Data is at the heart of businesses, it’s crucial for you to protect it. To protect your organization’s data, you need to implement a data backup and recovery plan. Backing up files can protect against accidental loss of user data, database corruption and hardware failures.

Imagine that you are using your computer at work when suddenly all of the lights go out and the computer shuts down. After a few minutes the power is restored. You reboot your computer only to find that an error message appears. It tells you that a fatal error occurred, and that some important data, let’s say your accounts for example has been either lost or corrupted. Situations such as this happen all too often, the good news is that there are key safeguards, one of which is data backup which will protect from such circumstances.

The reasons of data loss can fall into these main categories;

• Human error – deleting information from a PC by mistake, the misplacement of DVDs, CDs or media, and errors in administrating databases.
• Intentional Crimes – acking, H  Hacking, viruses, data theft and espionage.
• Natural Causes – Power failures, hardware failures, software failures, software bugs and also any kind of disaster such as a fire or flood.

With a little preparation, individuals and businesses can rest easy that if catastrophe strikes, they can be well prepared to recover and be back up and running in as little time as possible.

Mad Computer Solutions can provide you and your business with professional cloud online backup services in order to ensure that your company’s data is secure and can be recovered in the event of hardware failures, natural disasters or any other kind of problem.

Backup is just one part of ensuring the safety of your business when something goes wrong. If you want to ensure that your business is completely protected and capable of recovering from any kind of ‘disaster’ then why not have a look at our disaster recovery planning service.

We have recently heard that the supplier of the BT PC Backup service have gone into administration, affecting 3 of BT’s online backup services, which include BT PC Backup, BT Business Protect and PC Business Protect Multi. BT have emailed all their PC Backup customers explaining what actions are needed to protect their data.

The PC Backup services are currently running normally, and customers are being informed to retrieve their data as soon as possible. Full information may be found on their website http://business.bt.com/it-support-and-security/pc-backup/

What you need to do if you use the following backup services:

• BT PC Backup
• BT Business Protect
• BT Business Protect Multi

All customers are advised to backup their data to an external hard disk, USB drive or move to another online data backup service. Feel free to check our Data Backup Services web page, or telephone 0843 2893818 to speak to one of the team.

With prices starting at £5+VAT per month for 10GB of secure online data storage, our data backup service provides:

• UK Data Centres
• All files encrypted
• Backups only the data that has changed
• Stored in bunker conditions

According to research data recently published by Symantec Shows that almost a quarter of any businesses data is stored in the cloud.

The IT security firm claims 23% of all business information globally is held in a mixture of public, private and hybrid cloud infrastructure.

The IT security firm said it expected IT departments to shift workloads from on premise to off premise clouds in order to reap the benefits such as cost saving,  better data protection than on site data and easily accessible data while on the move or from home.

Get ahead of the curve by allowing Mad Computer Solutions Ltd to meet all your cloud storage and online business needs.

Microsoft Office 365

Office 365 is a cloud based service which is hosted by Microsoft. Office 365 is designed so that once you are signed up you will be able to work online from any device and from any location. Office 365 includes the standard Office applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint all provided as a simple monthly payment .

There are several different packages to choose from for your Office 365 subscription. These packages are designed to fit any size of business, whether you are a one man band, small business or corporate organisation. MAD Computers are able to help with advice to companies in Birmingham and the west Midlands, including choosing the correct package, configuration and training.

Starting from as little as £2.60 per user .

Secure Online Data Backup

Whatever the size of your company, imagine the cost of a loss of some or even all of your data. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, 70% of businesses that suffer a major data loss are out of business within 18 months. Offsite backup protects your vital information from all eventualities. A hosted backup solution removes these risks and brings your business complete peace of mind. Your business data is safe, secure and accessible, whenever you need it.

Your data is stored in UK based Data Centres which are geographically dispersed, to store your business information securely. The Data Centres replicate the services provided, holding identical copies of your data backups. Our backup solution uses advanced technology to replicate company data, ensuring that only new files and the changes made to old files are replicated, making your backup process incredibly efficient. The frequency is up to you.

With prices starting at £5 per month for 10GB of secure UK based storage could you afford not to?

