You really do not want to hear that question. You especially do not want to answer that question in the negative.

If someone asks you that question then it is a pretty good bet that some sort of data melt down just happened. If you have a computer backup system, then it's all good. If not, then you are looking at some serious downtime and some big time money.

To understand the need for online computer backup you do not need to just focus on a complete disaster. There are many day to day side benefits from a data center disaster recovery plan. Here are just some of them:

1. If there is a recovery plan in place then employees and clients will have more confidence in your company. The fact that you have installed a computer backup system to protect the continuity of operations will lead to employee loyalty and customer allegiance. If the company cares that much about the business and the clientele, then ...

2. Computer backup systems provide documentation. This documentation could be instrumental if it is necessary to refer to original documents or replace original files due to a human error like misplacing or inadvertent deletion.

3. The internet is a dangerous place today. File security is constantly under attack by viruses and worms. A data center could be devastated by an attack. Online computer backup keeps the data secure from this threat.

4. Virus and worm attacks can be insidious, destroying the efficiency of an operation from both a timeliness and quality viewpoint. With a computer backup system, the working data system can be purged of viruses and restored from the backup with minimal delay to operations.

5. Investing in a data center disaster recovery plan can provide savings to a company. The plan will solve minor bottleneck efficiency problems as discussed earlier and be the backup for human error.

6. Finally, if there is a disaster, your plan will be there to restore the data center. The costs of rebuilding a data base from ground zero are staggering. In the worst-case scenario, the cost of a data center disaster recovery plan is trivial.