Data Backup Tips

Practically everyone should practice a regular backup and data protection maintenance routine from network managers in large companies to home PC users, we all need to know how to back up our precious data and protect it from being lost in the ether forever.

What would happen if one day your computer was infected with a virus or your hard drive can stop working? Are you prepared? If you are then that is when you will thank yourself that your computer information has been securely stored on a backup.

Take steps to protect your data before a disaster happens, don't wait until your hard drive gets corrupted or infected. Don't get caught short act now!

Sourcing the right data backup and protection solution that is right for you can be confusing.

The right solution will depend on your needs, ie what you need to backup and how do you want it stored? You may want to store it online or on a dedicated external hard drive, or you may have a network of computers that you need to backup daily.

Today it can be difficult to choose the right backup solution that you need. Not because they are difficult to find, but because there are too many of them.

How should you backup?
Are you looking for an online data backup solution?
What should you backup?

Here are some suggestions for personal use scenarios:

Personal use PC user Backup
Your data is vital and you don't want to lose it,.you are dependent on it for your work or for your personal record keeping. Presuming you have a broadband connection, as most people today do, then an online backup service might be right for you. This has become an easy solution which is both cheap and convenient.

If you need to have your data easily accessible and you can't afford to have it down for long periods of time should the worst happen, a hard disk image backup solution might be right for you. You can make a backup of your hard disk. Store the backup on to another external hard drive

If the disk happens to crash, you replace it with a new hard disk, use the boot disk and restore the whole hard disk back from the backup media. No need to restore Window from scratch saving you time and keeping your saved Windows configuration unchanged.

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Benefits of Using Data Backup Software

Owning a computer is a wonderful thing. It allows you to instantly and easily become connected to the entire world from just a small device. It allows you to do many things that will make your life easier and more enjoyable. You can save photos, write documents, save files, and keep a lot of important information on your computer. Unfortunately, computers are not perfect and can quite often crash if you don't take care of them correctly. Even if you do take care of your computer, the unthinkable could still happen and if you aren't running any form of data backup software, you could be left in the dust with lost data that cannot be brought back. Below are some of the main benefits of using data backup software on your home or work computer.

Avoid Data Loss

The biggest reason to use data backup software is the ability to avoid losing the data you have been storing on your computer. If you have ever made the mistake of not backing up your computer before, then you know how quickly everything can go from good to bad. You could instantly lose years' worth of files and will not be able to get them back unless you created a backup. This happened to me once. Three years of files, documents, photos, music, and anything else you could think of was gone in an instant when my computer was infected with a bad virus that it couldn't recover from. If I had been using data backup software, I could have recovered everything.

Easy Recovery

Compared to the old-fashioned method of saving all of your data to a disk, using data backup software is just a whole lot easier. It used to take hours and you would have to do everything manually. This could eat up a whole day without much effort. When you use software, everything is done for you instantly and thoroughly. No more having to worry about whether or not you forgot to save a specific file or folder to your external drive, because everything is saved automatically.

It Can Save You Money

How can using software save you money? Well, the cost of the software is usually not much at all. But it can easily save you money by preventing profit loss if you use your computer for business. If you are unable to get onto your computer to retrieve a file or a document, then you could lose money. The longer your computer isn't working, the more you could potentially lose.

You Need to Backup Your Computer

Let's face it, backing up your computer is a necessary thing that must be done for every computer owner. Failing to use some form of data backup software, and not backing up your computer, could lead to ruin. Losing everything on your computer is not fun, and many of the things saved on your computer cannot be replaced. You might have photos, creative writing, graphics, reports, essays, work files, and many other things that you don't want to lose, so protect them!

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Online data backup

Online data backup service provider is an alternative to backup off-site data and files. Using an online backup service is convenient and will help your small business to save money on hiring staffs for the management, ongoing maintenance, operating expenses and protection of data storage equipment. As with the SaaS options, it is important that the online data backup provider can address security issues before you entrust your data to them such as access controls, encryption and mutual alignment of security policies.

When choosing a services provider, make sure the backup data can be encrypted. This is important to prevent the backup over the internet from being hacked or viewed in the event of getting lost, stolen, or been viewed by the unauthorized employees.

Encryption of the data is important. You should make sure the service provider has technology in place so the data is encrypted as it backup on the system. It is recommended that the backup services provider use 356 bit AES that is transferred over SSL using digital certificates. Key management allows you to delegate access so that you can assign more keys to more staffs. Commercial key management system can be too expensive for small businesses. If you do not have the budget, you can manually maintain key logs and secure them so that only the senior management staffs can gain access.

