Why Backup?

2008-02-26T10:49:00.001-08:00

Two words: Data Loss.

Data loss can be very costly, to both the consumer and particularly for organizations in the small and medium business (SMB) market where the difference between survival and closure can rest on the ability to recover from a disaster. At the very least, critical data loss will have a personal effect on consumers and a financial impact on companies of all sizes.

There are many ways you can unintentionally lose information on a computer; a child playing the keyboard like a piano, a power surge, fires, floods or any natural disaster. Sometimes equipment just fails. How important is your data to you? You can respond to this question with words, but the steps you take to protect your data are the real answer. Most PC users are pretty casual about data protection—they are comfortable with the stability of applications, operating systems, and the PC hardware itself, so they think their data is safe. Hey, denial is not just a river in Egypt. Thinking that data loss only happens to other people is holding on to a false sense of security. Anyone could experience data loss, and statistically speaking, the chances are good that you will. Why play the odds?

The key to successful disaster recovery and data protection is regular backups. Not only is backup itself vital, but how you backup and where the data is stored must be considered.

What do you consider irreplaceable data?

2008-02-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

By Aaron Rodberg (Technical Research Analyst)

Working for Spare Backup I have heard lots of horror stories about lost data. I have seen many happy customers ecstatic to have the ability to restore their precious files when they've been lost or destroyed.

I work full time and have a busy home life with three kids as well. Data is an issue for me at work and at home. Data must travel between my home and office. Like most people in my position I use a laptop, so I can take work home with me and finish projects while I'm at home with my kids. At any time my laptop is susceptible to theft, damage or even failed hardware, or god forbid - the kids spill apple juice all over the thing!

Of course I use Spare Backup to ensure that my data is always recoverable, but I found myself thinking about the question - What is on my computer that I really could not go without?

I have some music I downloaded and paid for, I sure would hate to have to buy that song again. But I guess that is a viable option. My work, i.e., documents, presentations, email, all backed up in the office and online, and I would sure hate to lose any of it but can it be redone, I guess if it had to be.

Then it occurred to me, MY PICTURES. I have 10 GB of pictures all dating back to when my 1st child was born 8 years ago. We are talking about thousands of irreplaceable photographs capturing moments that we can't go back and live again! There is only one first birthday, only one first ballet recital, only one perfect shot of my daughter with her finger deep in her nose to show the high school boyfriends. This to me would be “catastrophic loss of data!”

There is nothing in the world that can be done to ever get those pictures and memories back. It would be a heart breaking loss. That’s why I use a total solution for this irreplaceable data, so not only do I backup my pictures online but I make an offline backup to DVD every month or so using Spare Backup.

Spare Backup®, Inc.

Why Backup?

What do you consider irreplaceable data?