High scale enterprises with a large number of employees have their own regular backup routines that are obligatory to maintain. Especially these firms face a high risk of losing valuable data; we are all familiar how prone computers are to crashes and that they have to be well protected against viruses.

While the importance of the backup process increases in larger scale companies, many small companies and freelancers who run a small business don’t allocate the backup process at the same level of importance in their company routine. This should be well thought out and can prevent unforeseen loss of data and by all means keep the business running smoothly.

Although a small business has less hardware and workflow compared to a large company, they still face the same risks. You will find numerous people who have lost a large amount of work, sometimes even whole projects, due to a virus that had attacked their computer or have experienced an unfortunate system crash. Such a disaster can affect one’s time, project files and costs which are the main important factors in any project. It’s worth the time and effort to plan a backup process, add it to your daily tasks and schedule a time to backup your work on a regular basis.

In this post, we will discuss the backup process and how to apply it to small firms as well as freelance businesses; the different types of backups you can do and exactly which devices to use for your backup process. Tools and softwares you can also use will be introduced. First, let us start by understanding the backup process and its different types.

Backup methods

The backup refers to the process where a copy of the data is taken and saved to be retrieved in case the original data is lost or damaged. The risk of data loss occurring is around 66% — a statistic found on Wikipedia. There are many backup methods as we will see below; these types are based on how each method interacts with the content, updates and information. Most backup tools and software provide the option to create one or more of the following types:

Full backup

This is the standard concept of a backup process and the starting stage for other backup methods. Full backups take a copy of all the files, including both the data and the overall structure. The full backup isn’t performed frequently; usually after major changes in the system, such as changing the operating system or a large number of files being modified. It is also done as the starting point for any other backup method. The advantage of this method is that it’s the simplest. The disadvantage is that the backup file is very large and it also takes the longest time to restore the data.

Differential backup

In most cases, the changes only affect small amounts of data or specific folders; the full backup wouldn’t be necessary in this case. The differential backup is the next method to backup files and it requires a full backup at the beginning. In this method, you take a backup of the files that are changed in comparison to the base full backup.

For example, if you make a full backup of your system on day one, the differential backup on day two only saves the files that have changed since day one. On day three, the differential backup saves the changes that have occurred since the first full backup on day one. The advantage of this method is that it takes less time to restore the saved backup. The disadvantage of this is that the frequent backing up using this method produces files that can be larger than the full backup file itself.

Incremental backup

This method is similar to the differential backup. The only difference is that this type saves the changes from the last backup whether it is full, differential or another incremental backup. The advantage of this process is that it takes less time to complete as it only saves the changes from the last backup. The disadvantage of this backup type is that it takes a long time to restore the data because each previous backup must be processed before completing the restore action. Although all the backup applications depend on the full backup as the initial backup process, these tools may implement two or more backup methods.

Each of the above methods varies in the final size of the backup. It is important to determine the backup output or the device you will choose for the backup as we will see later in choosing the backup devices.

Backup only what you need to backup

The backup is one of the most crucial regular steps in your schedule. It consumes time, effort, hardware and cost. The backup process must be well organized to avoid mistakes and excessive time consumption. While many people aim to categorize the backup files based on their type, it is important to keep in mind these two main factors while choosing the backup type:

1) Only backup the necessary files (such as project source files), important documentation (such as contracts), project documents and plans. Also backup the files that are hard to find again or already located on the web, such as free software, browsers, source files and so on. Minimizing the backup of these files will help in reducing the size of the output files; the backup and restore processes will also take less time.

2) Plan your backup structure carefully and how you actually want to backup your files. Actually, it is more related to your own arrangement of the files and how you arrange your projects source files. Implementing the same arrangement would prevent becoming lost in the middle of many projects and files and avoid any mistakes. Such mistakes usually happen because of the confusion between your own files arrangement and the backup arrangement.

How to choose backup devices

As mentioned, backups depend on saving data in another location to be able to retrieve it if the original data is lost or corrupted. The backup process uses the available storage technologies to store the files. Throughout the history of the computer and even before it, there were many forms to save data from punched cards to magnetic tapes, and finally hard disks and Blu-ray technology. Storage media is constantly improving by increasing in capacity and applying new technologies as well as further developing existing technology. While the devices change based on technology, choosing a suitable storage device for the backup depends on some important points when choosing the device:

The storage capacity

The storage devices vary in capacity and their ability to save large files; you should put this into consideration when choosing the best storage media if you plan to create frequent backups.

The price

The cost of the backup device is one of the most important issues that you should consider as you may need to use more than one device based on their storage capacity. If you are using online backup tools, you should consider the cost of the storage space and if you will eventually need extra space on the server to host your files.

The ability to extend or rewrite

Rewritable devices are more flexible and allow adding more content each time you create the backup instead of using a new device each time. Also, the extended devices can help you keep all the files in one place instead of spreading it across multiple devices.

Durability

Durability is essential in backup media as its sole purpose is to store files in case of an emergency. When determining suitability, the question is how easy will the data corrupt under normal circumstances?

Portability

If your business requires a lot of moving, then you need to think about the portability of the device as well as it’s durability throughout.

The transfer speed

When you transfer the backup data from the computer to the device, you need to have a fast transfer media to achieve this in the least time-consuming manner; therefore is the speed of transferring data another factor to put into consideration when buying the backup hardware. Transfer speed is one of the most important factors in online backup storage. Although it is mainly dependent upon your internet connection speed, the server transfer speed varies throughout the day.

