We are all accumulating more and more data between files stored on our multiple hard disks and mobile devices, online storage solutions, web services ...
Unless you tend to close your eyes and clench your teeth hoping that everything is going well, it is likely that you have already thought about saving all that, at least for the most important.
But this is not one of the funniest tasks, and there are so many possibilities that it's easy to get lost or forget about it.
Here are some basics of reflection on the subject. Note that I am speaking here rather to individuals or self-employed, rather than to companies that have to take this subject even more seriously by making most of the time call for professionals to handle this aspect.
Introduction: What is good data backup?
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It may seem obvious at first, and yet there may be more criteria to take into account than you imagine:
- the data must be copied in several places. So in two points at least, but obviously the multiplication increases the security,
these storage points must be as far as possible distant from each other, so that there is almost no probability that they all disappear at the same time. An example: if you save the hard disk of your PC on an external hard drive that you keep at home, you will be saved if your PC breaks down, but in trouble if you unfortunately suffered a water damage / fire / burglary...
- all that is very nice, but I think we must not forget to take into account the sensitivity of the data: is it safe to save your documents "confidential" on the servers of a foreign company which you have very little information on the use of data? For once, multiplying the storage points has the consequence of increasing the risk of unwanted diffusion ... so you understand that it is a balance to find.
Of course, all this depends directly on the importance we attach to the various data saved, and their sensitivity: what is the risk if they were to disappear? Are they replaceable? Do they have an important value, as well commercial (software ...) as sentimental (photos ...)?
The different backup solutions
Mounting the hard disks of his machine in RAID
flickr photo / Jon
If this term does not tell you anything: the RAID (for Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is to use multiple hard drives on a single machine, which will work in parallel to improve performance and / or copy data in multiple copies. This will save you the bet in case of failure of one of the disks.
If it is an interesting solution that allows to keep the total control of his personal data, security side you quickly understand that the interest is limited to the only case where a hard drive was to make the soul alone, without collateral damage.
For all the rest (theft, damage to the complete machine or the building that houses it ...), it is not enough.
Physical media "mobile"
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A simple solution we've all used, and many still use today, is to copy your most important data to removable media such as CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, memory cards, or external hard drives.
It all depends on the amount of data to be backed up.
The benefits are many:
- they can be taken everywhere. If you are the first part of this article, you understand that the proper way to make a safe backup is not to store them in the same room, and even better not in the same building,
- they can be used on multiple devices, and so be swept from right to left to use his files everywhere,
- the storage of data on a physical medium which is kept in control and obviously a good solution for the protection of his personal data. As long as you do not leave them lying around, of course.
The inconvenients :
storage space is limited according to the medium. External hard drives now have large storage capacities, but are less portable. It is easy to find today 64 GB USB keys from 20-30 €, 128 GB from 50 €, for models of "serious" brand. Count a little more if performance issues are important to you,
- These media really have interest for a safe backup of its data only if they are stored in a different place, which can be quite restrictive,
- it is difficult to schedule automatic backups of its data (and I do not even mention the case where you store them outside). There are, however, tons of backup software, I admit I have never really looked into the subject.
I personally used this method for several years to back up the data on my work computer, making a nearly full 15-day copy of my desktop PC on an external hard drive that I stored at home. You can imagine that it's tedious, with the need for a deaf like me to put a reminder to think to take the disk, a reminder to think about doing the backup, a reminder to think about bringing the hard drive. But it works.
SIN
photo flickr / James Chao
Networked storage servers, commonly known as NAS, are small enclosures filled with hard drives and connected to their personal network, which are responsible for storing their data.
Often used by small businesses, many affordable models are available to individuals to build a real home network.
They usually use the RAID hard disk mounting system mentioned above (provided they are equipped with several disks of course), and some models can be accessed via the Internet, or even automatically send files to a remote server via FTP.
A really complete solution provided you put the price: from 80-100 € the empty box, which must be added at least 2 hard drives, counting at least 50-60 € per disc of 1 TB or 80 -100 € per 2 TB disk. Remembering that if the goal is to connect all the electronic devices of the house, the storage space can be quickly occupied.
Note that without investing in this type of equipment, we can always be content to connect a hard drive to our Internet box, the latter with now, thankfully many connections from the entire network.
The advantages of SINs:
- they automatically save our data in a transparent way,
- their storage capacity can be very important, depending on the number of slots for hard disks provided, and the disks that we will put inside,
they are usable by all the machines connected to his personal network, and thus allow the sharing of data between machines,
- as for other "physical" storage media, they ensure a minimum of personal data protection (especially if they do not have direct access to the Internet).
The inconvenients :
- If we take the initial conditions of a good backup, we can say that they do not provide maximum security since they are in principle stored in his house or apartment. They can nevertheless be stored in a dedicated room and a minimum "secure" against the main problems (closet locked, protected from any risk of water, protected against overvoltages ...), and versions with a Internet backup system offer additional guarantees.
- all this at a cost, but that can prove to be a good investment seen the advantages evoked.
The cloud "owner"
This is a term that all companies have used anyhow in recent years to appear in the coup, a kind of "tech washing" which has thankfully a little calmer.
Behind this nebulous concept (#pouet) is simply the fact of having an online storage space, usually with software and dedicated web interfaces making the sharing of data simple and user-friendly.
We all know Dropbox, One Drive, iCloud or Google Drive (a little different because it offers integrated office software) ... and there are many others.
