Step 3:  Protect Your Data

Schedule Regular Data Backups and Test Restores (if hosting locally)

If you host Pirouette locally on your own server, your IT contact or system administrator should have a system in place for performing regular backups.  This ensures that in the event of a hardware failure or accidental deletion, your data will be protected.

In addition to backing up your data, regular “test restores” should be scheduled, whereby your data is recovered from the backup tapes. This is a critical part of the back-up process that should not be overlooked.  If your backups are being compromised in any way (eg: the backup tapes are wearing out), you’ll want to discover this during a test restore, while you still have an opportunity to rectify the problem.  Regular test restores verify that your data can indeed be recovered, should this ever be necessary.