You should also do an on-site check to make sure the facilities and procedures are secure. The facilities of the backup provider should be significantly more secure than yours since you purchase the online backup services because you cannot invest in enterprise grade data security protection.

Other features that you should consider include versioning, continuous data protection, mobile access, locked file support, network drive support and large file support. Versioning allows you to restore a previous version of a backup file. Continuous data protection allows you to automatically backup files once they are created or changed. Mobile access allows you to access through iPhone or other type of mobile devices. Lock file support allows backup client to open or lock files. Large file support allows you to create individual backup file up to 4GB.

By following the tips above, you will be able to choose the right services provider that will help to protect your small business data and a secure back-up.

Tools :
Mozy
Carbonite Pro
CrashPlan

Online Data Backup Service Tips

There are many options and services available when choosing an online, off-site data backup service. If you are not familiar with what to look for or what questions to ask you could make a devastating mistake that can cost you lost time, money and even lost data. This document will briefly go over what options are mandatory, optional and what to look out for. Use it to assist you in making the right decision, but still do research for what is best for you and your specific business needs.

Cheaper is not always the answer

A company offering a backup service has expenses which will affect the price you pay. Yes, some are able to sell in high volume and, as such, give a discount to customers. But when a price is far cheaper compared to others there is usually a reason. One of the ways a company can cut costs is by not having an adequate network infrastructure in place. This can result in not being able to restore your data. Your "backed up" data may not even be there. That's right; the data you are paying a company to keep safe for you may not be able to give it back to you when you need it most. We suggest doing restores of your data at least once a month to verify backups are good. Another method to reduce their costs is to have their tech support located in different countries such as India or not having any phone support at all. We all know how well that works from our own experiences. When considering a backup company, call their tech support and see who answers the phone and how well they know their own product. Basically, know the company, how they operate and weigh the options and services they provide.

My data; stop that thief!

Security is an extremely big deal with so much information now passing through the internet and hackers trying to steal and sell everything they can. Make sure before backing up your data through the internet that it remains safe and secure. One way to do this is by verifying that the backup software encrypts your data before it leaves your computer and stays encrypted when stored on the service company's equipment. Look for at least 128-bit encryption. Also, having the data transferred using SSL (Secured Socket Layer) makes it harder for hackers to intercept, but if they still happen to, the data is still encrypted.

Floods, fires and earthquakes; oh my!

Just because your data has been encrypted and successfully backed up off-site does not mean it is safe. If a natural disaster occurs, how safe is the facility where your data resides? Data facilities are given a 1-4 rating (4 being the highest) to indicate how strong and reliable a facility is. Know this information before you back up your critical business data to Bubba's shed off the coast of Florida. Another service to consider would be if data backed up to one data facility is mirrored to another data facility in a different region. This way if one site is totally annihilated, or in case of equipment failure, your data is still safe and secure.

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Online Data Backup Tools

Though you can back up your data onto your external hard drives, it can become a hassle because you have to remember when to back up your data. Moreover, external hard drives can malfunction. For these reasons, consider using online backup tools. These tools, which automatically back up your data, also offer the added benefit of strong security.

Mozy

Mozy enables you to save information, such as audio files, family photographs and financial documents. This tool provides the security technology used by banks when they transfer data. Mozy automatically saves the latest versions of your files. This application comes with the Mozy Support Portal feature, which contains comprehensive information about Mozy, allowing you to watch video tutorials and communicate with a support technician via the Live Chat Tool. The Mozy Support Portal also comes with a knowledge base that contains self-help articles. Mozy supports Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It also supports Mac OS operating systems, including 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6.
Carbonite Pro


Carbonite Pro, an online backup tool, designed for businesses, comes with an Administrative Dashboard feature. This component enables you to keep track of your activities, such as which of your employees' systems require a backup and how much data the system has copied, as well as the backup status of each computer. Carbonite Pro provides the same security techniques used by online banking. This online tool encrypts the company's data before it goes to Carbonite's servers. You can decide to back up certain data manually or have Carbonite Pro automatically back it up. Carbonite Pro comes with the Restore Wizard, which provides a step-by-step explanation of how to recover data if your files are damaged or lost. Carbonite Pro enables you to use computers while restoring data.

CrashPlan


CrashPlan is a free application for personal use. This online tool backs up your data each day. It also allows you to back up your data to your hard drive or a colleague's computer. CrashPlan supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS and Solaris. This means you can back up data from a PC to a Macintosh or a Macintosh to Linux.


