File & Date Backup

So you just want to get a backup program and get it over with. Count me in! But as with so many other things, it's not that simple. Since you're reading these lines you show dedication and we can assume the burial of your hard drive was a short while ago. I try to do my best showing you the good and the bad about backup programs. How would you like to be back in business within a couple hours next time your drive quits on you. It can be done. Read on and find YOUR solution.

First, there are very different approaches to data backup, starting from simply compressing a folder and making a copy of it to a memory stick, to the automatic scheduled backup using a bar code labeled tape cartridge that is rotated on a daily base.

What to backup...

Drives are getting bigger by the minute and before you know it you have a huge amount of data on it, often far beyond the capacity of a CD-R or a DVD. In order to fit the backup on a CD or DVD you will have to be selective. So you just complicated your backup and the big question "What to backup" demands all of your attention.

Several backup programs offer shortcuts. In other words, they know where your files for your outlook express are, they find your favorites and they backup your documents. This may be a good choice for a daily backup for somebody who stores the files in the default locations.

Where to backup to ..

The ideal solution for backup is to have a large storage media. If that's the case, you have little trouble to make the process fully automated. Such media would be USB drives, network shares and FTP servers. These media can usually hold several backup jobs. That allows you to keep several volumes. This is important specially with virus infections that are not discovered immediately.

I prefer FTP backup simply because the server is off site, typically hundred of miles away. If you use DSL or Cable you need to understand that your up speed is much slower, usually 256K. That calculates to about 2 gigs a night. Also most low cost hosts limit traffic. 2 gigs a night would end up being 40-50 gigs a month.

Backing up to a network share will protect you against hardware failure but not from disasters like fire and flood. I prefer is in an automated situation, doing 5 backups over the LAN and one FTP off-site per work week. Many backup programs have no problem doing that.

USB drives are popular target drives for backups. They have large capacity often 300- 500 gigs. On the downside, if you only have one it probably sits on-site all the time and may someday goes up in flames with the rest of the office. USB drives are faster than networks and FTP. Make sure you use a USB 2 drive e on a USB 2 port so you get the speed you expect.

When to backup..

If you backup to hard drives, including LAN and FTP servers, unattended backups at night are the norm. The danger of media failure is low. A backup program like TK8, Backup Platinum and many others have excellent schedulers for this situation. If you take the unattended route I recommend to spend a little bit more money and get a program that can run even if you're not logged in. Ideally these programs can run as services. Some schedulers will log-in as a user when running the program. The scheduler in XP does that. If you are an advanced user you may use a lower cost program and schedule it yourself.

I'm often asked how often a backup should be done. My answer is always the same. Backup when you can't afford to lose it. After that advice some backup twice a day and others forget to do it at all. The latter are sorry about it sooner or later. Anyway, usually I recommend to backup the email programs like outlook or outlook express every night, together with the changed documents and QuickBooks files. Over the weekend you may do a full backup of your documents or even use an image backup like Drive Backup.

Many use the now affordable DVD's to backup. As convenient as they are the capacity in view of the larger hard drive is shrinking. I do think they are a good backup media in regard of archiving specially. I recommend using them until you have to start spanning = use more then one DVD to complete your backup job. Once that happens your backup won't happen. Simply because you don't have the time to sit and wait. Next thing you know you don't do it. Yes there are exceptions. I just don't know any of them.

What was backed up..

Gee, that backup went fast today.... Don't believe in miracles when it comes to backups. Some vendors do and that can get you in trouble. I'm talking about locked files and how your backup handles and, more important, reports them. The range is great. Starting from backups that report everything is fine and it's not to backups that actually can backup locked files.

Looking at it conservatively I prefer a solution that leaves locked files alone and reports that the backup is incomplete with flashing lights and sirens. Well you get my ideas. I absolutely don't accept the programs that cannot even backup a word file in use and don't tell me about it. The programs that close applications before they start (TK8 can close outlook) and the ones that can backup locked files like SyncBack and Drive Backup should get an extra point in your scoring table.

As an admin responsible for many desktop backups I prefer programs that run as a service and can email reports. I do not want to depend on users to tell me that their backup did not run. They will tell you "oh that program ..I have not seen it run the last 6 month!" For the service part, I tell the user to log-off at night. That leaves the machine in a more secure state and closes most files. SQL server (MSDN) can be handled by shutting them down with a NET STOP MSSQL and start them again with a NET START MSSQL after the backup is done.

What else is there..

All you just read mostly applies to data & File type backups. There are other utilities available that approach the backup issue very differently. Chances are you will actually deploy more then one backup program to get it just right. Take a look at Drive Backup and the specialty backups like SyncBack.