In our previous post, we listed the 3 primary options for data backup:
In this post, we will tackle the much more difficult issue of selecting the right method for your situation.
If you have limited technical experience, I recommend you engage a data protection professional (an IT professional with advanced knowledge in data protection you can learn more in a coming post on this subject) Who can assess your needs, recommend a solution, and possibly help with implementation. An hour or two to complete this work is money well spent.
Questions you should ask when evaluating backup solutions: If we skip the cost for a moment, please consider the following;
- How much UNIQUE data do you have? Is it under 1Tb or more?
- Do you know how to take an “inventory of your UNIQUE data”?
- Is all your data in one location?
- Is it one centralized storage (like a server)
- Is it distributed on several networked devices in one building?
- Your comfort zone with file storage structures, and network storage.
- If your comfort zone is minimal, you are better off using as simple a solution as possible like the “clickfree” external backup device like http://tinyurl.com/yaywrr9
Note: you should have more than one unit to use alternately.
- If you are ready to deal with network and remote locations, a whole new set of option are available.
- How often does your UNIQUE data change? You are going to have to backup often enough so as not to loose too much newer data between backups should a crash occur before your next scheduled backup.
Look for our next post, part 3 on this very important subject.