It's the age of one PC per person--which means valuable corporate data is usually stored in several separate PCs. It is therefore crucial for a company to safely store and handle its valuable data and take advance measures for the recovery of damaged data before a problem occurs.

Increasing use of computers and the Internet in business also increases the ways in which data can be damaged. Mishandling, hacking, or viruses are daily occurrences. And while the news reports only mention a relatively small number of victims, all businesses are vulnerable.

The following illustration shows the primary reasons why data is lost and how often each reason plays a role in data loss. Notice how careless handling causes data loss more often than all the other reasons, including system and software issues.