STCC Technology Committee January 16, 2014

Backup Solutions Intro

Get something in place ASAP Don't get paralyzed because you can't do everything Almost anything you do will be better than doing nothing

Considerations / Planning Identify the problem Recovery time Backup schedule Retention time

2 Distinct Problems Entire computer will not boot or was destroyed A “few” files were damaged or deleted

How Quick do you need recovery? When disaster hits, can you wait a few Minutes? Hours? Days? Faster recovery == More money

Backup Schedule How much can you afford to lose?

Absolutely nothing? A minute? An hour? A business day? A whole week of work?

Time of day Not necessarily in the middle of the night

More frequent == More complex Keep Backups for how long?

Backup retention How long to keep the backups How many copies

How long will it take you to discover the problem? Weekends + holidays = delays Embarrassed employees = delays

Consider the Material Different solutions for different stuff

Data files

Large files: photos, videos, audio

Purchased programs

Operating system

Some material might not be on your computer

Receipts

Installation media

Certificates of authenticity / Product Key Codes / Activation Codes

STCC Technology Committee January 16, 2014

Backups are a Process Backup software is just the first step

1) Plan your backups

2) Execute the plan

3) Test now. Don't wait for a disaster!

Backup Types

Full System Backup (OS, Applications & Data)

Full Data Backup

Incremental vs Differential

Differential backup offers a full system backup at regular intervals, so naturally it

takes longer and requires more capacity.

Example: (Weekly) Do a full backup every Sunday. Then on Monday, only files that have

changed since the full backup on Sunday. On Tuesday, only files that have changed since the

full backup on Sunday (Essentially, the Tuesday differential replaces the Monday differential)

Incremental backup only backs up files that have changed since the last backup (full

or incremental), so it's quicker but has a longer recovery time since it has to restore

data from multiple incrementals

Example: (Weekly) Do a full backup on Sunday and incrementals during the week. On Monday

only data that has changed since Sunday and then on Tuesday, only data that has changed

since Monday, etc. So if something happens on Saturday, you would need to use 6 backups to

restore data.

Versioning

allows you to keep different versions of the same file – You have edited the files

several times and don't want the next backup to over write them.

Cloning (or Imaging)

a hard drive creates an exact replica of a hard drive

Minimizing Risk - Common Causes & how to minimize risk for each:

Human Error

Proper File Security

Software (Corruption)

Reputable, up-to-date OS/drivers & applications

Hardware Failure

Quality Hardware

Temperature - kept in room temp or cooler environment

Redundancy

Less Mechanical Parts

Other Considerations…

Turn off synchronized backup, if possible

Disconnect external backup when not in use

A backup plan is typically more cost effective than a recovery attempt

STCC Technology Committee January 16, 2014

Backup Solutions:

1) Secondary Drive in your machine (mirroring)

2) Tape Drive (old magnetic media technology - phased out)

Consider the technology – if the unit is destroyed, could you get a replacement to read the

backup medium?

1) CD/DVD (smaller capacities – maybe ok for archiving)

2) USB Flash Drive (smaller capacities)

3) External USB Hard Drive (Constant Connect)

4) External USB Hard Drive (Rotational Off-site or FireSafe)

5) Another PC

6) Cloud Storage

7) Disaster Recovery Center

Solution Pros Cons

Secondary Drive (mirroring) Quick recovery Only protects against hard drive failure

Tape Drive* Cheap media Old technology (phased out) *If machine is destroyed can you find a replacement to read the media?

CD/DVD* Cheap media OK for Archiving?

Limited Capacity

USB Flash Reliability Limited Capacities/Cost *Smaller capacities are cheap, but larger capacities are more expensive

External USB Hard Drive (Constant Connect)

Capacity Still Moving Parts (unless SSDs are used)

External USB Hard Drive (Rotational Offsite)

Capacity Restoration History Disaster Safe

Remember to rotate media Still Moving Parts (unless SSDs are used)

Another Machine Business Continuity Onsite - subject to similar issues

Cloud Offsite Slow backup & recovery

Disaster Recovery Center Fast recovery time $$$

Speed of Recovery (from fastest to slowest):

1) Connected internally in machine (SATA, etc)

2) Connected externally to machine (USB)

3) Connected to Internal Network (another PC on the network – 100 Mbps)

4) Connected to Internet (only as fast as your download speed ~ 1.5 - 50 Mbps)

- Likewise, backing up relies on your Upload Speed (~512 kbps - 10Mpbs)

STCC Technology Committee January 16, 2014

Situation Solution

Complete Destruction Fire, Natural Disaster

Offsite Backup:

Rotational Offsite

Cloud

Disaster Recovery Center

Theft/Loss Any solution, provided it was not in the same place & could have also been stolen/lost

File deletion Any Solution, but the key here is time taken to discover the deletion

Virus Activity Any Solution, provided it was not also connected to the machine at the time of infection (Ex: Cryptolocker)

Seriously, though…Backup your files! Tech Tip: Belarc Advisor Belarc Advisor is a piece of software that can look up your various software installation keys, it is a free download for individuals. http://belarc.com/