Your BackUp Strategy

So you think you should be backing up your data to DVD? As far as backups are concerned, technology has moved on and the cost of external hard drives has plummeted, thus making backing up to an External USB Hard Drive a realistic and viable alternative.  

The advantages of hard drives over DVDs is that it is a lot less fiddly to use a hard drive (just plug it in and run the backup) and the capacity is much greater, and the backups are faster. Also, you can plug the drives into any computer (not Windows 98 or Me) and look at the files. Furthermore, you can download free or cheap and readily available backup software, like Handy Backup or Syncback, which is what we routinely recommend for backups to our clients.

The downside, if there is one, is that hard drives are more expensive than DVD media. This is hardly a downside though, considering their greater size and versatility that simply makes them a far better solution.

Normally we would recommend two (possibly three) external USB hard drives which are rotated daily. Depending on the size of your data, each drive should be able to hold either backups from more than one computer, or at least two sets of backups (obviously this depends on how much data there is that has to be backed up.

This is not a definitive description of how we would approach your backup solution, but it is by far the most popular amongst our client base.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS

You are responsible for retaining copies of your data that is stored on our servers. Softflare will not keep backups of your data unless an agreement in writing specifically states it. ’Your data’ includes but is not restricted to:

• your email, whether POP or IMAP
• your website, including text, images and other files you have uploaded
• your database if you have a database running on your account.

In the event of a system failure or breakdown for whatever reason, your data is your own responsibility and Softflare will accept no responsibility for loss of data, information in any form or other matters whatsoever that result from the use, misuse, failure or breakdown of this service.

We shall not be held liable for any loss however occasioned as a result of the suspension, removal or unavailability of a site or material stored within it.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ALWAYS BACKUP ALL YOUR DATA THAT IS HELD ON OUR SERVICES