Backup devices

Storage devices vary based on the above factors and are updated frequently with new technologies and storage capabilities. The following briefly summarize storage media based on their type.

Optical discs

This includes CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs; they vary on their storage size and their rewrite-ability as following:

Compact Discs (CDs):

CDs are the lowest sized optical storage devices; they come in CD-R, or CD-RW which allow rewriting content on the CD many times. They can save up to 700 MB; more information can be found here.

Advantages:
CDs are cheap, portable and compatible with both DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drives.

Disadvantages:
Low capacity, can easily be damaged or scratched and are known as one of many non-secured media.

Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs):

This is the next stage in developing optical discs and has greater storage space compared with CDs. DVDs can store up to 4.7 GB. DVDs are commonly used these days when compared with CDs because of their storage ability which was the main problem with CDs.

Advantages:
DVDs share the advantages of CDs but also have the ability to store larger content up to 4.7 GB.

Disadvantages:
The disadvantages of DVDs are the same as CDs and also they aren’t compatible with older disc drives.

Blu-ray discs

Blu-ray discs are the latest optical technology that supersede DVDs. They also allow storing massive amounts of data that can reach 25 GB for single layer discs and 50GB for double layer discs.

Advantages:
Blu-ray discs have similar plus points just like other optical discs, in addition to the ability to store large amounts of data. This is why it is mainly used for PlayStation video games and to store HD video.

Disadvantages:
Its price is still quite high, compared to other optical discs and its storage capacity. Also, blu-ray discs drives are not commonly used compared to other discs drives.

Hard Disks

Hard disks have been developed a lot and have massive storage capabilities. Hard disks let you store large data that can reach TBs. It is the most commonly used and largest storage media. Hard disks implement different interfaces to transfer data such as using ATA, SCSI, SATA, USB, FireWire and eSATA.

Advantages:
Hard disks have a large storage size that increases dramatically and its price is consistently falling. Also, it ensures fast data transfer along with the easy ability to rewrite and update content. Unlike optical discs, hard disks can be secured and allow adding passwords to the content.

Disadvantages:
Hard disks are easily damaged, especially when in transit. They should be treated with great care and not moved excessively.

USB Flash Drives

USB memory sticks are an easy, portable substitution for hard disks that can be easily carried and transported with far higher durability than normal disks. Their storage capacities vary and expand as technology itself develops.

Advantages:
USB Flash drives are the most suitable portable devices as they are easy to transport and durable against shocks compared with other storage devices. Also, it can be easily attached to a computer and function in a similar way to Hard Drives.

Disadvantages:
Due to its light weight and small size, USB Flash drives can be easily lost. Also, their prices are higher than hard disks per gigabyte.

Remote backup

With the increasing speed of the internet and the ability to transfer large amounts of data in a short space of time, remote backup is becoming one of the most efficient solutions to store backups, especially in large disasters that can happen in the workplace or company location. The remote backup saves the data using an encrypted format to remote storage servers where the data can be removed or downloaded when required. Remote backups, either through the internet or network can be a good solution to store data in a secure place and retrieve the data without the need to transport it or move it as is the case when using the other storage devices above.

Advantages:
It provides better secured data storage as the data is saved in a different location from the source data. Also, its storage avoids being transported which reduces the chance of the files corruption. Remote backup methods are more extendable than other methods as the data is stored in locations created especially for this reason and you can download the data or restore it from anyplace. On the other hand, the saved data is secured by a secret key that prevents viewing the data without it.

Disadvantages:
The biggest disadvantage of remote backup is the price; it is expensive to buy storage space compared with other methods. Also, it requires a fast internet connection to work properly and not to cause any delay. Generally, choosing the backup device depends on your needs and business requirements; you have to select the best method that fits with the stored data and how it should be handled.

Backup applications

Choosing the right backup application or tool is the next step to complete your backup system and arrange the backup process. In this stage, we will look at the backup applications we can use to perform the backup. These applications can be freeware, shareware or paid applications depending on its policy which can be updated.

As mentioned above, the backup can be done through offline backup storage, such as optical discs and hard disks, as well as online backups through the network or the internet. Therefore, backup applications can be categorized as either offline tools and online tools. While some of the offline tools may allow you to upload the backup files to remote servers, they are mainly designed to do the backup offline on the local machine and then give you the ability to upload it. Also, it does not provide online storage similar to the full online backup tools that we will see later.

Offline backup tools

These tools can be used to backup files and store them on storage devices that were discussed earlier. The following list includes some of the commonly used backup tools:

Cobian Backup 10 (Freeware – Win)

It is a multi-threaded application that you can use to backup files and folders from the local machine and store them in another destination or upload it to an FTP account. Cobian backup can save the stored files in both a compressed and non-compressed format.

DeltaCopy (Freeware – Win)

DeltaCopy is an open source backup tool that is based on the incremental backup method to save the files. It reduces the backup and restores time. DeltaCopy can run based on a scheduled time with one click to restore the saved files.

AceBackup (Freeware – Win)

With Acebackup, you can store the backed up files on different storage media as well as the ability to upload the backup files to a remote FTP account. Also, it supports different compression and encryption methods for the files. Similar to other backup tools, it can be scheduled to do the backup process in specified times.

