Thursday, September 20, 2012

Is your Data Safe? Backup Recommendations!


Backing up your data is probably one of the most important things you can do, yet most people put this off, only realizing how important it is after the fact. Backing up should protect your data from the following: Hard Drive Failure, Disasters (House Fire/Water Damage/Natural Disasters), Theft/Stolen PC or Laptop, or something even as simple as accidentally deleting an important file.  Many think that using an external hard drive to backup is sufficient, and although it is better than nothing; there are now solutions that are better, easier, and more reliable.

Some Facts:
  • Up to 13% of hard drives fail every year - Carnegie Mellon University, 2007
  • Approximately 2 million laptops are stolen every year, and only 2% are ever recovered. - FBI, 2008
  • 50% of computer users have lost or accidentally deleted files from their primary computer. -Chadwick Martin Bailey, 2010
The above isn't meant to scare you, but to make you aware of how important it is to make sure you have up to date backups of your important data.  The best method of doing this is to use what everyone refers to as 'the cloud'.  There are many companies out there that handle this type of backup, but R3 Consulting highly recommends the services from Carbonite.com


Here are some of the benefits of using the Carbonite Backup Solution.
  1. Set it. Forget it. And Relax
    Just install Carbonite and it starts backing up your files - automatically and in the background. Once installed, you'll 'never' have to remember to back up again. The backup runs continuously in the background, backing up new and changed files whenever your computer is connected to the internet.
  2. If you lose a file, get it back fast!
    If you accidentally delete a file or folder, it will remain in your backup for 30 days before deleting from carbonite.  During this time, you can recover it right from your desktop using the carbonite application. Carbonite also keeps 'versions' of certain documents like Word/Excel. Each time you 'save' a file, carbonite keeps the history. So if you accidentally overwrite a document, you can go restore any of the prior versions.
  3. One Price, Unlimited!
    As noted in the intro, carbonite home plans charge one annual fee, for unlimited storage. As hard drives get larger, you don't have to worry about overages.
  4. 3 Home Plans Available, all Unlimited!
    Carbonite Home - Basic plan, protects entire computer hard drive.  $59/yr
    Carbonite Home Plus - Basic plan, plus 1 External Hard Drive Backup, and Mirror Image. Mirror Image creates an EXACT Image of your computer and in the event you need to replace a failed HD, you can use this image to restore your computer back to that point. You do not have to reinstall programs again. $99/yr
    Carbonite Home Premier - Carbonite Home Plus, plus Courier Recovery Service. This provides you with the fastest recovery possible. If you have a very large backup, it may take a few days to redownload the backup. With this service, they will ship you your backup for the fastest recovery time. $149/yr.
  5. Remote File Access
    Although not a backup feature, since carbonite is storing your backup in the cloud, their web interface allows you to access your files/backup remotely. They have integrated this into the iOS and Android mobile apps as well, so it is kind of like a remote access functionality allowing you to access your files when away from your computer.
  6. Carbonite Mobile Backup - Free
    Literally just announced within the past few days, Carbonite now is able to backup your mobile phone. For iOS and Android users, you can download the app free. If you are a carbonite client it will link to your account, if you are not, then you create one for free.  It allows you to backup your mobile phone pictures/videos, and also adds services if the phone is lost or stolen (such as mobile phone tracking via GPS, remote phone lock and wiping.

As you can see, R3 Consulting is a STRONG advocate of using carbonite for your backup solution. We use it personally to back up our home computers, and have it installed on many client computers.  During the past year we have used carbonite to 'restore' files when hard drives have crashed, it is easy and quick.  Although R3 Consulting does offer hard drive recovery services if/when your hard drive fails, this should be a last resort option as it doesn't always recover all data, plus recovered data can have the tendency to be partially corrupted. Carbonite is a much easier and more reliable solution.

If interested, by clicking the link below, you will be able to install and use Carbonite FREE for 2 weeks (No Credit Card required). If you decide to purchase during or after your trial you will also recieve an additional 2 months added on to your plan by using the link below.


 
 
Best Regards,
Rob Richman - President
R3 Consulting, LLC

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for the article.
    Agreed, cyber security is essential for modern enterprises like traditional security is. What is interesting is that data loss may cost more than for instance all the office equipment. That is why companies are ready to pay for quality data room software in order to keep their data safe.

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