If you want to protect the valuable computer files of your business, your best options – in fact, the only guaranteed options you have – are HIPAA compliant automatic files backup and secure offsite data files storage.

For ordinary home files, you might have contented yourself in the past with a manual files backup system. A lot of people actually still do this. They save copies of their files in a CD and stash it away in a CD case or CD album. This is in turn kept in a drawer or on a shelf. Those who feel extra cautious would print out their files and keep these in folders. A few more people would take the added precaution of copying their files on to another computer, maybe a laptop or notebook to carry with them conveniently. People then feel that they have protected themselves adequately against viruses or the crashing of their hard drive. As mentioned earlier, however, this process is manual and, therefore, tedious. You have to do your manual files backup for each of your files and you have to remember to repeat the process each time you edit or update a file. If you have a lot of files, this can be very time consuming and tiring. There is also always a possibility that you may forget to do your manual files backup. If misfortune strikes just after you have forgotten your task, all is lost.

Assuming you are very obsessive about doing your manual files backup and you never forget to do it, this still does not guarantee the safety of your files. Your CDs and folders of printouts are not protected from fire, water damage or damage from natural disasters such as earthquakes. The other computers in which you have stored copies of your file could also be damaged or could be stolen. Laptops and notebooks are particularly attractive to thieves.

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