Why you need data backup for your retail pos system
Posted by John Deery
What does C-R-A-S-H spell?
It has been said, “When it comes to computers, there are two kinds of companies":
- those who have lost data and
- those who are going to lose data
The question that usually follows is,
“Which kind of company are you?”
A more important question is, “What is the value of that data that is being stored by your computers?” In the case of retail stores, it can be argued that the data is very valuable. Vendor, department and item master files, sales transactions, item history (orders, receipts, transfers), and customer history make up the bulk of data stored by any retail point of sale system. What would you be willing to pay to ‘get that data back’ if some catastrophic event occurred?
Sadly, many retail companies pay little or no attention to backing up critical data. Too often the loss of critical data occurs before the realization that regularly backing up this data is important. To that end, the inclusion of some type of data backup mechanism has been a standard element of all proposed Point of Sale and Inventory Control (POS) systems for many years. Even with the inclusion of such backup solutions, retailers may still lose data. Why? Because they may fail to fully understand how these systems work – and/or once deployed, they never check to certify that they are actually working. Retailers are good at buying and selling – not necessarily at computer-related tasks associated with maintaining their retail point of sale system.
Because of this, the best solution to this dilemma is to provide some type of ‘service’ to retailers that will automatically back up a retailers’ critical data – every day. The introduction of low-cost off-site data backup over the Internet was ‘tailor made’ for retailers. Once it is set up, the application automatically performs a backup of critical data without the intervention of anyone. This is perfect for retailers!
Not only is the data backup fully automated, it is also backed up off-site. That means that the critical data is being stored at a secure off-site data-storage facility. It doesn’t matter where the storage facility is. It matters that the data is secure, and can be retrieved at any time it is needed.
Imagine the occurrence of a catastrophic event that completely destroys computers in a particular company and eradicates all of the data being stored by them. Such an event would actually put many companies out of business. Not so for the company whose data has been securely stored off-site. The ‘disaster recovery’ for this company involves setting up new computers and transferring the stored data onto them. Within hours, this company can be back in business.
If you’re a retailer, off-site data backup at a secured facility. This just makes sense. The question remains, “Which kind of company are you?”
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Most retailers quickly become overwhelmed by the thought of researching point of sale systems. J.D. Associates can make the process easier because we use a consultative approach in helping you find the right retail technology.
To help you with your retail POS system research, click to download POS Checklist: 200+ questions to ask your vendor when doing research on POS software.
