Find the right backup methods

Data backups are essential to your business and an important part of disaster planning. But what methods should you use to back up your critical data?

Incremental backups

The most efficient way to back up your data is to run an incremental backup system (Microsoft software refers to this as a differential backup).

You start by taking a full backup, creating a safe copy of all your files. After that, you just back up the files that have changed each day. When this incremental backup starts taking too long, gets too big, or a pre-determined period of time passes (say a month) you take another full backup and the cycle starts again.

Incremental backups require lots of media to store the data – one set for the full backup and one set for each incremental backup. You should also keep a few full backups, in case you have to go back further than a month.

Restoring your data should be simple. You first restore from the full backup, then update with the last incremental backup. However, as with any backup system, it’s important to test this regularly.

There are two ways to run your backups:

• Manually. This means you have to start the backup yourself each day. It’s probably not a good idea – you’re bound to forget or be too busy at some point!

• Automatically. Get backup software which has a scheduler in it or use the scheduler built in to your operating system (in Microsoft Windows this is called Scheduled Tasks).

Good backup software will also remind you to make sure that you have put the right media in (this could be a CD or DVD), so you don’t overwrite a previous backup.

Traditional backup media

The backup media is where your backed-up files are stored. There are several options:

• CD/DVD. These have a small capacity so you’ll go through them quickly and costs will mount up. They are easily broken and there is evidence to suggest that their lifetime may be shorter than originally anticipated. Writing data to them is not fast.

• External hard drive. These connect to your computer or network, have a large capacity and are faster than DVDs. They cost from £50 each, but you’ll need two or three to store full backups and 20 or so for a month’s worth of incremental backups (more if you backup at weekends too). You can cut costs by keeping several backups on one drive, but this means the hard drive is less likely to be stored offsite.

• Tape. Magnetic tape is hardly ever used by small businesses, because it needs an expensive tape drive and, like your old VHS video, is prone to chewing tapes.

Online backups: the new option

As internet connection speeds have increased, backing up online has grown in popularity. A number of companies offer this convenient service. You install a small piece of software which automatically backs up your data by sending it across the internet to another location.

However, there are some issues. Recovering a single file may involve downloading your entire backup – a waste of time and disk space. And some services are based outside the UK, meaning they may be subject to different laws. US law, for instance, makes it possible for a court to force the disclosure of your data.

If you do use online backup, look for flexibility, so you can recover your data onto another PC from any internet connection. And check your data is encrypted before it leaves your computer, so it can’t be read by hackers.

Choose your backup media

External hard drives, CD and DVD are great for backing up data that you need easy access too. However, remember that all media can fail, and take multiple copies of critical data.

A good combination helps minimise the chance of failure. For instance, online backup is excellent for day-to day-backup of business critical data. You can supplement this with an external hard drive (which stays on site) and regularly backup to DVDs too, which are kept offsite.

You may also be interested in:

• Storage devices and media
• Perform an IT security risk assessment