SyncToy (Freeware – Win)

SyncToy is basically a synchronization application between files and folders and it can create backup copies of these files and folders. SyncToy’s new version includes better error handling than the previous one. In addition to the new features, it also includes the ability to filter files based on one or more attributes and manage folders through the command line interface.

Personal Backup (Freeware – Win)

Personal-backup saves the backup files to both local and remote storage locations with the ability to include or exclude folders and files based on manual selection or using filters. It maintains the original files architecture and compresses the files as Gzip or Zip.

Allway Sync (Freeware – Win)

Allway Sync is a free, personal backup tool that allows you to backup files and folders as well as synchronizes them with an easy to use interface. It can also backup files on local devices or through the network.

Hinxsoft (Freeware – Win)

Hinxsoft backup tool allows automatic backup of files and folders with multi-language support. This application is written in Java and comes with a simple interface. The backed up files can be saved on local devices or FTP using SSL and SFTP.

Comodo BackUp (Freeware – Win)

Comodo is a free backup and recovery application that includes some useful features in addition to the ordinary backup features such as quickly restoring data, multiple compression options, email notification with the backup status and securing features through password and data encryption.

SyncBackSE (Commercial with 30 days trial version- Win)

SyncBackupSE saves files with ‘fast backup’ and ‘smart synchronization’. It keeps the previous backup versions and creates a new version with every new backup.

Acronis Backup and Security (Commercial with free trial – Win)

Acronis is another commercial backup tool; it lets you schedule the backup process and create encrypted backup content. It also provides a secure backup for files and gives you the ability to adjust your system resources such as the CPU and bandwidth allocated to the Acronis backup process. Acronis allows you to recover files from different points in the backup version as well, so you can revert to the points where the data isn’t corrupted, and it provides protection to multiple computers at the same time.

ChronoSync (Commercial with demo version available– Mac)

ChronoSync is a Mac backup application that provides a tool to synchronize files, backup files and create bootable backups where you can boot to your backup files and run your Mac from the backup. Similar to the rest of the backup tools, ChronoSync provides a scheduled sync of your files.

Tri-Backup 5 (Commercial – Mac)

It is an easy to use backup utility for your Mac files and folders as it provides the ability to create a bootable copy of the hard disk, compression and encryption for the files, automatic upgrades and the ability to work in the background while your applications are running.

SuperDuper (Commercial with free limited version – Mac)

This utility includes common backup tasks along with simple and clear language. Also, it is working perfect with both Intel and Power PC Macs.

Carbon Copy Cloner (Freeware – Mac)

It is a free backup application that lets you backup, synchronize and clone your data using the incremental backup to create fast backups since it only saves the changes that happened based on the previous version of the backup data. Carbon Copy archives the items that have been deleted from the source and backs up the files to the hard drive or a disk image.

Online backup

Online backup tools depend on storing files as encrypted data on the server where you register a specific space and pay for it on a monthly or annually basis. The following online backup applications provide examples of online tools and how they work.

Acronis Online Backup (Commercial with free trial- Win)

Acronis provides an online backup tool that lets you backup data up to 250GB with full security and protection. Also you can use it to store your data and download it from anywhere without the need to transport your data everywhere you go. Acronis Online Backup subscription can be either on a monthly or a yearly plan. You can use the account to backup one or more PCs or laptops.

Carbonite (Commercial with free trial – Win)

Carbonite provides different subscription plans to join their backup service which include one, two or three year periods. Carbonite provides secure online storage for the backup by using up-to-date encryption.

Mozy (Commercial – Win and Mac)

Mozy is one of the most comprehensive online backup utilities that provides encryption for the backed up data as well as automatic detection of changes in the files and backing up. On the other hand, it supports the backup of open and locked files and an automatic, scheduled backup. Mozy is using the incremental backup method to store the files and lets you decide the bandwidth you would like to dedicate for the backup process. Mozy provides a free account that includes 2 GB of free backup space to trial without the need to add any payment information.

IDrive (Commercial – Win and Mac)

This utility is using the incremental method and saves only the changes that occur in the files; this saves a lot of space and increases the backup speed and can be helpful in the online backup process. IDrive provides other features such as the option to automate the backup of common files such as photos, documents and videos. IDrive can detect changes in files and back it up every 10 minutes as well as apply encryption to it. Also, it can backup open and locked files, external hard drives and restore data from anywhere using the fast search feature. You can try IDrive through the free account which provides 2 GB free storage to store files and backup data.

Dropbox (Commercial – Win and Mac)

Dropbox includes file sync, file sharing and online backup for your files. It enables automatic updates for the files, even if you are working offline, as once you connect your computer to the internet, Dropbox starts to synchronize the files and makes sure you have the latest updates on the server. Through the paid account, you can undo file changes to an unlimited number of versions. You can try Dropbox through their free account with 2 GB of space and undo for up to 30 days.

Conclusion

The backup process has a variety of different methods and options to choose from. You should now be able to choose the most suitable backup storage media and utility that meets your business needs, whether it is a backup process for your company or your freelance projects. After reading this post, you should be aware of the different methods and options available and be able to utilize the backup process workflow that fits with your business and the files you wish to backup.

In addition to the above information, you can find more information about the backup process and understand the different backup applications in Melissa Scroggins’ article Knuckle Down and Back Up. In this article, you will find more applications and useful links to backup-related topics and sites. Always be on the safe side — don’t forget to backup!

