Posts tagged: Backup

Feb 15 2012

Back Up Your Backup, Then Back Up Again!

If you aren’t in the habit of backing up your data, you might assume that it’s difficult or tedious. But I’ve got news for you, it’s easy-peasy. Nowadays, backing up is a complete no brainer.

There are many backup options. New PCs often come bundled with backup options included in the “bloat ware.” Microsoft Windows 7 comes with “Windows Restore/Back Up” accessible via the Control Panel, and Macs offer a backup option called Time Machine. You can buy an external hard drive to copy your files to, or invest in a remote backup service.

I suggest backing up twice on local drives and once in the cloud.

Cloud backup options include Mozy, McAfee, and Carbonite.

Mozy online backup costs per month to back up 50 gigabytes of data on one computer, or 0.00 a year for 125 gigabytes on up to three computers.

Mozy offers an easy to use interface and quick, effortless backups of every file type, including files on external drives. If you have over 110 gigabytes, though, it gets pricey.

McAfee online backup costs per month , and works exactly like Mozy, except that as of this writing, users receive unlimited backup for that monthly fee.

Carbonite online backup offers unlimited storage from one computer for under per month. Carbonite is inexpensive with an easy – to – use interface that allows you to access your data via an iPhone app, which is very cool.

Unfortunately, Carbonite won’t back up external drives, backing up certain media, like videos, is slow, and you have to manually check your folders to make sure everything has successfully been backed up. Also, certain files , like software programs with a variety of unusual file extensions, have to be zipped beforehand, since Carbonite won’t back up the individual files with odd extensions.

My 200-gigabyte C: drive came built into my PC as the main operating system drive. My E: drive is a secondary 2TB drive installed in the slot most PCs provide for a second drive. And I have a 2-terrabyte external drive, my F: drive, which I keep running 24/7. I paid .00 for a 2TB E: drive and 4.00 for a 2TB external drive. I also have unlimited cloud-based backup , which is accessible for a year. And for , I’ve installed Goodsync.

All my data is on stored on my E: drive, filling more than three quarters of the 2-terrabyte internal drive. Drive E is my primary data drive, and gets backed up to the cloud and synced to the external 2-terrabyte F: drive. Goodsync automatically syncs my internal E: drive and external F: drive every two hours. I do this because, while all my data is stored in the cloud, if my internal drive does crash, downloading it all would be a chore, plus, I’d need a drive to download it to o , anyway.

The cloud is ideal for mitigating major catastrophes, like fires, but not practical for accessing data on a daily basis.

That’s it. Two local backups and one cloud-based backup. Do it today. It’s easy-peasy.

Robert Siciliano is a personal security expert contributor to Just Ask Gemalto. (Disclosures)

Feb 14 2012

Managed Backup Service Benefits

There are many benefits when you choose to work with a managed backup provider.

Most business owners do not know how to backup all of their data themselves. They may specialize in other areas, but data protection is not their specialty.

They may think they have a backup system in place, but are not actively monitoring the backups. In their minds their data is being backed up, but really it is not. Just because someone thinks something is happening, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is happening.

When you hire a backup professional, you can be sure that your backups are being completed. This will give you the peace of mind that someone is taking care of it, rather than just hoping the backups are being completed.

Managing a data backup system for your office takes time. You don’t set it up one time and then forget about it. If you have a tape backup system, someone has to actually make sure that the backups are being completed. To figure out the cost of this, all you have to do is take the amount of time it takes to change out the tapes on a daily basis then multiply that by their hourly wage.

The people that you have changing out your tapes may not really know what they are doing. They may not properly backup the data or they may accidentally overwrite the backups. There is a lot of room for error with this system.

Another thing to worry about is that when they are taking the backup tapes offsite, they may lose the backup tapes. Or, they may leave the backup tapes in their car and then they get stolen. You may have seen news reports about banks and medical institutions that have lost millions of records because of tapes getting stolen.

Then if a disaster strikes, you are in trouble when you try to recover the data. Or what if you have to recover a version of a file from a year ago and the secretary accidentally deleted it because they over-wrote the tape.
That is why it is important to hire a company to manage the data backups for you.

They can quickly do an assessment of how much data needs to be protected. Then they can deploy a backup system for you and make sure that all of the critical information is backed up locally and backed up safely off-site. This managed backup company can also monitor the backups and make sure they are being completed. Protecting your data is a great investment. Take steps to day to ensure that your data is safe.

Feb 14 2012

Online Backup Services – Factors in Cost Computation

“Online backup services” is one of the important parts of data recovery. Seeking the help of software companies is essential in this process. The success of the service depends largely upon the reputation of the service provider. Entrusting your needs to professionals is thereby necessary.

Alongside your search for remote backup providers, costing is always considered. As end users, you have to track where your investment will go. It is therefore important to know the factors in cost computation for backup services.

