Are you checking backups before you need to use them?

A recent blog post by Ontrack a data recovery company reports that 66% of people who had a backup solution in place still reported data loss.  That is a very high number but not surprising.  Some of the reasons included the following.

  • External drive only connected on an occasional basis; backup not automated and instead performed on demand
  • Computer not on during scheduled backup and not configured to perform at a different time
  • Backup software failed
  • Backup ran out of destination space
  • Backup profile did not cover all of the device requiring backup
  • File lost before scheduled backup

All of these can be preventable.  Here are their tips to ensure backup success.
  • Take the time to invest in a backup solution and set up a schedule
  • Ensure backups are running regularly in accordance with the determined schedule
  • Check backup reports for error indications or failure
  • Test backups on a regular basis to ensure data has been accurately captured and files are intact

I’ll also add a some more.

  • Determine how important the data is, a daily backup may have to be changed to hourly depending on your needs.
  • If backups are taking much longer or much shorter then before, investigate the reason, if you did not recently install / or delete new software of data something else may be going on.

These simple steps will help ensure your backups will continue to be reliable for you when you need them,