About the author
Rafiq Elmansy is a graphic designer and runs his own design studio Pixel Consultations. He is also an Adobe Community Professional, Certified Expert and Adobe user group manager. He is a Friend of Icograda (the International Council of Graphic Design Associations). Read his latest book Photoshop 3D for Animators. You can read his writings on Adobe site, Adobe Edge magazine, communitymx.com and his own blog www.graphicmania.net. He can also be followed on Twitter.

  

By Melissa Scroggins

Have you put off backing up your work? Too complicated, right? Like many, backing up your work becomes a chore that is put off and put off and finally, put out of mind. When you realize you need a backup, it’s probably too late. A glitch occurs in the middle of a project, and you don’t have last week’s video files. Maybe you’ve lost a whole month or more of photos, vector art, or numerous hand coded website templates, and are left with an error code blinking on the screen.

First things first, don’t wait until there is a problem. A good idea is to implement a simple backup strategy now. Don’t fuss over every detail, since doing so will prolong the process and reduce the likelihood that you’ll make use of the backup strategy.The following article is intended as an information resource for those of you who haven’t gotten into the habit of backing up your work, are not concerned with every technological detail, and want to develop a backup solution right now. The backup info on hardware, software, and online companies, is simplified to take the fuss out of the whole backup process and to get started on the process of backing up your work now instead of later.

Prepare

A simple answer to the following question is the best preparation. What do you need to back up? A backup is a copy of data. This copy is used in case the original data is lost, corrupted, or as a method to restore your system after a disaster. In order to fully prepare for a backup strategy, the primary focus should begin with what needs to be backed up.

Let’s look at some common backup needs which may include: daily files, large (media) files, a hard drive backup, and a bootable backup from which you can restore your system. A good idea is to think of all the data you work with on a daily basis. In one day, you may check your e-mail, write e-mail, save e-mail attachments, write a business invoice, modify a calendar entry, add bookmarks to your browser, screencaps of a website your working on, upload a few photos, and a ton of other little things.

Your needs may differ, but here are some ideas to get you started on what you may need to backup:

Daily Files

• E-mail;
• Word processing files;
• Random photos, PNG’s, GIF’s, and JPEG’s;
• Browser bookmarks;
• Spreadsheets;
• and E-mail attachments.

Media Files

• Videos;
• Digital photographs;
• Scans of photos and slides;
• Adobe document files (.PSD,.AI,etc.);
• Audio files;
• Slideshows;
• Music purchased online;
• and movies purchased online.

Security Sensitive Files

• Banking files;
• Financial software files;
• Tax software files;
• Calendar entries;
• and address book entries.

By addressing your backup needs, you’ll discover whether your data storage requirements are minimal or quite substantial. For some, the data change each day is less than 1GB, while others may find their files exceed 10GB on a regular basis. In either case, you’ll have a better grasp of how much storage space you’ll need.

Further Reading

• 9 Questions You Must Ask Yourself When Planning a Backup Strategy
• Six Things You’re Yet To Back Up and How To Back Them Up

Choice #1: Hardware

(Already have your hardware equipment? Skip ahead to the Software Section.)

Your first choice is to choose some kind of hardware equipment to backup your work. There are a ton of hardware options (iPods, magnetic tape, etc.), but the less complicated you make your backup, the more likely you’ll use the backup strategy.

Let’s begin by limiting the hardware options to CD’s, DVD’s, USB flash drives, and external hard drives. Since these are common data storage mediums, the hardware is easy to find and fits most budgets. We’ll start by examining some pros and cons of each data storage medium. This is a quick primer on common backup equipment.

Compact Discs

Compact Discs (or CD’s) are a common storage medium. Two common types of CD’s are the CD-R (CD Recordable) and the CD-RW (CD Re-Writable).

Basically, the CD-R (write once read many aka WORM) is burned once and can hold about 700MB of data storage, while the CD-RW can be burned multiple times. An advantage of the CD-R is the data can’t be modified from the original since the cd is burned only once.

Other advantages for using CD’s are: the longevity (depends on handling, labels, storage,etc.), universal media format (so in the future, family members can have access to the data since the format is not obscure), and the inexpensive price of discs. A common disadvantage is the possibility of scratching or damage to the surface of the disc. Let’s face it, CD’s are cheap, portable, and available for almost any budget.

Digital Video Discs

Digital Video Discs (or DVD’s) are another common storage medium. The advantage of DVD’s over CD’s is that they store around 4.7GB (common capacity) of data, which reduces the number of discs needed to backup and allows larger chunks of data to be saved. Two common choices are DVD-R and DVD-R+, which allow data to be burned once.

DVD’s also share the longevity, portability, and universal media format of CD’s. Another advantage for DVD’s is that they are a common format for movies. However, DVD’s also share the same disadvantage of being scratched or damaged as easily as CD’s.

USB Flash Drives

A USB Flash Drive is essentially, a small external storage device with a USB interface. They can be called pen drives, flash drives, jump drives, thumb drives, and a variety of other names. The drives can come in a standard brushed metal case or a novelty case (like a plastic replica of sushi) that can be worn on a keychain or a lanyard. The capacity of data storage can range from a 1GB to over 250GB’s.