Costs behind online backup services
The more extensive the services, the more costly they will be. The same rule applies to online backup. In this regard, you have to check on the following things that comprise the cost computation:

· Amount of data to be backed up. Industries and individuals making use of online backup services have different needs.

Perhaps, it is safe to assume that individuals have lesser requirements than those of larger industries. The total amount of data backed-up will then be an essential component of cost considerations.

· Machines covered by the service. In several industries, there is usually more than one machine that needs the backup service. The service provider closely looks into this aspect before coming up with the summary of the cost to be charged from the company.

· Number of versions to be backed-up. There are companies requiring more than one version of the file for backup. This is because the copies are relevant for the use of multiple recipients. Whenever there is a need to get online backup services, this factor is necessary for the cost computation.

· Data retention and archiving.

Companies may require data retention for several years. In some industries, archiving is needed for at least five to ten years. With the help of online backup, it is easier for the company to retrieve information from a previous year or so. Depending on the term of the backup service, the cost is likewise computed.

In order to save on cost, you may also request for other options when it comes to online backup services. Updating your current system may only be necessary when changes are to be made. This will reduce your stored data thereby reducing the costs you need to pay.

Property of RecoverMyPc Inc.

Feb 13 2012

UPS Systems for Industrial Back-Up Needs

If you are looking for high efficiency system and back up protected system then you need to buy an ups system for your office that also have eco mode.  You need eco mode because it is energy efficient and will not only perform a very good back up function but it will also save energy, reducing your office bills. There are three types of uninterruptible power supplies, the first one is offline, the second one is interactive and the third one is online UPS system respectively. Each have definite functions to perform hence you can choose any one of them accordingly.

If you have small office then your requirements will be quite different from a big or medium sized office, the power back up facilities will also be different and the budget involved will also be different. For small offices offline or interactive ups systems will be the best because they are very cost effective, so you stay within your budget.

But the disadvantages involved in these two types of uninterruptible power supply are that they are not at all energy efficient and the backup process is not 100 percent reliable. You may find that sometimes proper back up is not done. Whereas online UPS though a little bit of expensive offers you eco friendly solutions, it not only saves a lot of energy but also at the same time backs your data appropriately and very accurately. Only with a onetime cost incurred long lasting support can be taken from it, and the best part is if you need to expand your business it will still be able to back up your industrial data.

There are many other facilities and features that you get with online ups system, so it comes highly recommended with best customer service records

If you are looking for high efficiency system and back up protected system then you need to buy an ups system for your office that also have eco mode.  You need eco mode because it is energy efficient and will not only perform a very good back up function but it will also save energy, reducing your office bills.

There are three types of uninterruptible power supplies, the first one is offline, the second one is interactive and the third one is online UPS system respectively. Each have definite functions to perform hence you can choose any one of them accordingly

Feb 11 2012

Secure Your Data: Online Backup Solutions

Over the years, people have come up with new inventions of storage devices, starting from the archaic floppy disks and tapes to the still prevalent CDs and DVDs. Lately with reducing costs of hard drives, external HDDs or Hard Disk Drives have become very popular for large sized backups in homes and offices. However, the backup procedure that surpasses all the aforementioned devices in convenience, efficiency, security and reliability is the online backup of data. Now, what exactly is online backup? Just as the name suggests, it is copying of your important data over a network connection from your system to a remote off-site server or a hard drive monitored by a host company.

You basically need to sign up with an online backup service provider that will supply you with software connecting your system with the online storage space. You can specify your preferences regarding which folders you want to be taken a backup of, at which time of the day, week or month should the automatic backup take place, etc. You can either schedule automatic backup or simply proceed with manuals ones. The time taken for the completion of the backup depends on the speed of the internet connection, the amount of files being copied and whether it is the first time you are taking the backup or not. Usually the first attempt is the lengthiest one, while the ones that follow require minor changes and additions to the already stored data and hence are less time-consuming. You can take regular backups of practically any sort of file, be it a presentation, a database, a spreadsheet, a text, a picture, an audio, a movie, your emails, or even a computer program.

You might argue that despite having so many other storage options, why should you go for online backup. As said before, this is a more convenient, efficient, secured and reliable option. You get to start the backup anytime you want with an internet connection without the need of any hardware, access a huge amount of space at a very low price, transfer your files in an encrypted form, keep your files safe with a secret username and password and get to restore your lost data to any computer you want. The above features are not available in the conventional storage devices. Moreover, if you still choose a CD, DVD or an external HDD for backup and keep it locked in your house, you might think your data is very safe but, god forbid, if your house is struck by a calamity, dont you think along with your computer, you will lose your disks too? Can you now call it safe? This was just a domestic example.

Consider a huge business concern that deals with zillions of important data each day. It just cannot afford to take a risk. So for them, online backup is the only solution to disaster recovery.

The advent of anything new and different is always accompanied by an array of myths. Some of the famous MYTHS regarding online backup are:

Data is not secured on the net

It cant handle large company data

It is expensive

You must know that all these myths are not true and the fact is so much the opposite.

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