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When you operate a business online one of your most important assets is your computer - it’s where all your data is stored. Everything you’ve set up, your systems, client information, database of contacts, history of things that have taken place, everything, it’s a very important part of your Virtual Assistant business.

So, why would people risk this and not back up their systems on a regular basis? The absolute minimum should be weekly but I would recommend daily, especially if your computer is in use daily. And this would include all of your My Documents folder, any other folders outside that with client/business information, your accounting program, Outlook or whichever email program you use and so on.

I don’t mean back up your software - you should have the original disks for that anyway, and perhaps separate backup disks also. But I do mean back up what changes regularly and do it religiously. DO NOT FORGET. Don’t let it be shoved aside. A good backup system is your insurance for your Virtual Assistant business - otherwise, if you lose it, you may as well pack up and go and do something else, because you can effectively lose your business. I’ve heard of some people who have taken a good 6 months to get back to where they were before, because they didn’t have a backup system and lost everything when they lost their computer. Imagine the money lost because they couldn\'t recharge for the time spent in replacing everything?

There are many options available these days: CD burning, external drive systems, tape back up, online file storage - explore what’s available and select what best suits you. Even backing up to a second computer (perhaps a laptop) is better than no back up system at all.

Don’t risk your VA business - back up!

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Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, MVA, ASO is the founder of "A Clayton's Secretary", a Virtual Assistant Network with members in many countries. Dedicated to teaching others about operating business over the Internet, Kathie is a multiple award winner as both a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has over 30 years' experience in the secretarial/administrative field. She registered her business in March 1994 and is one of the senior VAs who launched the industry globally. http://www.vadirectory.net.

We change the oil in our cars, filters in our furnance and batteries in our smoke detectors to maintain peak performance. What are you doing to maintain peak performance of your computer?

Because your computer is the key to running your business you want to make sure it is always operating at maximum speed. This ensures you are being as efficient as possible when performing tasks and translates to being able to over deliver resulting in happy clients. In this edition of Ask the Master we will explore the maintenance schedule required to keep our computers and our business running efficiently.

What things do I need to maintain on my computer?

There are basically two sections to maintaining your computer. There is the cleaning and removing of unnecessary files and data which slow down the speed of your computer and the updated of major software programs to ensure protection against vulnerabilities and improved operation. These include cleaning files, browser cache, cookies and temp files. Updating virus definitions, Windows and Office applications. Defragmenting your computer.

What What do I need to do weekly?

Update virus definitions at least weekly. Find out when and how often your virus software posts and updates their definitions. For instance if they only update them once a week on Wednesdays then you would want to make sure you run your updates every Thursday morning so you have maximum protection. This may be something you need to do daily as well so it’s important to know how your virus software company operates their updates.

Also consider running more than one antivirus software for maximum protection!
What do I need to do monthly?

This is the largest piece of the computer maintenance I do. I clear my browser cache (including history), cookies, temp and prefetch files (these are files Windows XP uses to start the program and applications and should be cleaned out regularly to avoid build-up), and empty my recycle bin using a free tool called Clean Up! (http://cleanup.stevengould.org/). You can do this manually through your browser under Tools then Internet Options and simply emptying your recycle bin.

Check for and update security and critical updates to your Windows program by going to your browser and clicking Tools and Windows Update. XP users can set it to automatically check and update these. Be wary of adding any and all updates to your computer focusing on just the critical and security issues for programs you use.

From the Windows Update page on your browser you can go to the Office Family page and run any required updates to your MS Office program.

Defragging your computer is an important task to your computer’s performance. As files are used, deleted and created, free space on your hard drive become split into smaller non-contiguous blocks or sectors. Eventually new files being created, or old files being extended, cannot be stored in a single contiguous block but become scattered. This degrades your computer’s performance as your computer must perform multiple seek operations to access a single fragmented file.

Defragmenting consolidates existing files and free space into a continuous group of sectors. Access speed is improved due to the reduced number of seek operations. To defragment your computer go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Disk Defragmenter.
What do I need to do yearly?

