This past Tuesday morning I turned on my desktop computer ready to tackle the day. After hearing the familiar “bing” on my iMac, I was ready to dig in. Then, the sound all computer owners dread to hear…
BONG…BONG…BONG
Accompanied by a steel gray screen and the repetitive “bongs,” I am smart enough to know this is no good. After making several frantic calls, I drove down the Best Buy where I’d purchased my Mac with my protection guarantee firmly in hand. The Geek Squad guy dressed in white short-sleeved shirt, black tie, and dangling earring informed me, “I think it’s either the motherboard or RAM. We can ship it to Apple and they will fix it. It’s still under warranty, but it will be two weeks.”
Two weeks! As a sole practitioner consultant, this is what disaster means to me. I consult clients on being prepared for a disaster and having a game plan in place. It was time to see how sound mine was.
Feeling pretty good that my Time Machine back-up was firmly in place I came home and did some homework. My regular tech guy is out of the country on vacation (you can’t make this up) so I called Apple Support. I just made the switch to Apple so the iMac is the only Mac in the house. I have three other PC’s to choose from. Unfortunately, the Apple guy tells me, “Sorry. Time machine only restores data to another Mac.” OUCH!
The next day, I have no other choice but to head back to Best Buy to purchase a Mac Book. I couldn’t wait two weeks. Although I had internet access through our wireless, I had done a poor job of backing up my calendar and tasks. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to be the next day! Bottom line, I needed to get the lap top. I knew I would need one in another two months with both daughters being gone to school so might as well bite the bullet.
I unwrapped my new Mac Book and decided that I could probably figure out how to transfer my backup files. How hard could it be? Hard enough for me to erase our wireless network, open things that shouldn’t be opened, and cause more stress than I ever needed. Fortunately, my goodfriend Al Ardon is a new IT consultant who lives only 20 minutes away. He generously came over at 6:00 pm to see if he could save me and clean up my mess.
It didn’t turn out to be very easy. The two Macs weren’t talking with each other correctly and although I could see all my “stuff,” I couldn’t access it or see the contents. Al was able to get our wireless network back so I was once again able to communicate with the outside world. The bad news was that I still couldn’t see my calendar or tasks.
The next morning, I spent 3 hours on the phone with Apple support. They speak a different language and I do and fortunately were very patient. Al came over andwas able to bridge the gap. Turns out, my messing around the night before was the cause of the “miscommunication” of the two pieces of hardware. Between Al and Apple, they were able to restore my iMac info into my Mac Book just like it was at 9:22 pn On June 22nd. As I sit here and type this blog, it’s peacefully and securely backing up.
The reality is that I made many mistakes in my own back-up plan. Here are a few lessons learned and best practices you can take from my experience (by the way, if you do any work from home, these are critical):
- Always back up your calender and contacts in several spots. I didn’t have my Blackberry synced with my calender or tasks. Big mistake. I was fortunate not to miss any appointments. Make sure you have at least one hard copy of your schedule two weeks out along with your electronic backup.
- Have a backup tech expert. Al was a life-saver for me. His expertise was critical when I didn’t know where to turn.
- Test a disaster. Make sure you know where your gaps are in case it happens for real. I would have known in advance that my Time Machine needed to speak to a Mac, even though it works on PC, too.
- Don’t try to do it yourself if you have no reason to believe you know what you’re doing. I should have called Al and Apple when I got home with the box. This set me back some valuable time.
- Be able to have some form of electronic communication - Smart phone, wireless, iPhone. I was at least able to keep up with ongoing needs of clients.
- Make sure you surround yourself with a smart team. Mine were tech people like Al, Justin (who actually called me from out of the country) and the Apple Care people. Who do you need to surround yourself with at a disaster?
As it turns out, my “disaster” didn’t cripple me. In total, I lost 2-plus days of access to some documents and tools. Had I been better prepared, this would not have been an issue. I had an expense of $850 for a new computer, which I would have had to do anyway. Now I have another backup with it. My Time Machine worked exactly as it should. Because I had access to other PC’s and wireless, I was able to stay connected.
What about you? What if a disaster befalls you? How quickly are you able to recover? How quickly must you?
Take the time to answer these questions. My little adventure in disaster recovery was a wake-up call for me and I’m in the business. Learn from my experience and be prepared for yours. In life, sports, and business, it’s not if something bad will happen, but when. How well prepared you are will be for it will likely determine to successful continuation of your business.
Be safe and be well.
Dan
(c) 2009 Dan Weedin - All Rights Reserved
