Can you imagine working feverishly to get that proposal out or to meet that deadline, and suddenly everything’s GONE!! Not just the work, but the programs, the computer, the Internet …. EVERYTHING!!

That scenario is always a possibility.  But it doesn’t have to be. Reliability can easily and inexpensively be added to computer systems.  The results can be the as good as the user merely notified of a fault when it occurs but they keep on working as if nothing happened, or worst case they can be back to work typically within 30 minutes.

To make computer systems insensitive to faults, redundancy or strategic preventative measures can be added.  What’s meant by “redundancy” is that additional copies of certain components can be added so that if one copy of a component fails the other copy automatically takes over.  Since the components that fail most often in computers are the power supply and the hard drive, adding redundant copies of those to a computer assures the computer will keep running when one fails.

Preventative measures can be added to protect from other computer system threats. In that way such threats like power outages and malware can be avoided.  Failures due to power outages can be prevented by adding battery backup units called uninterruptible power supplies or UPS for short.  Malicious software, i.e., viruses and spyware, can damage Windows.  Internet security software can shield computers from malware, but in practice are not foolproof.  There are additional measures that can assure recovery.  They are software tools that prohibit execution of malware or maintain a know-good configuration.

In conclusion, there’s no reason risk loss of productivity due to computer frailties.  Instead, add inexpensive reliability features and move forward with conscious confidence.