have now got their very own app. Live Nation seems to be the app that’s in the know when it comes to ticket sales. Exclusive app pre-sales, on sales, and last minute tickets are just some of the great deals that can be found in app. Find tickets for concerts that you thought were sold out and even get bargain tickets for the biggest shows.


Verdict – A great app for offering a variety of deals on tickets and a sure thing for good value.

SeatGeek (Free)

Download via iTunes
By far and away one of the best apps for getting deals on tickets is the SeatGeek app. This brilliant app has interactive maps that let you get right into the venue before you buy your ticket. You can easily see which tickets are good value as all of those available are highlighted in green and the pricey tickets are a dark red and easy to avoid. SeatGeek also uses a deal rating system that scores each ticket from 1-100 with regards to how good a deal you are getting.

Verdict – With fantastic interactive venue maps and a simple but very effective deal rating system, SeatGeek is an absolute must for concert goers looking for amazing deals.

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Secure File Sharing Without Content Sharing

Img.Credit: freedigitalphotos

How often do you send emails, Word files or spreadsheets containing information that whilst not “top secret” it would be better that they were only accessed by your intended recipient? In the case of large file exchange or sharing this is normally achieved by uploading the file to a file sharing server and then letting the recipient know that it is there for them to download. Should we do more to protect these “shared files” from unauthorised access? Well in fact if these “file shares” are part and parcel to your companies business and contain any personal information you have a legal duty of care to ensure that their content is not revealed to the wider world.

Sending emails and files in “clear text” format is like sending your business letters on a post card. They can be intercepted and read by anyone who has the will to do so. Routinely our electronic ramblings are monitored by the various national security services at the very least.

So what can we do about it? We can obscure the content by means of encryption. By encrypting the content of an email or file we have effectively sealed it in an envelope. But surely this is going to be complicated and require the installation of software not only for me but also for my intended recipient, I hear you say. Well not necessarily. The new and emerging software solutions to this aged problem of providing robust encryption that everyone can use, simply without the need to understand all of the requisite complexities of random number generators, entropy and key pairs is proving that it is possible to bury these hitherto barriers within the program allowing a straightforward user interface to guide the user effortlessly through the maze in a couple of simple clicks.

If you will allow the pun, the “key” to this has been utilising a unique identifier for both sender and receiver. In this electronic age we all have such a thing, our email address! Imagine a system where a user’s email address is used in this way, the system can then generate key pairs associated with this address. These key pairs will be used to encrypt and decrypt any code the user may require protecting; emails, files, disks, thumb drives, CD-ROMs the list goes on. These encrypted portions of code can then be safely transported over any public or private network including the internet. They can even be stored on public servers awaiting collection by the recipient with the correct key/email address.

But how does the intended recipient’s email address work to decrypt the message? Easy because the data author or owner will know who they want to share that data with,so all that needs to happenis for the sender to supply the system with the email address of the intended recipient and it creates the necessary key pairs to enable encryption and decryption of the target code. These matching key pairs can be one-time pairs that will only apply to each data exchange further improving the security. Since each key pairing is only good for one exchange, if they were to be compromised it does not result in any future or past exchange being put at risk, clever!

This type of system can be used to encrypt emails, their attachments, files copied to disks, thumb drives, CD-ROMs in fact any media. Making use of a cloud based repository you instantly have the ability to transfer large encrypted files with users anywhere on the planet. Or if you prefer by hand via whatever storage medium you wish to use.

One such system Egress’s Switch even allows you to make these secure file transfers with user’s who are not subscribers to the system. This allows you to make secure exchanges with your trading partners or friends without the need for them to make any installation of software on their systems. Superb!

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4 Ways Technology Could Save Lives

For those who can afford to have the best technology science has to offer, you are in for a treat as we go through some of the most innovative features available for us today. You will even see that some technologies are even overlooked or unheard of. We know some of the obvious types of technologies available, but did you know that some of these advancements can even save your life?

1.) Solar Charger

The whole point of having solar energy is that you can charge it anywhere sun is available. You don’t need to sit still or have to be in a specific place to take advantage of solar power, it's just simple - use the sun. At times solar chargers can get pricey, but when you are stranded and your GPS doesn't work, you will wish you dropped the extra cash for a solar charger. Solar Chargers work very effectively by converting the sun's rays into 12V electricity. You might not think you need it, but we will talk when you are at the top of your mountain and your phone is dead and unable to Instagram it.

2.) Technical Clothing

What? How can clothing be technical? It's so simple! Well it is. Scientists actually invented many of the materials used in outdoor clothing. I’m not sure why it's called technical clothing, but it is. In all simplicity it's based on a concept that if you layer more on you with in clothing (not just putting on 4 shirts) you will be safer from harsher weather conditions. You will find that most outdoor enthusiasts spend hundreds of dollars on technical clothing. The very effective but still expensive brand Patagonia offers plenty of options tailored for enthusiasts that are wanting to have extra safety as they go on a hike, climb, or a long trek with a bike.

3.) GPS

We tend to not think about what gps is doing exactly. When we are in a large city, we don’t really think about how cool it is and how easy it makes search engines do things for us. When we really need it to work, we are always in a place we are unfamiliar with. With the advancements of technology today, it's possible to be completely lost and with the use of GPS systems, we are able to get routed back on our way to where we want.

