Backup, Backup, Backup.......

So you are proud of your (or your children’s) iTunes collection of downloads. You have lots of pictures and memories from you digital camera and you’ve built some nice slide shows with them. You have several years of emails saved from Aunt Martha......well you get the idea, there is data on your computer that can be costly if lost, both monetarily (@ $1 a song on iTunes!) and sentimentally. I am always reminded of the old saying when dealing with computers, “Software will eventually work and hardware will eventually break.” The latter is very true of hard drives, the part of the computer that stores your data. Today the hard drive is still a mechanical part that is spinning for hours and hours. Make no mistake, it will eventually fail and, when it does, you will breathe a sigh of relief if you know your data is backed up safely (or cry if it’s not).

There are countless ways and methods to backup your data. Solutions to the backup dilemma vary based on many factors, like how much data do you have and how often does it change, how many computers do you have to back up, and do you need to have a backup offsite? So, until these questions are answered the solution cannot be decided on 100%. At a minimum, you will want to have two copies of your data at all times.

My approach to data backup is: the simpler to use, the better. It starts with making sure your data is organized on your computer. Know where your data is, in your My Documents folder, in your My Music folder, etc..... If you are backing up just one or two computers then an excellent solution is an external hard drive or if you don’t have that much data, then perhaps a 4GB flash drive will do. Both of these solutions are very affordable.

Another solution I like is a backup appliance. These attach to your network and you can install the software on each computer. You configure the software by telling it what folders you want to backup and maintain, the software then makes backup copies of all of these and monitors them for updates. As soon as they are updated they are copied and backed up on the appliance. Besides the fact that this solution is automatic and can be used for multiple computers on your network, there are also some other benefits. One is that you can also access your data from the web, so if you are away and have access to the web, you have access to your files or you can share them with others over the internet as well. This is a more costly solution. The device I am talking about is called Mirra from Seagate and starts at $379. If you have more than two computers, have the need to access your data over the internet, or want the convenience of not having to do anything once you are set up, you should consider this type of backup solution. There are other similar devices that perform the same functions as well.

These are just two available solutions. There are a variety of ways to backup your data based on how you use your computer. Whatever solution you have, remember that just because you think you are backed up, you may not be. It is important to test and verify the files are backed up, regardless of the solution you deploy. So, not only backup, backup, backup, but also verify backup, and verify, verify, and verify again to make sure the solution is working and protecting you..

**COMMERCIAL** Backup, in my opinion, is not an option. Remember, you will miss your data and wish you had it once it’s gone. So don’t wait for a problem to strike; backup your data today. For help picking the proper solution for your computing habits and getting protected, give us a call or see our Services/Products page.