News Item: : There is No Substitute for a Good Backup
(Category: Adam Hawkes)
Posted by Elizabeth
Tuesday, December 15 2009 - 19:00:00
There is No Substitute for a Good Backup
by Adam Hawkes
Dave was a very successful graphic designer. So successful in fact, that he was making the move from working in his house to bringing on help and renting office space in a brand new office park. Everything was perfect – the short commute, more space, a place to bring clients, a place for additional associates, even the build-out in the new office was airtight.
He spent the day moving in and setting up his workspace. Before leaving, he made a few calls, checked on a few jobs and updated his calendar. He had an appointment to sign the insurance papers tomorrow. Everything was going according to plan. He smiled to himself as he locked the door and headed home on his half-mile commute. But that night the new-construction gremlins struck.
Dave returned to the office the next morning and had a good bit of trouble getting the door open. The lock was working fine, but the door was very hard to move. When he finally got it open, he was greeted by a rush of horror. Though thousands of gallons of standing water are generally reluctant to move when you push a door against them, they’re more than happy to run right by you without a second glance once you get it open. He stood paralyzed as he watched a river flow out of his new office and over his feet on the way to the nearest storm drain.
During the night, one of the pipes for the sprinkler system had burst and water rained down inside the office for hours. The construction was so new that the walls and door seals didn’t leak. Overnight, the office was turned into a wading pool. Dave was up to his Zip Drive in water, literally. His computer was sitting on the floor in his office and was almost completely submerged. The hard drive, and all of his data, sat in the bottom of the computer – at the bottom of his own private sea.
And he did NOT have a backup of his data.
What impact would a data disaster have on your business?
What files do you have that you consider important? How much would it hurt to lose some or all of them? How much would it cost? All of your data is important. In many cases, your data IS your business. Losing it would be a disaster. Losing it would shake the very foundation of your business. Statistically speaking, losing it could very well close your business.
And that's a pretty big deal. So you'd think that a proper backup would be an essential part of the core plan for every small to medium business. Unfortunately, it may not yet be a part of yours. Depending upon which survey you read and how you subdivide the computer user population, only 60% of small to medium sized businesses say that they properly protect their data. Is yours one of them?
Where do I begin?
Though a proper backup is essential, any backup is better than no backup. So you could certainly make another copy of everything that's important and put it in a safe location. And you should. It's a start. But this basic copy will only protect today’s data. What about tomorrow’s?
The process of designing and implementing a proper backup to protect your data is not a task to be taken lightly. There are several important questions that must be answered by you before you can begin. These answers will determine the size, scope and complexity of your backup solution. And the size, scope and complexity of your backup solution will ultimately determine the cost. Those questions are:
What threats do I face?
How much stuff do I really have?
How much time can I afford to spend?
What’s the solution?
How can The RetroTechs help?
What threats do I face?
There are several types of events that could cause you to lose data. When we think of data loss, often the only event we consider is hard drive failure. But that is only one of a number of potential threats to your files. And each of those threats will change the scope of your backup plan. I subdivide them into three basic categories:
Hard Drive Failure
Hard drives are an inexpensive way to store a huge amount of data. They are quite dependable, but they do fail – and usually at the worst time.
Natural Disaster and Theft
The though of a fire or flood consuming or washing away your business and all of its assets is a very unpleasant one. The idea of someone breaking into your business and stealing all of your servers and computers is certainly another uncomfortable one. But the value of the computers and your office equipment is negligible compared to the value of the data they contain. Your wallet and the insurance company can replace your hardware, but nothing can replace all of the work you have lost.
Accidental Deletion and Accidental Edit
Though you may not consider losing a single file a “disaster,” the results can be quite disastrous. Your boss has been waiting on that TPS report. That InDesign file represents the entirety of the new brand that you will be pitching to Coca-Cola tomorrow. Your taxes are due next week! You can get a little careless when you’re in a hurry and under heavy pressure from deadlines. And sometimes, you will accidentally delete a file or folder. Or maybe you make a change and diligently save your work, only to realize you edited the wrong file, or made the wrong edit. And there you sit staring at the computer screen with your face flush and your mind reeling. How long would it take me to recreate that file? What am I going to do?
