The importance of Data backup

• How much is your work worth? How much time? How much $$?

• Keep all your work under the ‘My Documents’ folder. This will make finding your data much easier.

• What to backup:
  • The files you create with any application on your computer. For instance, all files ending with .doc, .xls, .ppt to cover most of your MS Office application created files.

• Choose a method for getting your data off the machine. DVD, Tape, Hard Drive.

• CD or DVD are good choices if you have less than… about 12GB to backup (to DVD).
  • Low cost solution
  • A CD holds about 700MB of data.
  • A DVD holds 4.3GB (or >8gb with double layer) of data (about 5 to 10 times what a CD holds).

• If your data load is larger than you can easily and quickly put onto CD or DVD, then another method should be chosen. If it difficult or takes too long, chances are you will not do it.

• If your data load is large to very large, an automated system is your best bet.
  • Tapes are still the best and cheapest solution right now. But new technology is coming along that will make it easy to backup to hard drive.
  • Tape drives are best for businesses due to the higher cost.

• On the subject of backup to hard drive, you can do that yourself by doing a copy from one hard drive to another.
  • It must be a different hard drive (different spindle) not just to a different drive letter of a partitioned hard drive.
  • This has the benefit of quick access to your data without waiting.
  • If you only have one hard drive in your system then that will not work. if one of the drives were to die, then you still have the data on your other one.
  • Hard drive space is very cheap and this is a good cost effective solution.

• One more way to backup is online with an external company
  • The bad: Ongoing cost
  • The good: You data is offsite and managed by a company that does that.

• Backup your data on a regular basis.
  • Weekly is usually good.
  • You must decide how far back you are willing to go for an old file.
  • Recreating even one file from scratch can take longer than burning it to DVD.

• Treat your backup with care and spread the risk
  • Store it in a fire safe
  • Store it off site

• What not to backup:
  • Computer programs. Such as MS Office, Quickbooks, Quicktime, etc.
  • Operating System files. The Operating System can be reinstalled.
  • Any application that you can reinstall.
• For business with multiple computer users:
  • Save all files on a central server
  • Backup from server to tape
  • Full weekly backup with incremental daily
  • Move backup tapes off site