The disadvantages of flash drives are the possibility of misplacing the drive due to their size, failure due to overwriting, and the expense per GB in comparison to other storage media formats. The advantages of flash drives are that they are convenient, portable, less fragile than some formats, removable, universal media format(since most computers have USB), and re-writable.

External Hard Drives

External hard drives are portable computer components, separate from the main computer, which store data. The external hard drive is likely connected to the main computer by a USB, Firewire, or other cable. The drive can sit on the desk or work surface, and can be easily stored offsite for security and safety.

Disadvantages of external drives are the likelihood of damage when moving the drive and power requirements. The advantages of the external drive range from the storage capacity of the drive (available in TB’s now), speedy transfer rates for data, long-term storage capability, security, and ability to move offsite.

Further Resources

• CD Info
• DVD Info
• 3 Auto-Backup Solutions for Your Flash Drives
• The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using USB Flash Drives and External Hard Drives to Store and Transport Data
• Top 10 External Hard Drives
• How to Buy an External Hard Drive
• Best External Hard Drive
• Storage Big and Small at MacWorld
• What to look for in an external hard drive

Once you know how much data you need to copy, you’ll have a better idea of how much storage space you’ll need for your backups. After reviewing the different storage format mediums, a good choice for daily files might include CD’s, DVD’s, and/or USB flash drives, which are quick and often inexpensive solutions. For large media files and bootable backups, an external drive might be your best bet for providing the safety and security for your data. However, the choice is yours to make as these are simply guidelines to help get you started.

Choice #2: Software

(Already have your backup software, skip ahead to review the Online Backup Services or Strategy Sections.)

Now that you have your hardware, you need backup software. Backup software often comes bundled with external drives, which is convenient but may not offer the features you need. However, you can also find freeware, shareware, donationware, and commercial backup software online. Of course there are online backup services too. Often times, a combination of some or all of these is the best compromise.

Freeware

Paragon Backup & Recovery Free Edition 10.1 (Win)
Free for Non-commercial Use. Features: Cyclic backup, exact copy of your PC, differential backups, scheduler, and automation.

Easeus Todo Backup 1.1 (Win)
Free for home use, noncommercial, small business and enterprises for their special needs. Features: Backup system partition to image, restore system partition by bootable CD, create a bootable CD, and restore hard drive.

SyncBack Freeware 3.2.20 (Win)
Free for personal, educational, charity, government, and commercial use. Features: Backup and synchronize your files to: the same drive or a different drive, an FTP server; a network; or a ZIP archive.

TrueSafe Personal Edition 3.51 (Win)
100% Free for non-commercial use.
Features: Flexible backup activation, scheduled backups, manual backups, incremental backups, and unobtrusive.

Cobian Backup 8 (Black Moon) (Win)
Free for Personal Use.
Features: Schedule backups, full backups, differential backups, and incremental backups, and copy “files and folders in original or compressed mode to other destination, creating a security copy as a result.”

FBackup (Win)
Free for Personal and Commercial Purposes. Features: Automatic backups, backup with standard zip compression, exact copies of files, multiple backup destinations, and backup open files.

SilverKeeper (Mac)
Freeware, but user needs to provide LaCie with name and e-mail address in order to download software.
Features: Automates backups to external storage devices like hard drives, network drives, and other removable storage devices, retain several versions, synchronize two separate folders, and comprehensive backups.

JaBack (Mac)
Free (Check license agreement).
Features: Automate backups in standard ZIP, transfer your backup set, and schedule backups.

Get Backup (Mac)
Freeware. Features: Back up to any mounted device/drive, data sync, full, versioned, or incremental backups, and scheduling of backups.

SuperDuper (Mac)
Free to back up and clone your drives.
Features: Clone backups, duplicate your boot drive to another drive, partition, speedy backups, and ease of use. Note: Does not make backups to CD’s, DVD’s, or tape.

Shareware/Donationware

Acritum One-Click Backup for WinRAR (Win)
Shareware (also a Freeware version).
Features: Backup to local drives, automatic smart cleanup of backup archives, automatization for scheduling backups, and password protected backups.

Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac)
Donationware.
Features: Bootable Backups, incremental Backups, scheduled tasks, and backup to network.

Déjà Vu (Mac)
Shareware.
Features: Bootable Backups, backup individual folders separately, “Safety Net” archive files, manual or scheduled backups, and perform backups over a network.

Some Commercial Software

• Acronis True Image (Win)
• Second Copy (Win)
• DT Utilities PC Backup (Win)
• Norton Ghost 15.0 (Win)
• Macrium Reflect 4.2 (Win)
• Retrospect (Win)
• CopyCatX 4.2 (Mac)
• BounceBack 8.2 (Mac)
• iMSafe (Mac)
• Martian Lifeboat (Mac)
• ChronoSync (Mac)
• Time Machine (Mac)
• Retrospect 8 (Mac)

Further Resources

• The 10 Best Windows Backup Software Programs
• 10 Best Backup and Recovery Software for Mac
• 13 Great Free Backup Programs for Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Back up your Mac: Time Machine and alternatives
• Five Best Windows Backup Tools
• Backup Software for Macintosh
• Managing Backup: Three Software Solutions Compared
• Save Your Data with One of These Top Backup Programs
• Top 10 Hard Drive Cloning & Backup Software
• Geek to Live: Complete, Free Mac Backup
• Overview of Mac OS X Backup Programs

Online Backup Services

(Feel free to skip ahead to the Strategy Section.)