You’re going to restore it from your backup.
How much stuff do I really have?
The answer to this question is very different for different users. Maintaining a large collection of emails, files and folders of stuff is something that most of us are very good at doing. Keeping it organized is not. A fundamental part of knowing how much data you have is keeping that data organized so that you can find it and protect it. Many small and medium sized businesses store their client files on a workgroup server or some other central storage space. This is a great start. However, there is usually important data still stored on local desktops and roving laptops. To properly protect your data, you must know how much you have and where it is stored. In today’s technology-driven workplace, this essential question can sometimes be hard to answer, but it has a great impact on the size of backup solution you must employ as well as the complexity.
How much time can I afford to spend?
Would you mind having to re-create all of the work you finished yesterday? How about all of the work from the last week? Last month? How much email are you willing to lose?
Scheduling is a crucial component of a backup solution. It is important to decide how frequently your data will be duplicated because that frequency will directly determine how much work you will have to do to recreate your data in the event of loss. And the frequency of the backup directly impacts the complexity of the backup solution.
Time is money. How much time are you willing to spend managing your backup solution? How much time will you spend restoring lost data? How much time will you spend recreating data that wasn’t backed up?
What’s the solution?
So you’ve decided which threats concern you. You’ve figured out how much stuff you have. And you’ve figured out where you’re keeping it. And you’ve decided how little work you would like to do before and after you experience a data loss. What’s the next step? Is it time to place your order? Not quite yet.
There are many hardware and software products available that include the word “backup” in their description. But the product is not the solution. The plan is the solution. Once you have a plan, you use products and services to make your plan work. And the plan should provide acceptable protection at an acceptable cost.
Your plan will include making duplicates of your data.
Your plan will either include making a complete copy of your data, or making a copy of only new data. Full backups cost more, provide more protection and reduce the restore time. Incremental backups cost less and reduce the backup time.
Your plan may include removing some or all of these duplicates from the premises. This will ensure that you have a copy of your data even if the file, drive, server or office is lost or destroyed. Offsite backups cost more but provide more protection. They increase the complexity of the backup, and increase the restore time.
Your plan may include making duplicates according to a schedule. You may duplicate your data monthly, weekly, daily, hourly or even immediately. More frequent backups cost more money, but save more date re-creation time. More frequent backups also usually require more human interaction with the backup system.
You will make a plan that employs a combination of all of the above. Ideally, you want to balance protection and cost. You may perform full backups on a monthly basis and take those to a safe deposit box or storage provider. Then you may perform nightly incremental backups but send yesterday’s backup home with the owner or an only slightly less dependable employee.
But you have a plan.
How can The RetroTechs help?
This article has not been about backup products. It has been about your backup plan. The RetroTechs can help you devise your plan:
We will work with you to determine what specific threats you face and decide which most concern you. We will help you decide which threats you cannot afford to ignore.
We will help you perform a data asset inventory so you will know how much data you have and where it is stored.
We will help you decide what frequency of backup best fits your workflow and budget. We will help you decide how much of your backup is automatic, and how much will require human interaction.
We will help you perform a data asset inventory so you will know how much data you have and where it is stored.
We will help you decide what frequency of backup best fits your workflow and budget. We will help you decide how much of your backup is automatic, and how much will require human interaction.
We will help you make your plan.
Put your Plan into Action
Once you have a plan, you can begin putting that plan into action. The RetroTechs will help you find the best products to match it. We will help you purchase and install those products. We will train you how to properly operate them and support you in their everyday use.
We will help you put your plan into action. Talk to your RetroTechs Consultant or contact us via email or at 404 352 6210.
This news item is from The RetroTechs, Inc.
