The
worst has happened...your computer has stopped
responding!
Will you be able to recover all your data?
The value of data on your computer is critical
to you and your clients!
You
can avoid this problem by implementing an effective
data backup regimen. You must select a backup
media type, install backup software, run regular
backups, store data offsite and perform regular
backup verification tests.
Common Data Backup Media Types
There are a variety of backup media types available.
The most common are:
Zip Drive: Similar in shape and
size as a floppy disk, but with a higher storage
capacity.
CD-RW Drive: A CD drive that
allows you to record data to blank CD-R and CD-RW
discs.
DVD Drive: A newer media type
similar to a CD-R/-RW. Records data to blank DVD
disks.
Tape Drive: Looks almost like
a cassette tape. Only this tape has an extremely
high storage capacity.
Offsite Backup: Service provided
by a company allowing storage space on their servers.
Up and Down bandwidth contributes to total cost.
Summary of Media
Media
Type
Typical
Capacity
Pros
Cons
ZIP
Drives
100Mb
to 250Mb
Plug
and Play
Others
must have ZIP
to use/share data
CR-R/-RW
650Mb
to 700Mb
Most
newer computers have CD drives
ust
not enough
capacity to store all
your data on your computer
DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW
4.7Gb
Lots
of capacity per
disk
Computer
must have DVD drive to read.
Tape
Drives
8Gb to 100Gb
Very high capacity
Very expensive
to administer and someone has to remember to
do it.
Once a backup media is picked, backup
data software must be installed. The
ideal backup software automates the process as much
as possible. With backup software properly configured,
it is just a matter of inserting the backup medium
into the computer or verifying online backup properties
when backups are scheduled to run.
Backup Data Regularly
Most backup
programs allow you to program automatic
regular backups of your data. At the very minimum,
data should be backed up weekly or even more often,
depending on the importance of the data you need to
protect.
Backup Data Offsite
Data backups should be taken to an offsite
location to protect the data in the event of a natural
disaster (fire/flood) or not so natural (theft).
Ensure Data Backups Work
Check to see if the backups are running correctly
on a regular basis. This is accomplished by taking
the data
backup and running a data restore from
the media and then checking all the data being backed
up is being restored correctly.