The most common devices/media in use for backups are tapes or removable USB disk drives.
Alternatively, a backup can stored on another PC/server or remotely to an online backup
service. Other ways can include backing-up to a USB "pen drive" or to a CD/DVD.
Each method has its own merits:
Tape
Simple, cheap to buy high capacity tapes. Tape devices themselves can be expensive.
Sometimes unreliable in dusty environments.
USB Disk Drives
Cheap to buy a high capacity device, but may need several for good backup schedule coverage.
May need disconnecting using software (ie. requires server access)
CDs/DVDs
Can be cheap to implement if data will fit onto device. Low capacity and can be confusing
if backup spans multiple volumes. Requires server access.
USB "Pen Drives"
Cheap and convenient to save small amounts of data temporarily. Not a recommended full
scale backup solution.
Online Backup
Online backup services provide a reliable, scalable solution. Usually they are scheduled to run each evening so there
is no tape which must be changed daily and which is forgotten when some goes on holiday. Whilst tapes and USB devices
can fill up, online services usually have a sliding scale depending on the data which you store.
QuadBackup is
our online backup solution and gives you the peace of mind knowing that your backup is safe.
