Make Certain Your Backup Solutions are Complete

Backup solutions are the foundation of data protection, and the first line of defense in case of system failure or data loss of any kind. Backup solutions are the most basic

protection for computer data in case of a system failure of any kind. Data is saved onto media separate from production systems so it can be retrieved if and when production systems go down, or data is lost for any reason.

But there are vital tools that can, first, make sure that backups are performed in a timely manner, and second, catch data that may not have been backed up in case of accidental deletions. These solutions round out a backup system and, in fact, complete it.

Because of the sheer amount of data needed to be stored and the time required for backup, fast data transfer rates are constantly being addressed. While advances such as Network-Attached Storage (NAS) have greatly assisted in dealing with this problem, one basic hindrance to fast data transfer is file fragmentation. When dealing with gigabytes of data in files that might exist in tens, hundreds or even thousands of fragments, the

I/O and network traffic necessary to transfer it is considerably-and unnecessarily-increased. Such situations slow backups substantially, and can also result in aborted backups that do not complete in the limited time allowed.

A common hindrance to backups, however, despite ever-advancing technologies,

is file fragmentation. Fragmentation already causes problems in day-to-day file access, as a file split into hundreds or even thousands (it’s more common than you might think) of fragments is going to take considerably longer to access. Multiply that by all the data files in all an enterprise’s computer systems-because a backup procedure must access all of those files-and it can be seen what a nighmarish problem file fragmentation can be

to backups in terms of backup time.

The best way to ensure that backups occur rapidly and within their allotted times is to employ a defrag solution that is always working, that allows for a drive to be consistently in a defragmented state.  A product such as Diskeeper meets this qualification.

Another product to fully round out a backup scheme is Undelete, which provides real-time data protection in case of accidental deletions. If a file is saved to a local drive, such an accidental deletion can be recovered from the Windows Recycle Bin. But today, most files are saved remotely to a file server, and accidental deletions are completely lost. IT personnel must then engage in a time-consuming search through backup, restoring the version of the file that existed at the time the last backup was performed.

Once the file is restored from backup, there is more added time, however, as now the user must bring that file back up into the state it was in when deleted. Worse, if the file has been created since the last backup, it must now be re-created from scratch.

Backup solutions are essential-and so are these vital tools to make them complete.

Colleen Toumayan
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/make-certain-your-backup-solutions-are-complete-745305.html

What’s the best backup solution for our company?

We have about 50 employees, and about 100 total computers, including some enterprise level servers with large storage capacities. Most workstations are Windows based, most servers are Linux or BSD based. Our network is built on a stack of Cisco 10/100 switches. I would imagine the storage required for the backup would be between 500GB to 1000GB. I don’t imagine doing full backups daily, but at least every week. Are there standalone solutions that can be managed remotely? I would like something that I can plug into the network, without having to build a computer system to house it.

While you might like to not have to build a computer system in house, that is the best way to go for companies of your size. Especially if any of the data is mission critical and if you would lose profits and go out of business if the information on those computers was lost. What you need to look at is a terabyte system with tape or optical backup solutions that you can keep off site, preferably in a different state or regional location. Disasters happen and being unprepared isn’t permissible to most businesses. The type of backup you want to do depends on how much the information in your business changes and how critical it is. But typically in a business you want to setup a RAID 5 server with a differential backup setup that you can back up to tape or optical media. RAID 5 is fast and redundant (this is a good thing in backup systems). You can get backup systems from HP and other Manufacturers, and since your a business thats the best way to go typically unless you have an inhouse IT person that knows what they are doing. If you need anything else let me know.

JC.

Hard drive backup solutions?

I have a external hard drive i use to backup my work computer daily, but the software bundled with the drive is junk. are there any FOSS solutions or should I look to proprietary software? any suggestions for stellar programs?
i’m looking for a replacement for the included backup software.

I do the same thing as you.