1. Use it!
   Too many people purchase tape drives and do not use them. The tape drive is a valuable asset that must be used. Get in the habit of performing daily backups.
2. Develop a regular backup schedule
   You need to develop a routine that is followed consistently. For a typical office, this means designating someone to swap tapes and to verify that the backup worked each night. It also means checking the backup software is running and automatically during the night when users are not logged in.
3. Close all files you want to back up
   Any file that is still being used cannot be backed up by the system. If an employee workstation was left on with a word processing file, contact information file, or company database open on their screen, the file will be skipped during the backup. You should notify your employees that they should close all programs on their computer and shut them down before they leave for the night.
4. Verify your backups
   Do not assume that if a tape is in the machine every night, that all of your data is being safely backed up. Check the backup logs regularly to see if any errors occurred. Make sure the backup is set to "backup and compare". Look at your tapes regularly and confirm that the backup is actually recorded and in good order. If you look at a tape that was used last week, but the file set on that tape is from two months ago, you have a problem. Finally, you should occasionally try recovering a file from the tape to make sure it works like you expect it to.
5. Rotate tapes
   Do not use the same tape each day. This produces unnecessary wear on the tape. Also, if a particular tape is bad, you might not find out until you have to use it to recover your files. With multiple tapes, the risk of losing data due to a bad tape is significantly reduced. Follow the tape manufacture guidelines for tape replacement. Tapes do wear out and need to be replaced.
6. Use off-site storage
   At least one of your tapes should be removed from the premises. In the event of a fire, theft, or other major catastrophe, an off-site copy of your data ensures that you will not lose all of your critical data. A good rotation is to have two Friday tapes, keeping the most recent Friday backup off-site and the week-old tape on-site.
7. Use security
   Your files are very important to your company. A tape that is sitting out in the open can easily be stolen, and it will contain ALL of your company's computer information. This often includes customer databases, pricing information, and other highly sensitive materials. You should password-protect your backups and keep the tapes in a secure location such as a fireproof safe.

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