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Have you spent hours staring at a blank computer screen in shock wondering if all your contacts, files, and programs are gone forever? If yes, then you’re not alone. If no, then it’s only a matter of time before a hard drive crash affects you directly. As with any disaster preparation the most important thing to think about is how to guard against such an event before it happens. The odds are that once your data is gone, it’s gone forever.
Don't break into a sweat just yet, because data backup and disaster recovery isn’t a difficult concept to understand or even to implement. There are a few broad categories of technology used to store data, each with their own storage and security limits. Let’s briefly review the most common options.
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Removable media: Options like CDs, DVDs, Zip Disks, and Digital Tape backups are the most common form of data storage. These options differ in the amount of data they hold and are handy if you want to take backups offsite to protect against fire or other physical damage. When considering CDs or DVDs it’s important to remember to purchase the re-writable (CD-RW or DVD-RW) type so you can use the same disk multiple times.
Network Attached Storage: There are systems called NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices that are basically standalone hard drives which plug into your home or office network. They appear on your computer just like any other drive and come with options for backing up your data in real-time or on a definable schedule. NAS devices hold huge amounts of data, but if there’s a fire or flood at your office a NAS will run the same risk of being destroyed as the other computers on the premises. Variations on this concept are hard drives that plug directly into your PC through a USB or Firewire port and provide “one-touch” backup options for your entire hard drive.
Remote Backup: There are companies that provide remote backup of your data through the Internet. Following a definable schedule, remote backup services encrypt and transmit your data to secure storage facilities with multiple, redundant servers. Remote backup of data can be expensive, but provides a high level of security against data loss and corruption. |
So how much space do you need to backup all of your data? To find out go to your “My Computer” icon, right-click on your C: drive and select “Properties”. The amount of used space is the total of all information on that drive. Do the same if you have other hard drives in your computer.
Storage Sizes for backup solutions:
Zip Disk – up to 250 MB
CD-RW - up to 800 MB
DVD (single layer) – up to 4.7 GB
DVD (double layer) – up to 8.5 GB
Digital Tape – 80 GB average, some up to 300 GB
NAS systems – average 300 GB, some up to 1000 GB
Remote Storage – limited only by your budget |
So which solution is best for you? Well it really boils down a few basic questions:
1) How much data are you storing?
2) How often does that data change?
This chart can help you pick which storage option is right for you depending on how much data you are saving and how often you change the stored data.
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How much data do you store and how often do you change it |
Small
(Less than 1GB) |
Medium
(1GB to 20GB) |
Large
(More than 20GB) |
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Never |
CD or zipdisk |
DVD |
Tape |
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Weekly or Monthly |
CD-RW or zipdisk |
DVD-RW |
Tape or NAS |
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Daily |
CD-RW or zipdisk |
NAS |
NAS or Remote Backup |
So now that you’ve chosen your backup media, you need a way to store data on that media in an organized way. If you chose a slightly more advanced option like a NAS system from Mirra, a “one-touch” backup hard drive from Maxtor, or remote backup service from Intronis or IBackup you will be provided with software that will automatically save your programs, setting, files, and more. Consult individual manufacturer’s documentation on how to best use their product. If you chose a simpler option (like many of you reading this article are likely to do) you will likely want a third-party program to schedule back-ups for you. Software such as Retrospect Pro 7.0 and Norton Ghost offer good functionality whether backing up single files or an entire hard drive.
There are a literal horde of data backup and recovery solutions available on the market precisely because it is such an important topic. If you do not currently have a backup plan in place you should seriously consider one of the aforementioned options. If you have any questions about the material presented in this edition of Tech Tuesday I invite you to contact me (Mike Cutlip, IT Manager for MAR) directly at 781-839-5503.
Additional reading on data backup and recovery:
Using Windows XP built-in backup tool
Using an old PC for backup storage
Comprehensive Article on data backups from PC Magazine
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