( http://www.retrotechs.net/archive/news.php?extend.72 )
(Category: Adam Hawkes)
Posted by Elizabeth
Tuesday, December 15 2009 - 19:00:00
There is No Substitute for a Good Backup
by Adam Hawkes
Dave was a very successful graphic designer. So successful in fact, that he was making the move from working in his house to bringing on help and renting office space in a brand new office park. Everything was perfect – the short commute, more space, a place to bring clients, a place for additional associates, even the build-out in the new office was airtight.
He spent the day moving in and setting up his workspace. Before leaving, he made a few calls, checked on a few jobs and updated his calendar. He had an appointment to sign the insurance papers tomorrow. Everything was going according to plan. He smiled to himself as he locked the door and headed home on his half-mile commute. But that night the new-construction gremlins struck.
Dave returned to the office the next morning and had a good bit of trouble getting the door open. The lock was working fine, but the door was very hard to move. When he finally got it open, he was greeted by a rush of horror. Though thousands of gallons of standing water are generally reluctant to move when you push a door against them, they’re more than happy to run right by you without a second glance once you get it open. He stood paralyzed as he watched a river flow out of his new office and over his feet on the way to the nearest storm drain.
During the night, one of the pipes for the sprinkler system had burst and water rained down inside the office for hours. The construction was so new that the walls and door seals didn’t leak. Overnight, the office was turned into a wading pool. Dave was up to his Zip Drive in water, literally. His computer was sitting on the floor in his office and was almost completely submerged. The hard drive, and all of his data, sat in the bottom of the computer – at the bottom of his own private sea.
And he did NOT have a backup of his data.
What impact would a data disaster have on your business?
What files do you have that you consider important? How much would it hurt to lose some or all of them? How much would it cost? All of your data is important. In many cases, your data IS your business. Losing it would be a disaster. Losing it would shake the very foundation of your business. Statistically speaking, losing it could very well close your business.
And that's a pretty big deal. So you'd think that a proper backup would be an essential part of the core plan for every small to medium business. Unfortunately, it may not yet be a part of yours. Depending upon which survey you read and how you subdivide the computer user population, only 60% of small to medium sized businesses say that they properly protect their data. Is yours one of them?
Where do I begin?
Though a proper backup is essential, any backup is better than no backup. So you could certainly make another copy of everything that's important and put it in a safe location. And you should. It's a start. But this basic copy will only protect today’s data. What about tomorrow’s?
The process of designing and implementing a proper backup to protect your data is not a task to be taken lightly. There are several important questions that must be answered by you before you can begin. These answers will determine the size, scope and complexity of your backup solution. And the size, scope and complexity of your backup solution will ultimately determine the cost. Those questions are:
What threats do I face?
How much stuff do I really have?
How much time can I afford to spend?
What’s the solution?
How can The RetroTechs help?
What threats do I face?
There are several types of events that could cause you to lose data. When we think of data loss, often the only event we consider is hard drive failure. But that is only one of a number of potential threats to your files. And each of those threats will change the scope of your backup plan. I subdivide them into three basic categories:
Hard Drive Failure
Hard drives are an inexpensive way to store a huge amount of data. They are quite dependable, but they do fail – and usually at the worst time.
Natural Disaster and Theft
The though of a fire or flood consuming or washing away your business and all of its assets is a very unpleasant one. The idea of someone breaking into your business and stealing all of your servers and computers is certainly another uncomfortable one. But the value of the computers and your office equipment is negligible compared to the value of the data they contain. Your wallet and the insurance company can replace your hardware, but nothing can replace all of the work you have lost.
Accidental Deletion and Accidental Edit
Though you may not consider losing a single file a “disaster,” the results can be quite disastrous. Your boss has been waiting on that TPS report. That InDesign file represents the entirety of the new brand that you will be pitching to Coca-Cola tomorrow. Your taxes are due next week! You can get a little careless when you’re in a hurry and under heavy pressure from deadlines. And sometimes, you will accidentally delete a file or folder. Or maybe you make a change and diligently save your work, only to realize you edited the wrong file, or made the wrong edit. And there you sit staring at the computer screen with your face flush and your mind reeling. How long would it take me to recreate that file? What am I going to do?
