Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

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[Mr.Tweak]

Re: Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

So, what methods of backup do you guys use or do you not backup at all?

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

There are so many different solutions. It really depends on what you're talking about.

For Joe consumer, the best option is going to be external magentic, flash, or optical storage using a manual backup process (read: no software to automate the process). Burn stuff to a DVD, external hard drive, flash drive, or secondary hard drive. Using an online service or storage space will also work. There are some decent programs out there that can automate the process for the uninitiated, but honestly it should be simple enough that some learning negates the purpose of any such software.

For someone with more technical aptitude, knowledge or experience, something more advanced might come into play. Redundant magnetic storage, regular Ghost backups, and network backups to a different storage devices (NAS, other PCs, etc.) might come into play. However, even your average enthusiast is probably fine with the simpler methods.

Regardless of what hardware and software one may use, IMO every enthusiast and regular user should be backing up mission-critical documents to a reliable online source, such as Gmail.

For medium to large businesses and enterprise-level solutions, more expensive, hardware-based and automated systems are needed. Tape backups, hot-swappable RAID systems, SAN, and expensive automated software comes into play. Optical backup is also an option (see Primera Technology's "Optivault"), but for the most part tape is still the de-facto for backup and archival hardware.

Not backing up is crazy. If you don't have anything worth backing up, fine. Otherwise, don't get fooled into thinking you're too lucky to have any problems. Expensive software and redundant hardware systems don't exist for no reason. Even in ideal circumstances, and storage device can and will eventually encounter a failure. CDs typically stop working within ten years of being made, and that's assuming they aren't scratched. Hard drives have about a 90% failure rate for five years of use, and probably around 25% for three years of use. Anyone who doesn't backup important files will eventually lose them. It might take five years, but at some point, something is going to fail.

[Mashimaro]

Re: Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

Regarding your article about Online Backup, you forgot to mention a few other providers like Copycloud, Streamload.com, Amerivault, ...

I found this list: http://www.onlinebackupguide.com/the...ackup-services
where the top ten Online Backup providers are listed and reviewed (costs, capacity, reliability, ...)

Your readers would benefit from this information, because everyone wants a secure and cheap solution, so comparison is the best way to do so :)

[tarasp]

Re: Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

If you are concerned about the security of online backup, then please read this. Some are more secure than others.

Security of Online Backup Systems

[tarasp]

Re: Data Backup Guide - Online and Hardware Solutions Examined

Here is another one from that same blog. You gotta read this!

Carbon Credits for Online Backup