Save That Data!

(FSB - June 2006 issue) -- Like most entrepreneurs, one of my worst nightmares would be to lose my business data. Our company, Techline Studio, is an office furniture supplier with a showroom in Manhattan and a warehouse in nearby New Jersey. Most of our valuable client and financial data--sales leads, tax information, accounts payable--reside on a server at the showroom. And while we are probably not high on al Qaeda's target list, any New York City business is potentially vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

So for me the most appealing feature of Iomega's new REV Loader 280 is that it backs up your server automatically on removable disks that you can store offsite. The compact loader (just five inches wide and seven inches tall) has slots for eight disks, each of which holds 35 gigabytes of data (70 GB compressed). (Currently we use only 20 gigs, but it grows fast.) The disks retail for $50 each in bundles of four.

The REV comes with a license for BrightStor ARCserve, a Computer Associates application with a disaster-recovery feature. The idea is that when the server goes down, the REV automatically loads the correct disk and restores the system to its previous state.

The REV worked as advertised once we got it up and running, which was no simple feat. Our patient tech consultant, Ed Smit of JustAskEd.net, spent several frustrating hours trying to get the ARCserve software to work on our Windows 2000 server. Iomega's REV specialist could help him only during business hours, so Ed had to shut me out of our network on a busy day.

After Ed had updated our server software, disabled virus protection, and disconnected all peripherals (including tape drives), he had a versatile and effective backup solution. Bottom line: Once you get through installation hell, the REV Loader does its job well.