You know when your email is working and when you cannot see the news on Yahoo, but do you know when your backup is working? When is the last time you checked your backup? Do you even have a backup? If you have checked your backup and believe it is working, when was the last time you tried restoring data? Have you ever tried a restore? Backups fail. Any type of automated process fails. You must, if you wish to retain data, have a backup plan, stick to the backup plan and test the backup plan. There is no way around it. Hard drives fail, people forget to click “Save”, a folder is accidentally deleted, data corruption from an unclean shutdown locks you out of Exchange. Your invoicing or billing program shows an error when you logging in. You know the routine, call tech support. “Do you have a maintenance contract?” “Do you have backup”?”.
Don’t put yourself in this position. Devise a plan, or have one devised for you. And if you have one devised for you, hold them accountable. Ask to see the plan. Ask about the software. Ask about the media. Ask about the data. Do not assume that your tech person is taking care of it for you. Proper backup takes time, energy, money and attention. It is not free. It is not easy. It is not cheap.