Of all computer-related tasks, there is one that can mean the life or death of your data — backing up. Without a good backup, every minute and countless hours you have spent using your computer can be all wasted by a single system failure.
Common sources of data loss include: hardware failure (i.e. hard drive, motherboard), lightning strike and/or power surge, software corruption, viruses, user error, and more.
The easiest way to overcome this threat is to regularly backup your data. What are some ways you can back up your data? In a network environment, your server or primary computer should always have a high-capacity backup unit. These devices can vary in price from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars depending on their size and speed.
Some backup devices use magnetic tape media, which must be protected from environmental extremes and magnetic sources that could scramble the data. Newer backup systems for networks use hard drives that are designed for longevity and easy access to data.
A popular way to back up data, especially in regards to personal computers, is a CD/DVD rewriteable drive. You won't be able to store much of your actual software, but the key is to back up the data you've created. The programs themselves can always be reinstalled from the original media.
Another media that replaced floppy disks is flash memory. These come as USB sticks or a variety of cards (SD, Compact Flash, etc). They are rewritable and they come in many different sizes which can even exceed the size of a CD or DVD. These are the most portable of all the media options available for transporting or backing up data.
Another solution is external hard drives. These are great solutions for backing up large amounts of personal data and offer larger sizes than the flash media. There are even some alternatives for tape drives that include a cartridge with a hard drive inside as the backup media. The speed of the hard drive over the tape is a clear advantage as well as fewer size restrictions.
An essential part of system backups is verification. The verification process is done after the backup is finished. Checking the backup logs alone is not the answer. Backup software often reports a successful backup, but the only true way to know if your backup is good and usable is to restore data from the device. A test restore, where you can randomly select files and prove that the media is indeed readable, should be done on a regular basis.
In an office environment, it is crucial to have a person assigned to the task of monitoring the backups. This includes changing the media daily, keeping the media safe, taking backups off site, checking logs, arranging for test restores to be done, and maintaining an inventory of backups performed. A second person should be trained to take over if the primary person must leave for any period of time. Taking a few minutes each day to ensure the safety of your data is always time well spent. Be sure to review your backup needs regularly to make sure they're addressed.
When looking for a backup solution, a question to ask yourself is “How much is my data worth?” That is, if you lost the contents of your system, what would it cost you to reconstruct it? For many businesses, losing their data could mean losing their business. Backup is a top priority that must be on the forefront of every computer user's mind. While data recovery is an option, an expensive one at that, it should not your first line of defense!
As anyone who has lost data will tell you, “Backup! Backup! Backup!”