4.) Smart Homes

Most of the time we always worry about how we are doing when we're away from our home and only worry about the safety of our own (which is actually very important). We also need to take into consideration that our homes are in danger as well. Burglars take advantage of homeowners that are away from their homes for long periods of time. They even take note of when you leave the house. Think about this - You spend about 20 minutes outside your home packing everything for a huge getaway, and criminals take note of all that. There is a security systems company that allows you to arm your home from miles away and essentially protecting your home from criminals.

Using these type of technologies wont make criminals stop being criminals or stop you for sure from getting in dangerous situations, but it does have the potential to arm you with the appropriate devices to respond in the right way.

Author Bio:

Ronak is a blogger, writer, and a musician. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, & Soundcloud (@ronakbear).

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Getting The Most Out Of Your Smart Phone

Credit: freedigitalphotos

If you're a smartphone owner, chances are, you're probably overwhelmed when choosing apps. While some people refuse to put more than one or two apps on their sound, others end up with far too many, slowing down their phone and not getting much use out of them. If you want to know how to make more out of your smartphone apps, use these tips to choose the best select apps for your phone.

Figure Out What You Need

What is the one thing that you wish your phone could do? Many people sit down and write a list, which may seem time consuming, but can turn out to be helpful. Do you want your phone to work as a GPS, store shopping lists, be able to find restaurants close? Figure out the top five or ten functions that you want to see in your phone. There are apps for almost everything today, so don't feel limited. Keep your list to 15 items or less if you want to maintain the speed of your phone.

Do your research after you have your list, search for apps and read what each app does and if it will be the best thing for your life style. If you want an app that tracks your running progress, look through a few of the many options before choosing one. Each app has slightly different specifications and browsing through a few before settling on one will make sure that you get the most use out of every app.

Limit Yourself

You may be tempted to choose multiple apps for the same function, but chances are you won't use these. For instance, there are multiple free news apps that are great for travelers who want to stay current. However, having 5 news apps is only going to clutter your phone and be redundant. You probably can get by with one or at the most, two newspaper apps. Try to stick with just one app for everything on your list of "must-haves" and avoid adding apps that you already have similar versions.

Break Out Your Wallet

There are many free apps and most of these free offers are great! Chances are, you can probably get the apps you want without spending a penny. However, in some instances, you may be better off paying a few bucks for one of your apps. This applies to Rippln mobile especially if you consider the benefits it brings. This goes back to the quality idea. A free app that doesn't do what you ask it to be worthless. If you pay a few bucks for an app that you'll use three times as much as a free one, you're getting your money's worth.

Switch It Out

Everyone changes and you'll find that the apps you originally chose for your phone may not be needed after a few months. Just like you spring clean your home, don't be afraid to spring clean your phone. Periodically check through your apps and find out which ones you're really not practicing anymore. This will help you to get the most use from each app and avoid slowing down your phone.

Author Bio:

Jocelyn D. Mejia is an active blogger on internet marketing trends, innovations and happenings in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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Your Life Is In That Computer. Back It Up Properly!

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Computers are everything these days, in quite a literal sense. They are no longer just used to write papers or complete some work project. They are a portal into our social lives with social media, they contain and play all of our music, and, perhaps most importantly, they store most of our digital pictures. It feels good to have all your information stored in one, easy-to-access machine, but there is always the fear of losing the information. That is why now, more than ever, it is important to back up your computer.

But, what files should you backup and what options are available when it comes to Properly saving your important data? The simple answer is that you should back up whatever files are important to you. As far as options that are available, most experts recommend that you use the rule of threes when it comes to storage. This means that you should have a local backup, such as a physical DVD or external hard drive, you should have an off-site backup like an online cloud storage account, and you should have a copy that is saved on your computer. Although this may sound excessive, you can rest assured that you will never lose any of your important data.

Files Can Become Corrupted And Unreadable:

There are a variety of ways a computer can lose information, and, with digital media, it is all too easy to lose information. One of the easiest ways to lose your pictures is if they become corrupted. Only a tech junkie would be able to describe exactly how it happens, but, in layman’s terms, something about the file becomes unplayable. It could be as something as simple as the name of the file or the code that allows the file to be displayed on the computer. This can happen for a variety of reasons; one of which is as simple as updating the software on your computer. This random loss of personal multimedia should lead you to want to back up those files.

Physical Loss Or Damage Is A Concern:

Physical loss is another way that you can lose the files on your computer. There are a couple of different ways to physically lose your computer and the first of those ways is damage. There could be a flood, a short in the electrical system of your apartment or you could just drop the laptop out in public. A powerful magnet could even wipe the computer clean in the right circumstances. It doesn’t matter if you have a desk top computer at home or you travel around with a laptop, there are a variety of ways to physically damage your computer to the point where you lose your information.

Theft Happens:

Theft is another horrific way to lose your personal info. I have heard countless stories of people going on vacation with their laptop so they could take as many photos and videos as possible. Then they’d store the info on their computer to free up space in their camera and, boom; they lose their computer to theft; a lifetime worth of memories gone.

Since you can lose you data physically to damage or theft it is better to use a cloud backup service. A service where you can upload all your info to the internet so you can access it at any time and there is no risk of physical loss.

Author Bio:

Stephanie Frasco is the Community Manager for the MyReviewsNow website. She wrote this blog post about having the best backup software for your computer. You can read more at our http://www.myreviewsnow.net website.

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