Using a Brisbane computer repairs company to track your precious data

A small Brisbane importing business maintains a busy warehouse, receiving and dispatching goods seven days a week. It seems like a simple enough business - goods in, goods out, cash in, expenses out, but the operation relies heavily on a computer system to track inventory, sales, monitor staff costs and maintain financial records. Putting it mildly, losing that data would be disastrous.

Here's how they kept their IT systems firing with the help of a Brisbane computer repairs company.

The right tools for the job

"The network needed to be tailored to match the performance requirements of the machines," says Nick Lagos, director of Formosa Australia Systems. 

"Buying off-the-shelf computers might do the job in the short term, but most businesses should have their IT systems designed with the end use in mind," says Nick.

With computer systems designed to match its needs, the importing business is able to minimise the computer repairs required and keep up with the demands of its customers.

Avoiding costly downtime 

The best way to avoid computer repairs is with proper maintenance, says Nick. "Regular, ongoing maintenance is the key to avoiding systems failure," he says.

But he warns that entering into a computer service agreement isn't a one-size-fits-all scenario. The importing business had the following unique requirements:

• regular maintenance for computers and servers
• specialist maintenance for stock scanners
• installation of software updates
• on-call service for software or hardware failure
• remote monitoring of the network to troubleshoot issues
• staff training on updated systems.

With an understanding of these requirements, a service agreement was drawn up and regular maintenance procedures scheduled. 

Back up your data 

The biggest casualty of a computer meltdown is the valuable data that's lost, so it's imperative to back up. While many businesses can manage it themselves, the importance of data to the importing business meant a more in-depth solution was required.

"The main issue is redundancy," says Nick. "We have to make sure the backed-up data itself isn't damaged or lost." There are various ways of achieving this: 

• Multiple incremental back-ups: Some businesses, depending on how often their data changes, use DAT tapes that are loaded each day.
• Electronic back-up: Data is manually loaded onto an external hard drive or memory stick. 
• Online back-up: Also known as a virtual private network, the key benefit is that data is stored remotely. It can be automated and is generally very cost effective.

The importing business decided to implement an automated online back-up service, ensuring that its important information was protected in the event of a problem. 

A smart move

Besides performing computer repairs, a computer technician can also minimise the impact of a problem and protect your business against data loss. 

So don't wait until there's a problem - ask a computer repair company today how they can save you time and money by keeping your IT systems running at full speed.