IF YOUR agency management system has ever crashed, you know the challenges that accompany such an event. Over the years, we've experienced several system failures and have developed some loss-prevention techniques as a result. I'll share them with you in this month's column. We'll also look at some of the serious, often unanticipated consequences of a system failure.

Failures and upgrades: If you are installing a major upgrade to your agency management system, be sure to have at least two good backups. First, you should have a backup that was completed after the previous day's work. (Typically, agency management systems automatically create such a backup each evening.) You also must ensure you have whatever you need to duplicate all transactions made on the day of the installation itself. That means all transactions made before, during and after installation.

If you take these precautions, you'll be protected if your system crashes during the upgrade. You'll also be protected if your upgrade only appears to be successful. If, hours later, you discover a defect that requires you to reinstall the upgrade and restore all transactions completed after the initial installation, you'll be able to do so.

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