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Always batter to have Personal Online Data Backup

There are many factors to consider when choosing a computer backup strategy. Traditional methods like network storage and tape drive backup, work fine for larger organizations who have IT support staff to manage the complex business of data backup. The small business and home user have a tougher time implementing an effective backup solution. Ease of use, and cost effective solutions are two of the big features that most small business and home users are looking for. These features and more are outlined as some of the benefits to using personal online data backups.

Though you can back up your data onto your external hard drives, it can become a hassle because you have to remember when to back up your data. Moreover, external hard drives can malfunction. For these reasons, consider using online backup tools. These tools, which automatically back up your data, also offer the added benefit of strong security.


Benefits:

1: Ease of Use
Many people using online backup systems do so for one reason. They are easy to use, and not just at backing up your files, but also when you need to recover them. Good systems will have a simple interface that is easy to navigate.

2: Cost Effective
High on the list of concern for almost all small businesses and most home users is price. Personal online data backup needs to be price competitive. The larger players in the market tend to give unlimited data backup to home users for about $5/month. Pricing plans vary for small businesses.

3: Automation
How many times have you thought, I've got to burn a disk, or copy my files to a USB or external hard drive? For most of us, it's still on a to-do list. This is why the software installed for your online backups uses automation. This automatic backup feature is a real advantage for personal online data backup. It's a set it and forget it type system.

4: Security
All the major players in the online backup world use state of the art encryption methods to keep your backups secure. Most actually encrypt the files on your machine, before sending the backup to your storage space on their servers. Encryption is also used on the file servers so your data is protected once stored too.

5: Catastrophic Events
Besides hard drive crashes, theft, power surges, or accidentally deleting your own files, catastrophic events do happen. From fires to floods, your data is safe as it is safely stored on a remote server.

6: Recovery
It doesn't matter how you lose your data, recovery is just a few mouse clicks away...even if you lose your computer. You just need to visit your vendor's website, and you can be recovering your files within minutes.

Fix Corrupted Files

Corrupted files are the computer files that become non-functional altogether. There are several reasons for the file getting corrupted. It can be a glitch in the operating system or in the program utilizing the file, improper file saving procedure, system crash or the file corruption may be a result of some dangerous computer virus. The damage could be on the hardware level, if the file system sector or the hard drive itself is damaged. Let's learn how to understand when a file gets corrupted and how to fix corrupted files.

When the file you are trying to access does not open and displays a message like 'Cannot open file' or 'File data inaccessible' then its a clear indication that the file is corrupted. In case, the file opens but the data within is unreadable i.e. showing signs and symbols other than normal alphabets and numbers, then the file is corrupted.

How to Fix Corrupted Avi Files
Avi (Audio Video Interleave) files are video files that run on a program application that is designed to play an .avi file. To fix an avi file, all you have to do is, download a software that renders an avi file correct. If the software is in zip form, unzip it using a unzipping software like winzip. After all the files are displayed, click on the setup file and follow the instructions to setup the software on your computer. Now, run the software, the interface window will display the functionalities that the software renders. Browse and add the corrupted avi files and click on the button for repair. The repaired avi files may be stored at the same location as the previous files or it may prompt you to select the location. Different softwares will provide different facilities so, select the one that suits your needs. This is a generalized procedure for any question regarding how to fix corrupted video files. Few examples of avi file repair softwares are DivXRepair 1.0.1, Avi Previewer 2.27, RegCure, ASF-AVI-RM-WMV Repair, etc.

How to Fix Corrupted Jpeg Files
Jpeg is the short form of Joint Photographic Experts Group. When a jpeg/jpg image does not open with any default application programs like paint, windows photo gallery, fax viewer, etc., it is corrupted. To retrieve the image, try renaming and saving the picture file with a .jpg extension. Other option is to use jpeg image recovery tools. Using these tools is a trial and error process as, it is difficult to figure out which one of the tools will recover the images successfully. The procedure for downloading and executing the tools is same as that mentioned for the avi files repair software. Examples of jpg recovery software tools are JPEG Recovery, Picture Doctor, etc., or try opening the pictures with ACDSee, Irfanview, etc.

How to Fix Corrupted Word Files
Word files are document files that contain text data. When a word file gets corrupted, download a word file repair software to resurrect the files. Click on the software's icon and follow the instructions. Some software may need installation while others may not. Examples of word document repair software are Repair MyWord, Nucleus Kernel Word Document Repair Software, etc. Repair MyWord can be downloaded free of cost and it provides an easy interface for the retrieval of files.

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