Halloween may be over, but today's issue discusses a genuinely terrifying topic - losing your data. Think about it. What would you do if you lost all of your company's records? Jerry Adcock, vice president of Subterranean Data Services Co., LLC, offers readers some ideas on backup strategies to guarantee that you'll stay in business even if you lose your most important hard drive.

Our other articles today discuss that topic near and dear to us all – making money! Think you might like to work at home? I know on rainy Monday mornings it certainly sounds good to me – having that extra cup of coffee, skipping the commute, and settling down at my PC in my pajamas… Can it be a reality? Contributing writer Stacy Perez offers guidelines and suggestions for landing that work @ home job you’ve always dreamed of.

While there are many legitimate moneymaking ventures on the Web, there are frauds out there, too. Use care and take precautions when entering into a Web business - Sandra Stammberger clues us in on how to spot the scams.

Maybe you’ve decided to start your own business, perhaps with your spouse. The odds may seem stacked against you, but it can work! Elena Fawkner shows you how.

Happy Reading!
Jackie Rosenberger

BACK IT UP! Your Guide to Dodging Disaster
By Jerry Adcock

Many small businesses don’t back up their data at all, and others use improper media for the job. I’ve often asked computer professionals, “Which is more important: Backing up your data, or restoring it?” Almost invariably, they will answer that backing up the data is more important. We’ ve been trained to think about backing up our data, and when you go to any of the popular hardware companies that offer data protection solutions, they sell backup solutions, not restore solutions. Therein lies one of the problems - a misleading mindset. Protecting your data is not about backing it up. It’s about being able to restore that data when, not if, you need to.

We all have a negative attitude toward backing up data, but even when we do it regularly, lots of things can go wrong. Choosing media poorly suited for backing up critical data is a major problem. A significant number of small businesses still back up their data to floppy disks, which is a very bad idea. Floppies are not suited for backing up anything important because they are unpredictable; sometimes they work trouble free for decades, sometimes they fail right out of the box, and sometimes they fail after just a few uses. Floppies are the worst backup choice.

FREE Trial! Email promotions. - Create, manage and send your own powerful, personalized marketing message to your customers.

Tape backups are better than floppies, but if you’re going to use a tape drive to back up your company’s data, then plan on spending at least $1200 for a reliable one. Several problems can occur with backup tapes. A poorly designed tape drive can stop and start frequently in the same area. It can drag the tape across the heads producing wear spots, called “shoe shining.” These areas no longer store data properly, and will result in data loss. Low quality tapes can suffer from stretching; due to the constant back and forth motion of the tape head, or from heat and cold. Stretched tape produces alignment problems and data loss. Dust, humidity, and heat can likewise cause problems. Tapes exposed to harsh conditions may be unreadable; a good storage environment is vital to maintaining tape reliability. Another problem area is tape rotation and retirement. One medical facility we had dealings with ran their tapes until one of those tapes literally fell apart in someone’s hands. If you decide to go with tapes, be sure to rotate out the old ones on a regular basis and replace them with new ones. Don’t wait until they fall to pieces.
Read the rest of the article

Software Downloads
MSN Contacts Manager IM Tool		Search Bar Search Tool

Keeping It In the Family
By Elena Fawkner

I'm sure you've heard this dreaded statistic before: the failure rate of all start-up businesses is around the 90% mark. Add to that the further distinctly unpleasant fact that roughly 50% of all marriages end in divorce and you can quickly see that the odds of your new small business succeeding, already slim, become positively anorexic if you run your business in partnership with your spouse.
Read the rest of the article

5 Warning Signs of a Scam Business
By Sandra Stammberger

For years now the rush has been on to mine the Internet and find "gold." Just like miners in the old U.S. west, people flock to the Web hoping to strike it rich. Is it possible? Sure it is! However, those miners of old had to watch out for "fool's gold." You - in the days of the Internet - have to watch out for scam businesses.
Read the rest of the article

Join the Java Community Process Become a member and you will have a chance to have your own work—and your own thinking—become an integral part of the Java platform and ultimately help shape the future of Java technology.

The Do's And Don’t’s of Applying for Work @ Home Positions
By Stacy Perez

Most people want a work @ home position, whether they find one researching online or their outside employer considers telecommuting.

When applying for a work @ home position, you must treat it like you are seeking an outside position with a company.
Read the rest of the article

For information about advertising within an iEntry email newsletter or via a targeted direct emailing contact Susan Coppersmith at susan@ientry.com.