PC's store data on a mechanical hard drive which will wear out and
fail without warning. Your data could also be under threat from PC theft, fire,
flood or accidental/deliberate deletion or corruption so now is the time to look into a backup system:
[jump to conclusions]
Windows System Restore Capacity: None
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System restore is a handy feature of Windows XP that allows you to 'dial back' to a previously saved
configuration of Windows and its device drivers. Useful though it is it does NOT backup any of the
users data files and it should not be confused as any sort of data backup solution.
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Paper Capacity: Unlimited
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If you have data that can be printed out like accounts and spreadsheets then print and
file them - its one of safest and longest lasting backups you could make!
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Floppy Disk Capacity: 1.4MB
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The quality of modern floppy disks is extremely poor and they should not be trusted as a
method of data backup.
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USB memory stick Capacity: 32MB to 2GB and rising!
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USB memory sticks are very popular and can be obtained cheaply. The models we have used have proven very
reliable for moving files around but we would hesitate to use one as a main backup if only because of the
ease with which one could be lost or stolen.
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Zip Drives Capacity: 100MB to 750MB
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Zip drives and their ilk (removable rigid disks) were once popular as a sort of 'giant floppy disk' approach to
data transfer and backup. They were suited for the task with removable media and the ability to use one drive
on many PC's including laptops. However, the CD writting revolution has overtaken these devices which
now are looking expensive and slow with small capacity. If you are using such a system
then by all means continue but there are few circumstances now where purchasing such a system would be
the best solution in view of the modern alternatives.
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CD Writer Capacity: 600MB
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CD writing technology has matured and is now fast and reliable. 600mb capacity is more than enough for a
collection of spread sheets and word documents but no good for large digital photo collections. The media is
extremely cheap and easily available on the high street
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DVD Writer Capacity: 4.7GB to ?? (dual layer)
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DVD writting technology is relatively new and compatibility between drives and media a little
hit and miss.
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Mirrored Drive Capacity: up to 400GB and rising!
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More and more modern PC's incorporate a hardware RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) controller and Windows
Server 2003 even allows a limited software implementation. RAID has a number of configurations but its
simplist is that a second hard drive is introduced to become a continually updated mirrored copy of the existing unit
i.e. all data is written to both drives. When one fails the system continues to run on the remaining drive
with no break in service making this a fantastic system for protection against downtime. As both disks
reside in the same PC they are vunerable to theft, fire etc and archieved backups are not created.
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Tape Backup
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Technologically tape backup seems a bit of a dinosaur using slow, noisy tape drives and relatively expensive
media that has struggled to match the epic capacity of modern hard drives.
However for the business that requires backup to be a non-skilled task that can be undertaken by any employee
you simply can't beat a scheduled tape backup - simply insert a tape and the whole process is automated with
no opportunity for human error. Tapes are reasonably priced and a set can be kept in rotation so that if one tape
fails another, albeit slightly more out of date, backup will be available. Crucially tapes can be stored off site.
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Web Backup Capacity: unlimited
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Perhaps the backup solution of the future. Faster internet connections make the process of sending data to a
secure storage provider more and more viable. Your data will be housed safely, often in what is described as
'a nuclear bunker' but the very fact that is transferred and retrieved via the internet will worry many who's data
is private or sensitive.
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Conclusions
For the family PC most users will be able to make regular data backups onto writeable CD's or DVD's, all that is
required is a CD and/or DVD writer, appropriate software and some blank media. If your PC supports RAID then
a mirrored hard drive may also be a wise investment. Paper print outs of important text is still recommended
and we reiterate that backing up to a floppy is a placebo not a backup!
For a business a mirrored RAID system combined with a tape backup has become the gold standard. Mirrored hard
drives ensure virtually no down time when a hard drive fails which can only be considered absolutely essential.
The complimentary tape system provides a backup that can be locked in a fire safe or taken off site so theft, fire, flood
damage etc are no longer a threat to your data. Neither system is open to human error beyond initial configuration
and the only work generated by the system is the requirement to insert a tape prior to the scheduled backup.
Web based backup could be the carefree, automated solution of the future but for now most will want to
see how successful the various suppliers are at keeping data safe and confidential.
Final Thought
Simply put: if your data doesn't exist in at least two and preferably
three different places then you shouldn't consider it to exist at all!
Tiny Island Software has experience with all of the above systems and is well placed to advise the SOHO, SME
users in the Lincolnshire / east coast area; call 0845 838 0918 or email info@tinyislandsoftware.com.
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Data backup hardware and systems