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OUR EXPERTS...
I know I need to do backups to protect my computer data, but I don’t
know where to start. Can you help?
You’re right - backups are essential. In order to get the best backup system
for you, consider the following questions:
Do you need to protect all of your data, or only critical data? This
determines the capacity of your backup system.
How many days of data can you afford to lose and then re-enter? Whatever the
answer is, that’s the maximum amount of time you should have between backups
for your critical data.
Do you have time to do backups manually? If you don’t have time, or can’t
commit to doing backups regularly, you need an automated system.
Is your biggest fear a computer crash, a fire, or a break-in? On-site
backups protect you from computer crashes, but if you’re concerned about
catastrophic events like fire, you should store backups off-site as well.
Once you’ve answered these questions, decide on your system. If you don’t
mind doing backups manually, you can buy a CD/RW or DVD/RW drive and
rewritable CD’s or DVD’s. It’s inexpensive, and easy to store the disks
off-site, but you have to make time to do the backups.
You can also use another computer as your backup server. Backup software
runs automatically, copying files from your computer over a network to the
backup server. This is reliable and automated, but if your backup server is
in the same building, it doesn’t address off-site data storage.
Another option is online backups. At a selected time, your data is sent over
a network or internet connection to a backup company. If you lose data, it
can be restored either over the network or via CD’s or DVD’s. This is
automated and off-site, and it is an ongoing expense. Larger companies often
use tape drives and other specialized backup devices, but those devices can
be quite expensive and more difficult to administer.
Once your backup system is in place, it’s important to test it regularly.
Check to make sure the system is running, and restore some data to be sure
it was correctly backed up. If all these options seem overwhelming, don’t
despair. Start with what seems manageable, and adapt as you go along.
Ultimately, any backup is better than no backup!
For more information on computer backup solutions, please contact
Bright Ideas Personalized Learning at 692.2255, or visit
www.BrightIdeasWeb.biz |
