Just about everyone relies on computers these days. A great deal of information is kept on a number of hard drives and servers in both home and business environments. Knowing that there is always the possibility of a system failure, many people make sure to back up essential data. Here are a few tips to help you manage an effective and responsible data storage management process.

The first rule of thumb in any data storage management process is to set up a regular schedule for backing up the data. This may involve a schedule that is anywhere from a weekly backup to one that occurs two or three times a day. There are several factors to consider in setting up the frequency.

First, how often is your data updated? Second, how essential is your data to the operation of your business? Third, how much effort and expense would be involved in re-entering data if the last backup was done a week ago, versus yesterday? Responsible management begins with setting up routine backups that will make the best use of your time and other resources.

Next, there is the need to decide on the type of backup device you will use. Some people prefer to save data on disk. In environments where servers are used, many businesses choose to have the data on a primary server backed up to a secondary server. Still others choose to store the data on a remote server, via an Internet connection. All three are examples of effective data storage, since it is possible to retrieve all data up to the point of the last backup within minutes.

Last, review your backed up data now and then. The reason for this is to make sure your backup process is working properly. If you find that your current structure of data storage makes it hard to remember to routinely save some obscure file that is rarely used but is absolutely essential, then you may need to tweak your process. Also, there is a chance some data in some fields is not carrying over for some reason. Unless you do a periodic check, chances are you won't know this until a system failure and you find data is missing from the last backup.