You’re going to restore it from your backup.
How much stuff do I really have?
The answer to this question is very different for different users. Maintaining a large collection of emails, files and folders of stuff is something that most of us are very good at doing. Keeping it organized is not. A fundamental part of knowing how much data you have is keeping that data organized so that you can find it and protect it. Many small and medium sized businesses store their client files on a workgroup server or some other central storage space. This is a great start. However, there is usually important data still stored on local desktops and roving laptops. To properly protect your data, you must know how much you have and where it is stored. In today’s technology-driven workplace, this essential question can sometimes be hard to answer, but it has a great impact on the size of backup solution you must employ as well as the complexity.
How much time can I afford to spend?
Would you mind having to re-create all of the work you finished yesterday? How about all of the work from the last week? Last month? How much email are you willing to lose?
Scheduling is a crucial component of a backup solution. It is important to decide how frequently your data will be duplicated because that frequency will directly determine how much work you will have to do to recreate your data in the event of loss. And the frequency of the backup directly impacts the complexity of the backup solution.
Time is money. How much time are you willing to spend managing your backup solution? How much time will you spend restoring lost data? How much time will you spend recreating data that wasn’t backed up?
What’s the solution?
So you’ve decided which threats concern you. You’ve figured out how much stuff you have. And you’ve figured out where you’re keeping it. And you’ve decided how little work you would like to do before and after you experience a data loss. What’s the next step? Is it time to place your order? Not quite yet.
There are many hardware and software products available that include the word “backup” in their description. But the product is not the solution. The plan is the solution. Once you have a plan, you use products and services to make your plan work. And the plan should provide acceptable protection at an acceptable cost.
Your plan will include making duplicates of your data.
Your plan will either include making a complete copy of your data, or making a copy of only new data. Full backups cost more, provide more protection and reduce the restore time. Incremental backups cost less and reduce the backup time.
Your plan may include removing some or all of these duplicates from the premises. This will ensure that you have a copy of your data even if the file, drive, server or office is lost or destroyed. Offsite backups cost more but provide more protection. They increase the complexity of the backup, and increase the restore time.
Your plan may include making duplicates according to a schedule. You may duplicate your data monthly, weekly, daily, hourly or even immediately. More frequent backups cost more money, but save more date re-creation time. More frequent backups also usually require more human interaction with the backup system.
You will make a plan that employs a combination of all of the above. Ideally, you want to balance protection and cost. You may perform full backups on a monthly basis and take those to a safe deposit box or storage provider. Then you may perform nightly incremental backups but send yesterday’s backup home with the owner or an only slightly less dependable employee.
But you have a plan.
How can The RetroTechs help?
This article has not been about backup products. It has been about your backup plan. The RetroTechs can help you devise your plan:
We will work with you to determine what specific threats you face and decide which most concern you. We will help you decide which threats you cannot afford to ignore.
We will help you perform a data asset inventory so you will know how much data you have and where it is stored.
We will help you decide what frequency of backup best fits your workflow and budget. We will help you decide how much of your backup is automatic, and how much will require human interaction.
We will help you perform a data asset inventory so you will know how much data you have and where it is stored.
We will help you decide what frequency of backup best fits your workflow and budget. We will help you decide how much of your backup is automatic, and how much will require human interaction.
We will help you make your plan.
Put your Plan into Action
Once you have a plan, you can begin putting that plan into action. The RetroTechs will help you find the best products to match it. We will help you purchase and install those products. We will train you how to properly operate them and support you in their everyday use.
We will help you put your plan into action. Talk to your RetroTechs Consultant or contact us via email or at 404 352 6210.
This news item is from The RetroTechs, Inc.
( http://www.retrotechs.net/archive/news.php?extend.72 )