Data Backup and Data Recovery Basics for Consumers and Small Businesses
Today, data is everything. A virus or hacker attack, human error, power outage, loss of computer systems or a natural disaster can prove to be catastrophic for individuals and businesses. When you lose your data, the only thing that will be important to you is your ability to restore the data, and do so quickly. It is important for individuals and businesses to understand the importance of backing up their data and implement data backup plans that require little to no human intervention.
With a little preparation, individuals and businesses can rest easy that if catastrophe strikes, they are well-prepared to recover and return to routine in no time at all. Preparing for a disaster encompasses many things, but there is a core process that all individuals and businesses must engage to protect their data - backing up important information. And, once they have backed up the data, they must be readily able to it. Fast copy
It is critically important that data backup and recovery solutions are simple to implement, automated and that even the most novice computer user feels comfortable in retrieving data from backups if and when needed. What types of data warrant backup? All data should be backed up on a continuous basis and ideally in an automated manner.
A full system backup protects an entire computer - data, applications, drivers, settings and your operating system. Rather than attempting to identify which files are important and which are not, every single file is copied. While the cost of hard disk drives as storage media may have been prohibitive in the past, their affordability has increased and ensures that any future applications or data file types are protected. rsync for windows
Aside from full system backup, there are also incremental and differential backup strategies. They are similar to one another; both make copies of only the files that have changed since the last time you ran your backup schedule. The main difference between the two is that differential backups do not indicate which files have changed and therefore grow bigger and bigger. Because incremental and differential backups don't copy each and every file on your system, you'll find that they generally take less time to create (and less time to restore) than full system backup.
Another option is selective backup, in which you manually select the files you'd like to backup at a given point in time. When using this option, you must first start by making a full back up of your system. You will also need to create a startup disk for your operating system, as this will be needed should you experience a full system crash. The startup disk will allow you to get your system up and running again. You will need to review your PC help section to understand how to complete this step, as creating a disk will vary by operating system. This option is not ideal as it requires that a human consistently set a time on their calendar to perform the backups - manually. Cwrsync
Preferably, data backups should occur in an automated and continuous manner. This is the simplest and safest way to backup your data. This is known as Continuous Data Protection (CDP) or Continuous Data Backup (CDB) and is similar to how anti-virus software works today; it runs in the background with little or no human intervention. The biggest advantage of CDP is that the data is backed up whenever your data is modified in real time, as long as your hard drive is connected to your computer. In effect you are getting a snapshot or electronic transactional stamp of changes that are being made against the data. Therefore if your system becomes infected or corrupted, it is always possible to retrieve the most recent clean copy of your files. Another advantage of CDP is that you are able to retrieve your data within minutes not days.
It is particularly recommended that small business owners implement data backup software that has CDP capabilities, as it offers you an "insurance" policy against serious injury to your business from lost files, damaged files or extended downtime. Download RichCopy
The other options that are available in backup software today are manual in nature or require backup schedules to be built; meaning that every time you want to back up your data you need to manually perform the task or you must set up schedules for your computer to perform the backups periodically. Neither of these is ideal as they require human intervention to be performed correctly and consistently.
Free and paid automated backup solutions are available online. Free versions offer minimal features but certainly represent and upgrade from manual backup methods. Paid automated backup software usually incorporates more features, allowing greater control and flexibility in backup - a valuable tool for home and small businesses. Ensuring data is continuously protected is the smart and responsible thing to do, and it's now more fiscally prudent than ever before.