Online backup service companies are like those orange self storage units, where you pay to store all the stuff that won’t fit in your garage or apartment. In this case, the self storage is supplied by a company in a remote place with a multitude of servers. The location of these facilities? Unknown for the most part, with the country of origin sometimes provided. So, why choose an online backup service?

Backup service companies provide offsite data storage, which offers another way to have an additional backup copy of your data in case of a disaster, stolen laptop, or hardware failure. Not only that, but an online service provider is sometimes less labor intensive, requires no additional hardware (in most cases), and is a great addition to your backup strategy.

When choosing a backup service provider, keep in mind the following questions and concerns:

History
Since you’re relying on a third party for your data storage, try to find out who the companies are backed by and the history of the parent company. Doing so allows you to see if there could be problems with the integrity or longevity of the company.

Compatibility
Check the system requirements. Once you sign up for a 1 year contract, you don’t want to find out that you won’t be able to transfer files due to compatibility issues.

Speed
Your internet connection speed correlates to the time a complete initial backup of large files will take. A few hours or a few days to transfer your data can be the difference between usability and a huge hassle.

Security
Check the type of encryption used. Also, your data will be more vulnerable in the hands of an online backup service provider, so check if access to data is restricted and who has access to the data other than you.

Fees
A good rule of thumb is to check for hidden fees. Is the storage unlimited or will you be charged per GB? There could be extra fees for the initial transfer of data, mobile devices, or multiple computers. Personal and/or business plans will have different price plans and usually different storage capacities.

Expansion
Make sure your service provider of choice offers the option to expand your data storage in the event you need to do so. About the last thing you need to do is start all over with another backup service provider.

Backup Service Providers

MozyHome (Win, Mac)
Server Location(s):
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington with offices in Pleasant Grove, Utah; London, England; Shanghai, China; Montreal, Canada; and Bangalore, India.
Free Version: Yes. 2GB of Free Backup Space (No fees).
Pricing Plans: As low as $4.95/month per computer for unlimited storage.
Features: Encryption, data centers, file support, automatic backups, incremental backups, bandwidth throttling, multiple restore options, and pause/resume ability.

Carbonite (Win, Mac)
Server Location: USA (possibly Boston, MA).
Free Version: No. Free Trial Version is available (No credit card required). Pricing Plans: $54.95/yr per computer. No limits on backup storage capacity. Features:
Unlimited backup capacity, completely automatic, encrypted, easy file recovery, and incremental backups.

DropBox (Win, Mac, Linux)
Server Location: USA.
Free Version: Yes. Basic offers up to 2GB space.
Pricing Plans: Start at $9.99/month for 50GB up to $19.99/month for 100GB.
Features: File sync, file sharing, automatic online backup, restore previous versions, 30 days of undo history, web access, security and privacy, and mobile device access.

Acronis True Image (Win, Linux)
Server Location: USA, Europe, Asia.
Free Version: No. However, a Free Trial Version is available.
Pricing Plans: $4.95/month or $49.95/yr with up to 250GB storage available.
Features:
Disk imaging, file backups, full, incremental, and differential backups, and encryption.

Jungle Disk (Win, Mac, Linux)
Server Location: USA (Atlanta, GA), Europe.
Free Version: No.
Pricing Plans: Personal starts at $2.00/month up to 5GB, then charged per GB. Business starts at $4.00/month for 10GB, then charged per GB. Cost includes unlimited number of computers.
Features: backup vaults, server-grade encryption, multi-way sync files, unlimited cloud drive storage, and automatic backups.

BackBlaze (Win, Mac)
Server Location: USA.
Free Version: No. However, a Free Trial Version is available.
Pricing Plans: $5.00/month per computer. Unlimited storage.
Features:
Backup external drives, automatically finds files, military-grade encryption, idle-time backup, scheduled backups, cloud storage scaling, web download restore, versioning, and activity reports.

SpiderOak (Win, Mac, Linux)
Server Location: USA (possibly Northbrook, CA).
Free Version: Yes. Free for life. Up to 2GB. Full feature-set on unlimited computers.
Pricing Plans: $10/month per 100GB or $100/yr per 100GB.
Features: Backup, sync, share, access & storage, 100% zero-knowledge privacy, storage and time-saving de-duplication, automatic backup and scheduling, and historical versions.

CrashPlan Central (Win, Mac, Linux)
Server Location: USA (possibly Minneapolis, MN).
Free Version: Yes. Free for personal use and automatically backs up your computers daily. Free 30-Day Trial of unlimited online backup.
Pricing Plans: Individual Unlimited Plans starting at $54/yr ($4.50/month) per computer or as low as $3.47/month for a longer contract. Family Unlimited Plans start at $100/yr ($8.33/month) or as low as $5.00/month for a longer contract.
Features: Automated backups, onsite & offsite, incremental & differential, same day recovery, remote retrieval, unlimited versioning, bandwidth throttling, encryption, and archive tampering detection.

SugarSync (Win, Mac)
Server Location: USA (possibly San Mateo, CA).
Free Version: Yes. Free 2GB Plan (only two computers). There are also free 30-Day Trials.
Pricing Plans: Individual plans starting at $9.99/month or $99.99/yr for up to 60GB to $39.99/month or $399.99/yr for up to 500GB. Business plans include a limited introductory price of $29.99/month or $299.99/yr for 100GB and up to 3 users.
Features: Secure automatic encryption, sync without limits, seamless collaboration, file versioning, and remote access.

