The Importance of Backup

Computers fail. They break down, hard disks fail, memory chips forget. And it always happens an hour before the big meeting! Of course there are other disasters, such as fire, flooding, burglary and lightning strike. The world has it in for your computer...

Losing access to your computer can be bad enough, but the computer may take your data with it! You recover the machine to find that your valuable files have been damaged or missing altogether. That's when you realise that you don't have a recent backup of your data.

A proper backup strategy is essential, both for business and personal users. Unfortunately it is all to often an area left neglected until after a major incident. This article is all about backup and how to protect your valuable data.

How Often?

You should back up all of your data at least once a week. Critical data, especially important files that change regularly, should be backed up daily.

What to Backup?

You only really need to back up your data files (Jot+ Notes notefiles, documents, spreadsheets, databases, e-mail, etc). You can also back up Windows and application configuration files and executables, but frankly they are of questionable benefit in a recovery situation: You often cannot just restore a Windows configuration file safely.

One method to help identify what to backup is to make a list of your installed applications and determine what files they create/use and where they are located. For example, for Jot+ Notes you will want to backup your notefiles; for Microsoft Word you'll want to save your .doc files and perhaps any .dot templates you've created; a finance program will create a data file with your transactions and account information, and so on. An application's documentation may indicate where it stores its data, or this information may be available through the product's website.

Ideally your data files should be in folders separate from their applications, as this simplifies the task of identifying which files need to be backed up and reduce the risk of missing a file. Recent versions of Windows help a bit by providing the My Documents directory for storing personal files.

Incremental or Full Backup?

A full backup is self-explanatory. An incremental backup is where only files that have been modified since the last full backup are backed up. In a recovery situation you would first restore the last full backup followed by the incremental backups in order. And that is where the problem is: If there is a problem with one of the incremental backups, you cannot safely use any of the following incremental backups. With just full backups recovery is somewhat simpler; it just takes more time/space to make the backups.

We recommend that you always perform a full backup.

Which Software?

To backup (and restore) files, a good software package is required, and there are many to choose from.

You should avoid backup software that uses a private, proprietary format, as that can restrict your ability to recover your data. For example, the software may not work on the latest version of Windows, or the company may no longer support the product (or the company may have disappeared).

For Windows, we recommend using a backup application that creates ZIP archives. The ZIP format is ubiquitous, with software available on virtually every platform in use (and many obsolete ones as well). It is the standard archive format used on the Internet. Using the ZIP format means that a backup can be restored using any ZIP-supporting software on any platform. This kind of flexibility could be key to recovering your data!

Recommendations

Backup utilities are many and varied, some designed for novices, others for experts; prices range from free to expensive. Each user will probably find a different utility more comfortable to use, so we do not recommend any particular tool but suggest you try a number of them to find the best fit for your needs and expertise.

Encryption

The ZIP format has built-in support for encryption, which may be of interest to keep sensitive data secure. One of the arguments against using encryption is that if the archive password is lost you will lose that backup, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of a backup! You will need to weigh the risks between security and recovery.

Where to Backup?

Once the backup is created, it needs to be stored somewhere, both short-term and long-term. Today there are many options available, from CD-R disks to USB thumb drives, but some are better-suited to archiving than others.

When selecting a archive medium, you should consider the following criteria:

Robustness - you want a medium that is resistant to damage and accidental erasure.
Longevity - the lifespan of the medium is important, and should be at least 5 years.
Compatability - as technology moves on, will the backup you create today be readable tomorrow? Ideally you want to use a medium that is both hardware and OS neutral, so that a backup you create on Windows XP today can be read on your Linux system in 2010...

King Stairs Software recommends CD-R and USB thumb drives for backup media.

CD-R

Write-once CD's (CD-R) are perfect for backups: They are robust (if handled correctly), cannot be erased, have a reasonable capacity, quality media is inexpensive, and if stored properly can last many years. Compatability is unsurpassed: Every modern computer has a CD/DVD drive, and support for the format will continue for many years to come.

If you need higher capacities, then there is DVD-R/DVD+R, but we'd recommend sticking with CD-R if possible.

CD-RW/DVD±RW are not suitable for backups, as they can be erased.

Regardless of the specific format used, be sure to store your backups on good quality media. A generic or low-cost CD-R may save money, but the reliability and longevity of the backup may be compromised.

USB Thumb Drives

These small devices can be quite durable (some can survive the washing machine!) and are very easy to use, which makes them ideal for storing local copies of a backup. The main copy goes onto a CD-R and sent off-site, while a second copy can be stored on a thumb drive for quick access and redundancy.

Thumb drives are also useful for storing backups from a notebook computer (which may not have a CD writer).

Where to Store the Backups

After you backup your data, it is vital that the backup media are kept somewhere safe.

Ideally you should store backups in another location (off-site): Bank safe deposit box, a distant friend/relative's house, etc. The idea is that if your home/office is damaged by fire/flood or burglarized your valuable data will be safe.

If you're keeping a copy of the backup in the home/office, consider getting a small fire safe to store them in.

Conclusion

Backup is essential for your peace of mind. Do it. This article has hopefully provided some help on some of the issues, but in the end it is your responsibility to protect your valuable data.