The Need for a Data Backup Solution
A Backup Article Contributed by Ashley Lister
The Need for a Data Backup Solution
No contemporary business should be without a comprehensive data backup solution. So much information is now stored electronically that it is commercial suicide for a business to use computers to store information and not take reasonable precautions to safeguard that information in the eventuality of disaster or emergency.
Data Backup Can Be an Expensive Process, Not Just in Financial Terms but Also in Regard to the Cost of Buying Extra Hardware, Software and Storage Media As Well As Employing Someone Component to Oversee the Implementation of a Thorough and Viable Data Backup Regime.
Servers are an expensive commodity. Backing up to removable storage media is time consuming and, although not quite as expensive as taking the server option, the cost for every unused backup can look like a waste of time and an unnecessary drain on resources.
But, in the Event of a Crisis Where Data Backup is Needed for Restoration, the Cost of the Initial Financial Outlay is More Than Justified.
Depending on the size of your operation, the type of data backup solution you require is likely to vary.
Large corporations require dedicated servers, remote backups that are able to run "hot" (that is, backups that are able to run without disturbing the constant input, manipulation and use of the company's data).
Smaller businesses, those with only a handful of employees, can possibly manage with a simple overnight backup to either a remote backup facility or even some suitable storage media like a tape drive, a CD or DVD drive. However, it is worth keeping a careful eye on the amount of time each backup is taking and the quantity of storage media being used for each backup. If the volume of information being backed up becomes substantial it would be foolish to continue using an inadequate backup procedure to simply avoid the expense of either a dedicated server or a remote data backup host.
Single user enterprises, or those who are running a home business, can possibly manage to condense their data backup routine to nothing more than a floppy disc. Again, as with the case of the smaller businesses mentioned above, it is wise to constantly review backup requirements. If the single floppy disc backup has become two, three or more, it might be wise to upgrade to a CD or DVD backup. CDs are able to store between 600 megabytes and 800 megabytes of information.
This is the equivalent of between 400 and five hundred traditional floppy discs. DVDs are able to store in excess of 4 gigabytes. This is equal to nearly three thousand floppy discs.
