9 Tips to Prevent Losing Property Insurance Claim Data

As a claims adjuster, one of the worst things that can happen to you is losing property insurance claim data. When you have a plate full of tasks, the possibility of computer failures and making time for preventative maintenance tasks range from an afterthought to an inconvenience. However, computer crashes can happen to anyone at any time, and when they do, it takes your critical claim data with them. By establishing minimal maintenance habits it can save you from a disastrous data-jeopardizing computer crash in the future.

By applying the tips below, you can better prevent computer crashes from occurring so your data will remain safe, secure, and out of harm’s way.

Preventing a Computer Crash in the Field Adjusting World

1. Keep your Computer Dry and Clean

Face it – when working in the field there will be water, dirt, and moist areas. New tech has been better than ever at managing water; however, water is not a laptop’s friend. Keep your computer off of floorboards, and when you’re not in your car, put your laptop in a well-ventilated area. You can also keep a hand towel in your vehicle to wipe off dirty hands before entering data on your device

2. Use External and Cloud Storage

To keep your computer operating efficiently, you should keep at least 500 megabytes of unused disk space on your computer. This may mean needing to delete old or unnecessary files. Make sure to regularly rid your system of unwanted cookies and other files that could clutter up your computer and cause a crash. Consider using cloud-based storage for your claim data. Services like Google Drive or OneDrive are excellent options. SimDrive Claim Backup Utility for Simsol integrates with Google Drive to make this task effortless.

3. Use a computer with a Solid State Drive

When purchasing a new computer, consider spending a bit more for a solid-state drive (SSD). More traditional HDD’s consist of spinning platters with a read head, these mechanical parts can easily be damaged in transport. This can create an unsafe environment for your stored data. If you don’t have an SSD, be sure to defragment your computer on a regular schedule to clean up your drive and maintain fast processing speeds.

4. Update your Programs and Computer Regularly

Maintenance includes updating all antivirus software, operating versions and patches, and dusting to keep things running smoothly. Be sure to prevent claim loss in your Simsol program by excluding the program from scanning Simsol.

5. Use a Surge Protector

While it’s usually calm after the storm (hah), protect your motherboard from the damaging effects of power surges by using a surge protector when charging your devices. This prevention tip is inexpensive and easy to do but can save you from losing data and functioning devices.

6. Never open emails from an unknown source

A spam email can easily be the source of a computer virus that could harm your device and cause you to lose your property claim data. We know this is EXTREMELY difficult to do when in the field, and you have insured’s sending you documents left and right – however, the least you can do is double-check the sources of the emails and never click on anything that looks slightly suspicious. It’s better to ask the sender to resend a document, or to open it on an old unused device to prevent you from losing your current claim data.

7. Be mindful of the number of programs you’re running

Operating too many at a time could cause a system to overload and crash. Be sure to restart at least once a week, or whenever you notice your system lagging.

8. Be vigilant of warning signs

If you notice your computer moving slower than usual, freezing up, making new noises, or some other new occurrence, don’t ignore the change. Have your laptop looked at by a certified professional to rule out a potential drive crash or another device failure.

9. Save and back-up your work

Getting into this habit can save you time, the embarrassment of losing important personal or business data, and money you wouldn’t have lost if you had planned ahead. Consider using a platform built for your estimating software, like SimDrive for Simsol, to automatically back up your claim data to your Google Drive,  it can also recover lost property claim data in the event of a computer crash.

Preparing for the worst

While these preventative tips can prolong your computer’s lifetime and reduce the possibility of a computer crash, it is also important to have a plan in place that you can turn to if a computer crash does occur. Prevention is always the best route to take, but it still does not eliminate the potential for a computer crash.

If a computer crash or other computer failure does occur, despite the steps you’ve taken, you will want to already have a plan in place that will allow you to restore your data. Protecting essential data from being lost forever by using a secure web-based storage facility could be the dividing line between business success and failure.