Backup via MobileMe (Win, Mac)
Server Location: USA (possibly Cupertino, CA).
Free Version: No. However, a 60-Day Free Trial is available.
Pricing Plans: $99/yr for 20GB combined email and file storage and up to 200GB monthly data transfer. Family Pack available for $149/yr.
Features: Automatic or manual backups, one step iLife backups, flexible backup plans, multiple backup destinations, incremental backups, file restoration, backup management, and shares backup to iDisk.

iBackup (Win, Mac)
Company: Pro Softnet Corp, an ASP Internet Solutions Provider.
Server Location: USA (possibly Calabasas, CA).
Free Version:No. However, 15-Day Free Trials are available.
Pricing Plans:Economy Plans start at $9.95/month ($99.50/yr) for 10GB. Enhanced Plans start at $14.95/month ($149.50/yr) for 15GB. Workgroup Plans and Pro Plans available.
Features: Incremental backups, data compression, enhanced encryption, automatic backups, snapshots, drag-n-drop, schedule backups, bandwidth throttling, sync, and automatic power off after scheduled backup.

Memopal (Win, Mac, Linux)
Server Location: Europe (possibly based in Italy), USA, Asia.
Free Version: Yes. 3GB for personal use. E-mail required.
Pricing Plans:Personal Plan $49/yr for 200GB. Business Plans start at $48/yr for 10GB. Ability to increase storage for additional cost.
Features: Automatic backup, continuous real-time backups, access from anywhere, send large files over 1GB, versioning, encryption, cloud search, and privacy.

iDrive (Win, Mac)
Company: Pro Softnet Corp, an ASP Internet Solutions Provider.
Server Location: USA (possibly Calabasas, CA).
Free Version: Yes. Basic Plan includes 2GB full featured online backup.
Pricing Plans: Pro Personal is $4.95/month for 150GB. Pro Business is $9.95/month for 50GB.
Features: Incremental backups, data compression, enhanced encryption, mapped drive backup, automatic backups, drag-n-drop files, snapshots, schedule backups, and sync.

Comodo (Win)
Server Location: USA (possibly Jersey City, NJ), UK, Romania, Ukraine, India, and China.
Free Version: No.
Pricing Plans: Standard Plan Monthly $4.95/month for 10GB or Standard Plan Annual $50/yr (additional at $1/month for 2GB) for 10GB (additional at $10/yr for 2GB). Home User Plan $12/yr for 1GB (additional at $10/yr for 2GB).
Features: Secure and encrypted storage, automatic bandwidth management, schedule backups, incremental backups, and global access.

Remember, an online backup service should NOT be your only means of backing up data. This is a secondary means of data storage and not an alternate to the common methods already discussed.

Further Resources

• Online Backup Services
• Five Best Online Backup Tools
• Mozy vs. Carbonite: Mac Backup Smackdown
• Online Backup Services – What to Look For
• Will Your Data Disappear When Your Online Storage Site Shuts Down?

Choice #3: Strategy

After deciding on your hardware, software, and reviewing online backup services, it’s time to develop your own backup strategy. Now, there might seem like there are too many methods to choose from, and every one of them might seem complicated. Let’s return to the original “Keep it Simple Strategy.” Baby steps before the sprint.

Bare Minimum

Burn, label, put away. Repeat daily. If you only have 15 Minutes to spare and have a CD, DVD, and/or flash drive: begin by backing up all the files you used today on a CD, DVD, or flash drive. Make this a daily habit. For instance, you could create a burn folder on a Mac and then burn that folder at the end of the day. This creates a copy of some of your daily data. You’re off to a good start.

Well-Prepared

“Bare Minimum” + Create initial bootable backup on external drive, move to offsite, and repeat incremental backups on a regular basis.

If you have a couple of hours to kill and an external hard drive:

You’ve developed a good habit of backing up files on a daily basis. However, it’s now time to create a clone or bootable backup of your entire drive to an external drive. This will likely take quite a few hours for the initial backup. Once completed, you need to move the external drive to either a different room, or better yet, an offsite location (relative’s home, safety deposit box, fire safe).

The best part of creating the clone of your hard drive? Incremental backups take far less time than the initial hours spent on the first backup. Depending on your needs, the incremental backups can take place once a week, monthly, or biannually. Just remember that you’ll only have the data from your last backup. If your last backup was on the first of the month and it’s now the 15th and you need to restore your drive, you’ve lost all data that has changed between the first and the 15th (unless you’ve developed the “Bare Minimum” backup habit, which will lessen the loss).

Extra Cautious

“Well-Prepared” + Create initial bootable backup on spare external drive and schedule incremental backups daily.

If you have a couple of hours to kill and two external hard drives:

Follow the “Well-Prepared” method, but add a spare external drive. Use this external drive to create another bootable backup that you don’t move to an offsite location. This drive will serve as a daily incremental backup that you can schedule to occur as often as you like. Then, alternate your external drives.

Have you already implemented another backup method and still feel unsure you’ve covered all bases?

