I spend a ton of time discussing the importance of data backup. Sometimes I spend too much time discussing the subject. Today, however, I want to outline the basic types and talk a bit about how each fits into various backup plans.
Data backup means different things to different people. Some want a system they don’t have to think about; others want full control of when and what. Even with systems in place and at-the-ready most people and businesses simply don’t backup anything. When catastrophic failure occurs everyone panics trying to resurrect the data.
I break backup schemes into two categories: passive and active. Passive backup plans include completely automated whole system backups that allow failed computers to be rebuilt in hours. Active backup is completely manual and requires the user to play an active role in the process.
It’s important to remember that no matter what plan is put in place, it too can fail. A USB key drive can be lost or damaged, the backup hard drive can be dropped or simply fail, and the network connection between your backup location and computer can lose information. No matter, the goal is to create redundancy.
Active backup generally involves the user dragging pictures and data from the computer to either a USB key drive or external hard drive. A good plan is to keep the data separate from the computer and in multiple locations. External drives are mechanical so if they’re left plugged into the computer they will eventually fail.
Consider your family computer for a moment. Most families have years of pictures, an assortment of music, and maybe some tax files or resumes. If the family computer were to fail it would be easy enough to purchase a new computer and migrate the data after re-installing the software. Regular backups help insure the files are easily accessible in case of failure.
On the other hand, consider a business with all the computers setup exactly as needed and specifically for the business operation. Rebuilding a business computer with years of records could take weeks or months and potentially cripple normal business operations. This is where passive backup plans become necessary.
Passive backup plans shouldn’t be more complex than they need. A well designed passive system employs technology that can be easily managed in case of basic system failure. Certainly it should be streamlined so deploying it doesn’t take time from the business. A well designed plan also separates the data into multiple locations.
At the most basic level a passive plan utilizes redundant hard drives within the computer chassis. Rather than data be written to a single drive, two or more drives are used with exactly the same data being written to both. If one drive fails, the mirrored drive can be used to rebuild the failed.
Many advances have been made to servers allowing them to run automatically in the background. Microsoft has a server solution that automatically backs up the entire hard drive of both Windows and Mac based computers. In case of detrimental failure any computer connected to the server can be retrieved within hours.
Though I’m not a huge fan of backing up to ‘the cloud,’ I still need to include online backup which duplicates data in cyberspace. The information is stored on a centralized server and can be retrieved on demand. Rather than duplicating files so they’re easily retrievable and usable, online backup companies encrypt the data so it cannot be hacked.
No matter the technology used to employ a backup, every person and company needs a fallout plan. It’s important to remember that every computer and electronic device will eventually fail. Proactively creating a backup plan is easier than reacting to disaster.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)