By Kip Gregory

You’ve probably seen a lot of press about disaster recovery over the past 18 months. Sept. 11 was a jarring example of how quickly businesses can be crippled or mortally wounded if they haven’t secured the information they need to function day-to-day.

If your data is lost or compromised, the result can be devastating. It doesn’t take an act of terrorism to bring your business to a halt. Your computer could be stolen or your home or office could be flooded, burned or hit by a power surge during a storm. Someone might break into your network over the Web and steal files, or you may simply spill a cup of coffee on your laptop.

Here are four ways to reduce your exposure to everyday threats. 1. Virus protection You probably have antivirus software on your computer, but do you keep it up-to-date and use it regularly? New viruses surface every day. Norton and McAfee, two leading antivirus software providers, currently list over 60,000 of them. Set up your antivirus software to automatically retrieve updates (called virus definitions) from the company’s website and to scan your hard drive automatically at least every other week to make sure your system is clean. 2. A file backup system Not creating data backup files is just as dangerous as not shielding your computer from viruses. Everyone knows they should, but few actually do. Get in the habit of regularly saving copies of your data files and storing them somewhere other than with your computer.

Your first task is to decide whether to backup on-site (at your office) or online (over the Internet). On-site, you’ll need either a CD (or the newer DVD) drive that allows you to burn (i.e., copy) files to blank disks, a Zip drive for copying to Zip disks, or a storage device that plugs into your computer through a USB port or computer-card slot.

Many computers today come factory equipped with a CD burner (i.e., drive). If yours didn’t, you can still buy one as an accessory. Visit your computer manufacturer’s website to see what it offers or visit Cnet’s Shopper.com to comparison shop for any of the tools mentioned.

If you go for the online option, you’ll need high-speed access to the Web; a dial-up connection just isn’t feasible. There are a number of Web-based backup services to choose from: @backup and Connected are two. Consider cost, storage space, security and ease of use when evaluating providers.

3. An Internet firewall
Anytime you connect to the Internet, you are subject to attack. Without some kind of sentry, you run an unnecessary risk of someone sneaking into your system and removing critical information, like financial data or client records, without you ever knowing it.

Not creating data backup files is just as dangerous as not shielding your computer from harmful viruses.

One solution is to get an Internet router—hardware that lets you share a high-speed cable or DSL connection to the Web with multiple computers. This makes you invisible to those who might want to break into your system. Linksys and D-Link are two providers.

For a software remedy, check out ZoneAlarm, Norton Personal Firewall and McAfee Firewall.

TIP: If you want to assess how vulnerable your computer is to an outside attack, visit www.grc.com and click on the link to ShieldsUP! You can run two quick, free tests to see how at risk your computer is.

4. Surge suppressors and battery backup
The final step is to put safeguards in place to insulate yourself from electrical problems with surge suppressors for all your equipment, including your phones, and battery backup (technically called uninterruptible power supply or UPS) for each computer and monitor.

Suppressors protect your equipment from sudden power surges that can occur when lightning hits an electrical line or when power is restored after an outage. UPS systems are about the size of a car battery and store enough power to keep your computer and monitor running for a few minutes in the event your power goes off, so you can save your work and shut down. American Power Conversion Corp. is a leading provider of both UPS systems and surge suppressor strips; Tripp Lite is another manufacturer. If you travel with your computer, pick up a portable suppressor and put it in your carrying case.

Covering these four bases will dramatically reduce your chances of experiencing a crippling data injury that might put others out of business. They are good insurance … and I know you appreciate the value of that.

Kip Gregory, principal of The Gregory Group, is a consultant, trainer and speaker on marketing, sales and technology issues. You can reach him at 202-364-6913 or by email at kip@gregory-group.com.

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