Advantages :
- it is a real remote backup, which strongly limits the risk of data loss,
- the competition between these services being strong, and the giants of the web being of the part, these tools are generally simple and practical to use, with well thought out web interfaces, and software available for all platforms, PC as mobile,
- basic versions are usually free for limited storage (2 GB on Dropbox, 5 GB on iCloud and OneDrive, 15 GB on Google Drive)
- it is easy to automatically back up your data using the software and applications provided.
The inconvenients :
- to have more space you have to pay, and it can quickly come back quite expensive if you want to save a lot of data (to count 9.99 € per month for 1 TB on all the services mentioned previously (a nice agreement)).
- you have to trust the companies to which you entrust your data. With the stories of PRISM et cie, and what is gradually taking place in France, it's difficult to be fully confident.
Backups to an external personal server or even creating a personal cloud
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As we have seen, cloud storage brings many benefits, with the counterpart of losing control of its data.
Another solution will not scare anyone who is familiar with web hosting: rent a space from a web host, and drag its files from time to time with FTP Filezilla style software to have a solid backup .
Of course, this is not the most ergonomic way to manage files, and to go further we can consider using a personal "cloud" software.
If all this seems a little obscure: do you see how Dropbox works? Well imagine the same thing, but instead of sending your data on the servers of an American company, you will use a space on a server that you rent from a host.
This does not guarantee total confidentiality, but it is already a little better.
One of the best known right now is owncloud, I personally set it up recently on one of my servers, and I was surprised by the ease of installation while I was expecting something much more complex (in my case on a Simple Hosting hosting at Gandi).
Ok, you have to be at least comfortable with web hosting, but most hosts offer pages of explanations if necessary.
Once installed, we have a web interface, a software that allows you to create folders on your PC, and mobile applications, just like Dropbox, with the added satisfaction of a little more control over hosting its data.
Attention to the level of the cost however, because to benefit from a storage space therefore we can rarely be satisfied with shared accommodation first prices.
I might have a dedicated article soon.
Note that another alternative is offered by the hosts themselves, some of which offer turnkey cloud solutions. Count for example 0.01 € HT / month / Go at OVH ... we fall back on the tariffs of the tenors of the cloud.
Do you see more clearly? We now take stock of the devices and services to be backed up, just after a short page of advertising :-p
Which backup system depends on the devices and storage space?
For computers
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So let's take the different solutions:
- copying on removable physical media (USB sticks, external hard drives ...) is an easy and relatively inexpensive solution to implement, but will be really secure only if we take the trouble to store the support to another place than the computer. Regular backup can quickly become tedious, and we will all be quick to "forget" to make backup.
- the acquisition of a NAS can be a good idea for more than one reason, if only to create a real home network, and thus have its files from all its computer and multimedia equipment. The disadvantage of the same storage location can be overcome by solutions offering a scheduled backup to an online space.
- Backups in the cloud can address the issue of storage location at lower cost, with however limited space available in free versions. For a greater control of the confidentiality of its data it is worth to me to invest a little bit in the creation of its own cloud. Tools like owncloud seem ideal for this function.
No ideal solution ultimately, this is to be considered on a case by case basis, the "good" solution often consisting of a mix between all these possibilities.
For mobile devices
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We forget most of the physical media for our mobile devices, unless we imagine making backups on micro-SD cards for equipped devices ... but it would be much too tedious.
Owning a NAS accessible via Wi-Fi, or any other home server solution, will also make sense for the case of smartphones and tablets, both to save but also to access files shared by other machines.
The solution that I will describe as more "comfortable" is that of online storage, cloud services all offering applications generally easy and enjoyable to use.
If you trust them, services like Dropbox or Google Photos even offer to automatically save the photos you take, to be sure not to lose anything in case of trouble (and to make room on the device if necessary).
For data stored in the cloud
Yes, we must not forget that sending your data in the cloud is not a guarantee of security, because even if the companies of the web take precautions (multiple backup in different points ...), we are not never be safe from a major breakdown, or an error in the management of your account. It is better to have a backup copy somewhere as well.
You can very well set a periodic reminder to repatriate a copy on a hard drive, just to "rematerialize" your data.
A little tedious I agree, I personally tend to use an automation tool like IFTTT or Zapier to make copies between several services (send the content of his Dropbox to Google Drive for example)
For the most important web services
photo flickr / notoriousxl
Again, it seems important to leave nothing to chance, especially for the services we use the most: webmail, calendar, to-do list, or even social networks ...
In principle, they all offer a solution to download all of their data, but sometimes you have to look for it.
You can once again put a reminder to perform this action periodically, even if it's a little tedious.
For our websites
The blogger or other webmaster who has already lost a lot of his work because of a crash of his system, an attack or any other unfortunate event, will know perfectly what I'm talking about.
Fortunately, there are many ways to save your valuable site:
- periodically download their data and database to their hard drive. A safe but tedious way,
- hosts often offer automatic backup services to be able to go back in case of problem. It's up to you to check that it is activated and well configured,
- Content management tools like Wordpress or Drupal usually offer extensions or modules to automatically perform file and database backups. This backup can be done directly on the server that hosts the site (limited interest in case of problems, see my preamble), or on an external service. I think for example the Backup and Migrate module on Drupal, with the associated web service NodeSquirrel.
I'm not a Wordpress specialist, Alex's friend Alex from WP Marmite talks about it better than me.
I hope I have been sufficiently clear and exhaustive for this important subject, do not hesitate to complete in comment, or to explain to us your way of doing!
thank you for visiting our blogger and i hope you enjoy the blogger.
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