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Are Your Marketing Files Backed Up? Part 2

Mary Kay Miller — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:13:10 +0000

How much time does it really take to backup all your computer files?

The size of your practice, your choice of orthodontic management software and your added programs such as digital imaging and digital radiography directly effects the amount of time it takes to backup your computer files.

Have you ever noticed how your computer system slows down when the backups are running? The amount of time required to backup larger systems can take as long as 2-3 hours on a highspeed backup drive. This will effect the overall speed of your software, depending upon what hour of the day you are running the backups.

Many larger offices opt to run backups during lunch, which extends backup time into early afternoon rather than slow down performance during the busiest time of day, late afternoon. This allows them to take the backup off site that night. Other offices will run the backup at the end of the day, leave while the backup is running and then take the backup home the following night. Niether scenario is a good one.

Also consider that if your software programs are not integrated with one another, separate backup programs are required for each system and requires double the effort and double the staff time.

Even in the most well run practices, on a really busy patient day, backups are sometimes forgotten. This is when “Murphy’s Law” comes into play… If the system goes down, it usually happens when the backups weren’t run or they weren’t taken home, if disaster strikes. This happened to an orthodontist in Longmeadow, MA 10 years ago. His staff was great about backing up, but no one ever took the backups home. There was a gas leak and the entire building was leveled in the middle of the night.

Consider also the personal time and added stress placed upon the staff member that is responsible for the most important system in the office. Many a time I have turned back towards the office on my way home, tired after a long day, because I forgot to grab the backup. There is an easier solution to this problem….

Subscribed to an Internet computer backup service

With all the advances in computer technology and the reduction in cost to provide online data storage, online computer backup services are the answer. Once the backup is setup properly, it runs by itself, day after day. You will receive a confirmation email verifying the daily backup was completed and if there is a problem, just contact the service and they will help you troubleshoot.

Some options to look for when considering an online service are:

Scheduling online backup for any future date/time
Drag-n-drop feature to easily set up data for backup
Encryption to secure your data
Mirroring data if it applies to your computer setup
Syncing data so you don’t have to run an entire backup each day and reduce upload time to the internet.
Ability to upload data from more than one server, to one account. This would apply if your digital imaging and x-ray server is different from your practice management server.

Many of the orthodontic software management providers support Internet backup for their programs. However, I found their services are more expensive than the major online backup services and some don’t have the capability of backing up files outside your management software, such as My Documents file, Outlook, Palm software, QuickBooks, etc. If you are already using one of these services, check to make sure all your practice files are being backed up, not just your orthodontic software.

One service that I recommend since I personally use it for my home network and was used by Get-It-Straight Orthodontics, which is a fully integrated paperless office with digital imaging and digital radiography, is ibackup. This backup service not only provides total "peace of mind", but costs as little as $50 to $100/month, depending upon the size of your data. Their backup and storage service will accommodate the requirements of the majority of orthodontic practices, at an affordable price. This is less than it costs to pay a member of the team to perform the backups, let alone cover the cost of replacing backup tapes on a regular basis.

When setting up the online backup, I also recommend that you contact your network computer tech to make sure all files and programs are added properly and scheduled correctly. Make a list of every program and file that requires backup, before he/she gets there to reduce time required for the service call or an additional trip to add more data. Setting up the program is simple for a knowledgeable computer tech and can easily be done in less than an hour.

Make life easier and Work Smarter, Faster and With Less Team Effort by implementing Internet backup services for all your computer programs and files.

Are Your Marketing Files Backed Up? Part I

Mary Kay Miller — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:30:32 +0000

You can never be too carefull….

With the recent fires in California destroying many homes and businesses, I think this would be a good time to review recommended computer backup procedures for your orthodontic practice. Mother Nature can be very cruel and you never know when she may strike next.

I am sure the majority of offices are backing up their practice management software, on a daily basis, as recommended by their software provider?!?! My question today is how many of you are backing up your documents and files that are not included in the orthodontic practice management package such as marketing materials, Outlook, email addresses, business contacts, bookmarked websites, Important Documents file, special letters, excel spreadsheets, office photographs, etc?

You don’t realize how important these files are during an average work day, until they are gone. Having to recreate information accumulated over time, if not years, is not only time consuming, it is traumatic. I know, I learned the hard way…

For over 20 years, I have been a backup freak with practice management software. It was drilled into my head by our computer tech, from day one, when our first system was installed in 1982. However, as more tasks were computerized over the years, I tended to be a little lax with other files, which I backed up about every 7-10 days.

That all ended when I lost the data on my palm pilot, when it succumbed to a sudden death. I didn’t panic because the information was backed up on my laptop… or so I thought! Unfortunately, the hard drive on my laptop decided to crash on the same day and I went into panic mode!

My laptop was networked into the main server which backed up my Important Documents file daily, but it did not back up Outlook, my palm pilot or my web bookmarks and favorites. Fortunately, I never threw out my rolodex when I converted to a palm. I was able to duplicate about 80% of the lost data. However, recreating the remaining 20% was a real hassle and I had to totally recreate my web favorites, bookmarks and I lost all saved emails.

However, truth be told…this is nothing compared to what it would be like if you totally lost an office…lost every file, x-ray, patient documentation, plus all supplies and equipment within its walls. This, everyone, is one of the big advantages of converting to a paperless office.

The chances of losing an entire office are miniscule. However, hardware failure is not. I would like to list some tips on how to avoid unnecessary loss of data should computer equipment fail.

• All computer files, including orthodontic management software, marketing files, front office correspondence, email, TC documentation, accounting software and word documents should be backed up daily and taken off site every night. If these files are not networked to the main server for storage, each individual computer will require backup on a daily basis.

• Backup disks and tapes have been known to go bad and you never know when it has occurred, until it is too late. Make sure you have a set of 5 backups to rotate each day of the week for your practice management software and a least minimum of two backups to rotate for all other computers or a USB Flash drive.

• Replace all reusable backup tapes and disks frequently, at least, quarterly. Even though tapes are expensive to replace, it is cheap insurance to make sure your backups are working properly. I have heard many a horror story from practices that had to recreate up to a months worth of data because the backups were old and no longer working properly. Orthotrac recommends a new tape be used for each end month procedure, to assure accuracy.

• Train all staff on all backup procedures and designate one employee to be responsible for the backups, with an additional designated employee to cover during vacation and sick leave.

• Only two sets of backups are to remain on site at the same time and they should be the two oldest backups. This way, in the event of the unthinkable, you would have the 3 most current backups to restore the system, in case one was corrupt.

• Never leave the backups in a car, especially if the outside temperature is below 60 degrees or above 80 degrees.

• Spot check to make sure the backups are being taken off site each night, as instructed, until the routine is second nature.

Your computer system and all its programs and files are one of the most critical aspects of any orthodontic practice. Protect it at all costs…

There are alternatives to eliminating the daily hassle of backing up your files. We will discuss those options in Part 2 of this series. Till then..