Databases

If you're like most businesses you have a database full of client and financial information taking up space in your computers in your physical business. Most hosting providers, once you get past the free site that may come with your cable or DSL service, also provide databases---usually in the form of a SQL or MySQL database.

Whether you use MySQL, SQL, Firebird, or some other program to manage and manipulate your data, you can shore up the database information, at the same time providing yourself with a timely back up.

Or it  may be time to go to just one database that meets all your needs where information is all in one place and at everyone's fingertips when it is needed, yet is safe and secure. Is it time to review your organization's information structure? Here are 5 things to keep in mind:

• Security---increasingly customers are concerned about how their data is used.
• Access---is access to the information timely but on a need to know basis? Appropriate security levels for different levels of personnel within your organization protect your business and your customers and at the same time allow your employees to perform their jobs.
• Are you backing up and can you restore the back up in case of a corruption or disaster?
• Is your information timely and what you need to drive your business forward? 
• Are you using the database information to its full potential? You don't need to micro-eye the info collected. But a monthly review of sales figures, customer trends, and clicking data can help you spot downward turns before they start to spiral or help you get into place with an opportunity before the competition. 

In this ailing economy opportunities don't always fall into your business as easily as the information you already are collecting---making the database a source that should be mined for the nuggets it contains.