When it comes to backups, redundancy is a good thing. Having more than one backup is like having a backup just in case “Plan B” fails.
Why would you have more than one backup of your data?
Backup data loss:
- Backup media failure – (DVD, TAPE)
- Backup hardware failure – (Hard Drive)
- Backup media/hardware theft
How would an experienced computer user answer?
- Do you backup your data? (Yes/No) Yes = 25 points
- Is it automatic? (Yes/No) Yes = 25 points
- Where is your backup data located? (Onsite/Offsite) Offsite = 25 points
- Do you backup your backup? (Yes/No) Yes = 25 points
How would you score yourself? Did you score 100?
Ways to Backup your Backup:
- Use 2 backup drives
- Use 1 backup drive & remote storage
Rotating your backups:
- Use a different external drive each week
- Take the other drive with you offsite
- Store the other drive in fire-proof safe
- when the week is over swap out the drive
If the data is more critical you can change the frequency from weekly to daily or have a different drive for different days of the week.
The point is to create multiple snapshots of your data so you can reconstruct your data with minimal data loss or downtime.
