Backup Considerations

Backup Considerations

When considering a backup solution, several factors must be taken into account. There is no perfect solution, but rather a best-fit which balances the needs of the business or individual against the budget available.

Some important considerations are as follows :-

• Offsite Backup. It is vital to have some form of offsite backup. Keeping all your tapes neatly on top of the server is no good if a fire takes out the server and tapes. You're left with nothing. Also having an offsite backup which is two years old is also little use in most circumstances.
• Be able to restore data from far enough into the past. If the only backup available to you is last night's copy, then if an important file is deleted and not spotted for two days, you will have no backup containing that deleted file. It is important when storing tapes offsite that there is always a tape offsite and that all the tapes are not in the same place at the same time (that could be when the fire strikes)

So what's the answer? If money and space were no object, you would have a brand new backup tape each day, storing alternative tapes offsite and onsite. You are able to go back as far as you like and you would have at worst a two day old offsite backup should the worst happen.