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Backing up Computer Data

Backup! Backup! Backup! The need to back up data cannot be over-emphasised. It is vital that you have backup copies of all important documents and software on your hard disk, so that you are protected from data loss. It is also important to realise that this is an ongoing process: you may lose all data created since your last backup! The frequency of your backup depends on how much new data is being created daily. Even the loss of two days worth of email messages since your previous backup can undermine your professionalism and business.

Methods
Possible backup methods include:

• Removable media (floppies, zip, jazz, etc.)
• Tape drive
• Network

Important questions you should ask when deciding on a backup method are:

• How much data will the medium store?
• Is it possible to fully automate the backup?
• How long will it take to do a backup?

Scheduling
It is important to devise a backup schedule that allows the most reliable recovery from disaster. This mostly means the use of multiple backup sets and a schedule of when each set of media should be used. The schedule will depend on how redundant you want to be and how long the retention period for your data must be.

What to back up
Determining what files to back up and how often to back them up saves a lot of time and expands the capacity of your backup medium. Most files fall into one of two categories: programs or data. Every backup should include all of your data, either via a full backup of the entire hard disk or a selective backup of only the data directories. Program data can be backed up with less frequency because program data hardly changes at all, and you will most likely have the original media for most of your programs, allowing you to reinstall. This however does not restore settings and preferences.

Remember that setting up and configuring a typical PC can be very time-consuming. Re-installing and tweaking the operating system alone can take many hours (beware of PCs that are packaged without original disks). After that, re-installing and setting up all your software can take days! It is therefore very important to have at least one full backup of your whole hard disk.

For small business or home use, writable CDs have emerged as the most effective and efficient medium for storage. Simply writing your folders and database units to CD is a painless task that shold be carried out once or twice a week.

Those with a network can do an instantaneous backup to the main server or another PC on the network, however this does not entirely safeguard the data from theft, corruption or damage by fire. There are numerous freeware and commercial backup programs available to help automate the process according to a set schedule, just inc ase you forget!

Remember to store the backup medium off premises, in case of fire, flood or mass theft.