Computer Help and Advice

10 Tips to protect your PC and data.

Every computer attached to the internet is open to attack from a virus, spyware, hoax emails and phishing. These attacks may damage or delete your important data, or install malicious software which may steal your passwords, credit card details or use your PC to attack other systems over the internet. According to Symantec, an unprotected, unpatched computer system is attacked within 20 minutes of connecting to the internet. The following 10 tips below will assist in protecting a Windows XP computer from such attacks, and help to protect your important data.

1. Administrator Account. DO NOT use an account with administrator privileges for everyday use, as this could allow viruses and spyware the ability to self install on your PC. Always create a limited account for everyday use. If you need to install anything you can login as administrator or use Run As (shift and right click the file) to install without logging off.To create a limited account:
   Start>Settings>Control Panel>User Accounts
   Select Create a new account, give it a name, and select Limited as the account type.
2. Security Updates. Always ensure that all critical security updates are installed on your computer. These are released by Microsoft each month, and fix known security issues that have been discovered.
3. Passwords. Always use a password; the longer the better. Make sure it is not something that someone could easily guess i.e. a child’s name. Use a mixture of numbers, upper-case and lower-case letters, and symbols. Do not write the password down, or let others know what it is.
4. Firewalls. Microsoft Windows XP Service pack 2 provides you with a free personal firewall. Make sure that it is activated by going to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Windows Firewall.
   Alternatively you can download ZoneAlarm, a free personal firewall for individual use from www.zonelabs.com.If you have a broadband router with built in firewall, ensure that it is active. Details will be in the manual supplied with the router. Only install one software, and one hardware firewall, or you may not be able to connect to the internet.
5. Anti-virus Software. To protect yourself from viruses, you will need to install an anti-virus software package. There are many commercial packages available, offering complete protection, including firewall, spyware protection, and spam filtering for your email. These packages provided by suppliers such as Mcafee and Symantec will normally have a yearly subscription charge and provide updates for your software as new threats appear. For those on a tight budget there are a many free anti-virus products available, such as Antivir (www.free-av.com), Avast! (www.avast.com) and AVG (www.free.grisoft.com).As mentioned, updates are released for these packages frequently, so you will need to check the settings of your installed anti-virus software to ensure that it is scheduled to automatically install new updates. It is also advisable to set a scheduled time for the software to check your files automatically.
6. Anti-spyware & Malware. Spyware and Malware are programs that once installed onto your PC will collect personal information, install other programs and take over your web browser. They will redirect you to other malicious web sites, pop up offensive or irritating advertisements, and also slow down your computer.There are many anti-spyware packages available, including many that are free. Free anti-spyware packages include Microsoft Defender (www.microsoft.com), though the most popular is Ad-aware (www.lavasoft.com), and Search & Destroy (www.spybot.com). Remember to install any updates to ensure full protection from the latest threats.
7. Install the Latest Web Browser. Install Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 from (www.microsoft.com) or Firefox from (www.mozilla.com). The latest browsers will provide increased security against phishing (Spoof websites that steal account details). The recent updates will also give you enhancements, such as tabbed browsing, live web feeds (RSS) and pop-up blocking.
8. Shared Files and Folders. Check that your important files and folders are not shared. Click on ‘My Computer’, right click your ‘C: Drive’ and select ‘Properties’. Select the ‘Sharing Tab’ and select ‘Do not share this folder’. Click ‘OK’
9. Backing up Your Files. Always prepare for the worst. A virus could infect your computer, or a component such as the hard disk may fail. keeping a recent copy of your files and storing them elsewhere could save you hours of work in an emergency. Start getting into the habit of routinely saving all your important files to either a CD, USB flash or external drive. Alternatively back up those files to an online data storage website such as www.humyo.com. It is free to use, has unlimited storage space, and is flexible enough to allow you to share files with friends, and access your data on your mobile phone.
10. User Awareness. The final and most important security tip is user awareness. All the extra protection installed will be useless if you install software that has Malware built in. Many file sharing software packages are guilty of this.Do not open email attachments from someone you do not know, or with a suspicious subject. If you need to view them, save the attachment first and check it with your virus software. Do not pass on chain e-mails as these are considered spam.If you have children, make sure that you can see which sites they visit, and make sure they are logged in with a limited account. Install content software similar to net nanny which will restrict malicious or adult web sites.