Backup Plans

Backups are useful primarily for two purposes. The first is to restore a state following a disaster (called disaster recovery). The second is to restore small numbers of files after they have been accidentally deleted or corrupted. Data loss is also very common. 66% of internet users have suffered from serious data loss. Therefore the company’s Database is present in both the computers and files. Basically there is parallel use of manually recorded files as well as MIS. Backup is done on a weekly basis, but for very critical information it is also done on a daily basis. The IT sector does not handle the future planning of the company; therefore the company has too many backup files. The company still has hard copies for personal backup even when all the information is present in the computers as well. That is because there is a resistance to change and the use of MIS at every hierarchical level. This makes the process all the more inefficient, time consuming and difficult to handle. In a recent event one of the offices of the company got burnt to the ground and so were all their manual files. But despite that, the company did not face any loss of information. The reason being, that they had backup information on the computers as well. So this only shows that there is no need to keep so many files when the information is already stored in computers.
Such attitude is quite common in countries like Pakistan where government - owned companies have a tradition of keeping manual files and not adapting to changes in technology. When we talked to Mr. Rashid Mahmud he told us that he had developed a software system for an automated information system but it not got implemented due to the higher administration’s problem of adapting such changes in the process of working.