Research some online backup service providers and sign up as a secondary or tertiary means of data storage. This offers yet another layer of protection for your data. Some service providers offer automatic, scheduled, and incremental backups that can run in the background and automate your backup strategy for you.

Try a few methods and see what works best for you. Choosing one backup method, or a combination of any, will insure that your data is safe, secure, and available in case of a disaster.

Further Resources

• Best Backup Methods
• Argentum – Windows Backup Guide
• What’s Your Backup Strategy?
• A Case Study in Backup Strategy
• The Tao of Backup

In Conclusion

At last, you’re ready to begin backing up your data. Don’t think of backing up as a chore anymore. Doing so results in procrastination. In fact, don’t think about backing up at all. The thing is, you need to take action to make your backup strategy work. Just do it and then repeat on a regular basis. It’s that simple.

Further Reading

• How to Backup Files and Data with Backup Software and Online Resources
• Backup Your Mac
• 10 Data Backup, Storage, and Sharing Solutions
• Simple and Cost Effective Backup
• CNET Reviews of Backup Software

About the Author

Melissa Scroggins is a freelance graphic designer and co-founder of PeachPoPs. She loves designing icons, creating vector illustrations, and playing survival horror video games. Follow her design adventures on Twitter and feel free to send a tweet.

  

We all agree that having a secure wordpress weblog should be our first priorities when keeping a successful blog. In this post we’d like you to share your knowledge and help us create the WordPress Security guide to keep the bad guys out.

Below are 10 security tips that you can easily implement on your WordPress blog. Please share one or more life-savers you use permanently to help protect yourself from WordPress security issues.

1) Nobody should be allowed to search your entire server.

• WPdesigner advices us to NOT use this search code in the search.php
  

  ---

  <?php echo $_SERVER ['PHP_SELF']; ?>

  ---

  Nobody should be allowed to search your entire server, or? Use this one instead:

  <?php bloginfo ('home'); ?>

• Block WP- folders from being indexed by search engines, the best way to block them in your robots.txt file. Add the following line to your list:

  Disallow: /wp-* 

2) Directories should not be left open for public browsing

There is a potential problem letting people know what plugins you have, or what versions they are. If there is some known exploit that is linked to a plugin, it could be easy enough for someone to use it to their advantage. Make an empty wp-content/plugins/index.html file or just add this line in your .htaccess file in your root:

Options All -Indexes

3) Drop the version string in your Meta Tags

A large number of WordPress themes have the WordPress Meta Tag that show the version of WordPress that is running on your blog which is an easy way to get your blog prone to hackers if you didn’t upgrade to the security-enhanced file permissions on both which is pointed out by Matt Cutts. Another solution involves a plugin that sets up a secondary new version.

This tag is in the header.php file that displays your current version of wordpress.

1. <meta content="WordPress &lt;?php bloginfo(‘version’); ? /&gt;" name="generator" />

4) Protecting your WordPress wp-admin folder

Attackers can use bots for a brute force style of attack that simply guesses the admin password until they come up with the correct one and login. There are a couple of solutions out there, we will highlight each below.

• Limit access to wp-admin folder by IP address- This solution is to restrict which IP’s can access the wp-admin folder via .htaccess. This has one drawback is you may have to update your .htaccess folder if your internet provider assigns you a dynamic IP address, you move to another location or you have authors at other locations.
• AskApache Password Protect- The plugin is simple, it adds a 2nd layer of security to your blog by requiring a username and password to access anything in the /wp-admin/ folder. All you have to do is choose a username and password and you are done. It writes the .htaccess file, without messing it up. It also encrypts your password and creates the .htpasswd file, as well as setting the correct security-enhanced file permissions on both.
• Login Lockdown plugin- records the IP address and timestamp of every failed WordPress login attempt. If more than a certain number of attempts are detected within a short period of time from the same IP range, then the login function is disabled for all requests from that range. This helps to prevent brute force password discovery.

5) Stay up to date

You need to keep your on your plugin/widget, theme, and WordPress versions updated. Also, subscribing to the plugin/widget/theme Author’s RSS feeds makes keeping up with them much easier.

6) Take regular backups of your site and Database

You always have to take regular backups of your file directories as well as the database. WordPress Database Backup plugin creates backups of your core WordPress tables as well as other tables of your choice in the same database.

7) Update your wordpress to latest version

Probably the first thing you should do! Install the Instant Upgrade Plugin or the WordPress Automatic Upgrade Plugin. Make sure you back everything up before performing the upgrades.

8 ) Use SSH/Shell Access instead of FTP

It is one of the best tips i found here.If someone gets a hold of your FTP login information (which is usually not encrypted and easy to get), they can manipulate your files and add spam to your site without you even knowing about it! Using SSH, everything is encrypted including the transfer of files, etc.

9)Stop worrying about your wp-config.php file

Keep your database username and password Safe by adding the following to the .htaccess file at the top level of your WordPress install:

<FilesMatch ^wp-config.php$>deny from all</FilesMatch>

This will make it harder for your database username and password to fall into the wrong hands in the event of a server problem.

Protect Your Blog With a Solid Password

Creating a strong password that is also memorable is one of the easiest defenses against being hacked. There are a lot of online password strength checker that you could check.

Also you might check lorelle’s article on blogherald called Protect Your Blog With a Solid Password, offering tips and tricks to help create a strong password that is also memorable, and how to deal with all the myriad passwords we seem to accumulate online.