Wow…banks are failing…stocks are falling…families continue to lose their homes, and the Mortgage Business just gets tougher and tougher. No doubt about it, this past year has brought us a litany of misery.

At this point you’re probably wondering…What more could possibly happen?

Well, losing the data on your computer(s) could be a major crisis waiting to happen. Lost data can lead to your business failure. Even individuals can be severely impacted.

Your best defense…data backup. Backing up data is absolutely vital to the survival of your Mortgage Business. While data lose may not cause your financial ruin, it can certainly result in a time consuming and very expensive recovery.

Just so you know, the ultimate computer disaster can be caused by a variety of circumstances that include…a hardware failure…a virus attack…a software bug…a human error, or…a natural disaster.

Yes, there are lots of reasons why people don’t take data backup seriously. Which of the following are you using and staking your Mortgage Business survival on?

“I just don’t know how.”
“My computer won’t crash.”
“I don’t have time to backup.”
“Disasters only happen in Florida and California.”

When most people hear “backup,” and admit that they should…they think of burning CD’s. In reality, if you don't have many files to back up, burning CD’s is actually economical and somewhat handy. Today, most computers have CD burners and if you keep the CD’s at another location (off-site), it's a fairly safe method.

But…if you’re in the Mortgage Business, I know you’re not going through those CD swapping motions when you update and/or modify one of your mortgage files. In fact, you probably only backup once a week, or once a month, or just when you think of it.

If you’re using a second hard drive (either external or internal), that’s great! Unfortunately, that leaves your backup near your computer, or in it. A fire or burglary might well take it out completely.

Instead, implement a system that keeps your data backed up all the time? While it does cost money, it’s much less than you might think, you can have a bulletproof system that will reduce the chance of your mortgage data being destroyed and lost.

Online backup systems have been around for many years. Historically, they have been used by large companies and most are not inexpensive. They can run hundreds of dollars per month.

Today, consumer online backups are now being offered. They cost much less money and once they're set up, you can forget about them because they run automatically.

For instance, AT&T Online Vault offers 2 gigabytes of storage for $7.95 per month. Each additional gigabyte costs $2 per month.

iBackup charges $9.95 for 5GB. This company offers more features and it appears to be intended for more advanced computer users.

Carbonite.com is the service I have been using for a number of months. The cost is $49.95 for one year, and $89.95 for two, with a free 30 day trial available.

When you sign up, Carbonite downloads a small program to your computer. Among other things, that program encrypts your data. The data is then encrypted a second time, and sent over the Internet to Carbonite. The company uses the Secure Socket Layer, the system used by banks and brokerages.

Carbonite backs up constantly when you're not using your computer. It flags and then backs up any files that have been added or changed.

When the data arrives at Carbonite, it is stored with the original encryption. Should you need to restore data, it comes back the same way. The original program installed on your computer includes the key to decrypt your files.

At this point, I have not managed to wipe out my hard drive and had to experience the restoration process described by Carbonite. I can't honestly tell you whether the restoration is easy or not. But the company's description sounds easy and you could probably test it yourself during the free trial period. I did not!

In my case, I have invested in multiple layers of backup for my mortgage marketing information. My new systems are laptops so I can move them quickly in an emergency. I have subscribed to the very best anti-virus software available for protection. I use external drives with software to automatically back up my files at night. 

Nonetheless, I do feel safer with an online backup system. That’s why I committed to Carbonite. For about $50 a year, I have virtually unlimited back up space for the year. Try it free for 30 days…you don't even need to enter a credit card number (compelling sales feature) for the free trial.

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Tom Domin is the author of "101 Ways to Originate Mortgages" and publisher of "Tom's Mortgage Tips" a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com/

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