There is always the potential for catastrophic loss on a personal computer. The threat list is long and is not limited to malicious software (Viruses), user error or hard drive crash. The solution is to put a tiered disaster recovery plan into place – TODAY! Now, did all of that read like one of a hundred ads you have seen on The Internet or appearing in your e-mail? Well, all of those advertisements are true.
Before computers, important documents were stored in bank safety deposit boxes or in hanging file folders in a desk. Items stored at home did not fare well if a fire or natural catastrophe occurred. During the mid-West floods of 2 years ago, the evening news was filled with images of people wading back into their damaged homes, shoveling mud out of basements and forlornly looking at ruined family photo albums.
In the early days of PC computing users backed-up data to floppy disks which were stored in fireproof safes. Some users had the misfortune of a fire in their workplace and discovered that diskettes stored in a safe had not burst into flames, but had been melted by the heat into black, synthetic puddles. All of the data was permanently lost – as well as their personal computers.
A few years ago a computer hard drive crash was a common occurrence. I used to be diligent in making backups to CDs of my personal data. Resumes, picture files, templates, spreadsheets all found their way onto CDs at least once a month. I must admit that I have become relatively complacent about backing-up and properly storing my computer data files.
At work all of my data is automatically backed-up to offsite storage in a fireproof, tornado-proof server farm. If my place of employment were to suffer fire, flood or some major catastrophe all of the data would be safe. But what about my personal data that I use at home and for school? I know the answer and it is, “Uh-oh!”
Lately I have been doing a personal computer component research assignment for my MEIT course at Cardinal Stritch University. I was specifically asked to look into backup devices and make a presentation for the class. While doing my research it made me think about what data I needed to ‘protect’. I have Vista OS, Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Office 2007 yet I can easily reinstall or obtain new copies as I am a licensed owner. Upon reflection, the key is to protect data files containing work that I created. Word processing documents, personal spreadsheets, digital photographs, design templates and Web-browser bookmarks.
So where does one start on putting together a disaster recovery plan? Begin by identifying and organizing the hard drive folders where your data resides. Pictures, documents and basically anything that you created or will create need to have specific locations.
The next step is to implement a backup system for your data. A system can be a mix of several solutions including free online storage, CDs, and external storage drives. Backup the data folders you identified at a set interval – ideally the briefest possible window of time ensuring nothing is corrupted or lost. If you have a small amount of data consider creating periodic .Zip files and e-mailing to your free Google or Yahoo account. An important point to make is that if the backup system for data is not automated then one needs to commit and schedule reminders and follow through on the action plan. I mentioned backing-up bookmarks earlier, consider using a social bookmarking application such as Delicious which automatically syncs your bookmarks with their server.
Finally, storing your backed-up data offsite is critical to the disaster recovery process. Rent a safety deposit box and place your external storage devices (USB Drives, CDs, etc.) in the bank vault. Better yet, why not consider an online storage solution like Mozy? Many online storage providers allow one to setup automated backups of data to their facilities. With online storage you can access your data files from anywhere and the automated backups remove the ‘human factor’ from backing-up and driving your data across town to the bank.
Having said all that, I really should backup my Dell computer right now. I really should. Well, maybe after I light the charcoal grill next to the house. I better use extra charcoal starter, it’s very windy out. What could go wrong?
Before computers, important documents were stored in bank safety deposit boxes or in hanging file folders in a desk. Items stored at home did not fare well if a fire or natural catastrophe occurred. During the mid-West floods of 2 years ago, the evening news was filled with images of people wading back into their damaged homes, shoveling mud out of basements and forlornly looking at ruined family photo albums.
In the early days of PC computing users backed-up data to floppy disks which were stored in fireproof safes. Some users had the misfortune of a fire in their workplace and discovered that diskettes stored in a safe had not burst into flames, but had been melted by the heat into black, synthetic puddles. All of the data was permanently lost – as well as their personal computers.
A few years ago a computer hard drive crash was a common occurrence. I used to be diligent in making backups to CDs of my personal data. Resumes, picture files, templates, spreadsheets all found their way onto CDs at least once a month. I must admit that I have become relatively complacent about backing-up and properly storing my computer data files.
At work all of my data is automatically backed-up to offsite storage in a fireproof, tornado-proof server farm. If my place of employment were to suffer fire, flood or some major catastrophe all of the data would be safe. But what about my personal data that I use at home and for school? I know the answer and it is, “Uh-oh!”
Lately I have been doing a personal computer component research assignment for my MEIT course at Cardinal Stritch University. I was specifically asked to look into backup devices and make a presentation for the class. While doing my research it made me think about what data I needed to ‘protect’. I have Vista OS, Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Office 2007 yet I can easily reinstall or obtain new copies as I am a licensed owner. Upon reflection, the key is to protect data files containing work that I created. Word processing documents, personal spreadsheets, digital photographs, design templates and Web-browser bookmarks.
So where does one start on putting together a disaster recovery plan? Begin by identifying and organizing the hard drive folders where your data resides. Pictures, documents and basically anything that you created or will create need to have specific locations.
The next step is to implement a backup system for your data. A system can be a mix of several solutions including free online storage, CDs, and external storage drives. Backup the data folders you identified at a set interval – ideally the briefest possible window of time ensuring nothing is corrupted or lost. If you have a small amount of data consider creating periodic .Zip files and e-mailing to your free Google or Yahoo account. An important point to make is that if the backup system for data is not automated then one needs to commit and schedule reminders and follow through on the action plan. I mentioned backing-up bookmarks earlier, consider using a social bookmarking application such as Delicious which automatically syncs your bookmarks with their server.
Finally, storing your backed-up data offsite is critical to the disaster recovery process. Rent a safety deposit box and place your external storage devices (USB Drives, CDs, etc.) in the bank vault. Better yet, why not consider an online storage solution like Mozy? Many online storage providers allow one to setup automated backups of data to their facilities. With online storage you can access your data files from anywhere and the automated backups remove the ‘human factor’ from backing-up and driving your data across town to the bank.Having said all that, I really should backup my Dell computer right now. I really should. Well, maybe after I light the charcoal grill next to the house. I better use extra charcoal starter, it’s very windy out. What could go wrong?
Your last paragraph sounds so much like me. I have my home computer set to backup automatically but I cannot remember the last time I checked to see if it actually worked. I spend so much time at work making sure things are working properly, I forget about home. I alway say I will do it when I am not so busy. Right.
ReplyDeleteI don't know a lot about backup recovery at all and I know it's our next assignment so I write this as a rookie. the only way I know of to back up yourself is to burn a cd with all the stuff on it you want. I look at it as, at least I'll have some of my stuff back even if I haven't backed up in awhile. Maybe I should go look at your component project to see if there is something I can do that requires little effort and is super reliable!
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of automated backup do you use? That sounds very tempting for me. It would probably save me some time at the workplace.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteWhat I am enjoying most about being a part of the program at Cardinal Stritch is that it is really stretching my knowledge of technology. It is challenging what I thought that I already knew, one example is how we store and back up our data. Before we explored this topic in class, I thought that I was using the safest and most effective methods.
You are also doing really well summing up in a few short sentences what we all think...I'll do it later. I think that the later mentallity is what makes social bookmarking such a wonderful option. Save your work and back it up right away while you are already on the computer. Will most of us do it? I am not sure, but you really give a Delicous point of view.
Very well written, you have a flare. No pun intended.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in charge of tech things in a school district, I was more worried about fire and just plain accidents than anything else.
I used to ask the techs, "If that rack moved, how log would it take to fix the damage?" Finally the secured the rack and tied up the wires.