At least once a year clean out your data files and emails. Go in and look at old documents you have stored on your computer. Do you or your client still need or use them? Are they obsolete or outdated? Files I have for client’s I worked with 5 years ago could definitely be deleted to make more room and improve the speed of my computer. Do you have old jokes or pictures you have saved? An old version of a form or marketing item? Get rid of them! Clean your computer the same way you would clean a filing cabinet.

If you do not use or have the Auto Archive feature on your email program go in and clean out your emails as well from folders and sent files.
What else do I need to consider?

If you have ever gotten a virus that has slowed your computer down to a crawl you will recognize the importance of installing a firewall to further protect yourself from these situations. Trying to work on a limping computer is stressful in addition to inefficient.

Schedule regular back ups of your data files. If you encounter computer problems, viruses, system crashes, floods or anything that incapacitates your computer you don’t want to be spending time and energy recreating these files.

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Mary-Lou Ashon successfully launched her Virtual Assistant company in 1997 and holds expertise in organizing information, creation and implementation of administrative procedures and marketing. She has proven that dedication, communication, loyalty and a flare for marketing are keys to developing successful client relationships. Mary-Lou has a keen desire to promote awareness of VA\'s as a career option both internationally and at home in Canada and has developed a cost effective, convenient and high quality training program which you can locate at http://vatp.ca/.

If you use a safety deposit box for your valuables what are you using for your computer?

Your computer is a very large part of your business, next to who you are of course, and it is as important to safeguard your computer from harm as it is your data. Anyone who has experienced a virus, worm, trojan horse, or equipment failure knows how important it is to protect your computer from breaking down. In this edition we'll explore some of the things you can do to keep your computer and your business up and running.

I have antivirus software and I update it regularly, what else do I need to know?

In addition to scanning your computer and keeping your virus definitions up to date you should also be sure to upgrade your antivirus software every couple of years. The products improve and therefore so does the protection level.

Find out when virus definitions are published. For instance Norton publishes theirs once a week on Wednesdays so I have my program scheduled to get the updates on Thursday morning. That way I stay as current as possible.
What can I do if I get a virus?

If you do get infected with a virus do not solely rely on the fix provided by the antivirus company. Sometimes they can still leave traces of the virus that can affect your computer. Always try to manually remove them versus using the tool and don't rely solely on your antivirus program to find them.
What else can I use in addition to antivirus software?

There are other tools you can use to scan your computer in addition to antivirus software. There is a great little free software program by Lavasoft called Ad aware. It will do a registry and a deep registry scan in addition to your active processes and automatically quarantine what it finds. I have it set up to run at Windows start up and it consistently finds and quarantines items.
Do I need to have a firewall?

A firewall definitely reduces your vulnerability to viruses and hackers. You can pick up a problem by simply visiting a web site. You can set the degree of security that you want the firewall to maintain. Black Ice is a good program and Spybot offers a free version you can use. Be aware that firewalls may sometimes interfere with accessing secure sites.
What other tips or maintenance should I know about?

The location of your computer is also important for maximum performance and reliability. Be sure that you do not have your tower or CPU sitting directly on the floor, the higher off the floor the better. This reduces the amount of dust that your computer picks up. Be sure the cooling fans are working properly and are not blowing out hot air. If so you may have a problem with the fan. You also want to make sure your computer is well ventilated to prevent overheating. If you are using a computer armoire be sure that the computer is off before closing up the doors.

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Mary-Lou Ashon successfully launched her Virtual Assistant company in 1997 and holds expertise in organizing information, creation and implementation of administrative procedures and marketing. She has proven that dedication, communication, loyalty and a flare for marketing are keys to developing successful client relationships. Mary-Lou has a keen desire to promote awareness of VAs as a career option both internationally and at home in Canada and has developed a cost effective, convenient and high quality training program which you can locate at http://vatp.ca/.