Data Backup Plan: External Hard Drive and Optical Discs

In two previous posts I talked about using only an external hard drive or only optical discs for backing up your data. I also talked about the benefits and drawbacks of using only those two types of storage media.

In this post I will talk about a backup plan that includes both of those types of media to see if using them together will create a good backup data plan.

Data Backup Plan: Online Backup Solution

I have previously talked about backup plans that include some of the most popular methods of storing data: an external hard drive, optical discs, and USB flash drives. Now I will look at a plan that doesn't use a physical media: online storage.

This method of backing up your data has been gaining popularity over the past few years as the Internet connection speeds have increased. Now it is possible to keep your data safe and secure, while at the same time have access to it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Data Backup Plan: USB Flash Drives

The most popular data backup options are probably to use an external hard drive or optical discs, such as DVD discs. These two are popular because they have been around for a few years and are easy to find and buy.

Another good a solution is to use USB flash drives. These are also available anywhere, and now come in large enough capacities that make using them for data backup very easy.

Data Backup Plan: Optical Discs

I remember a time when computers weren't even sold with CD-ROM drives, let alone recordable CD-ROM drives. Back then, everything was done with a floppy disk. Now, CD-ROM drives have given way to DVD-ROM drives. It is hard to buy a computer today that doesn't even include a recordable DVD-ROM drive.

While affordable Blu-ray recordable drives are a few years off, today the more practical optical choice is that of the DVD. In this plan I talk about using only optical discs for backing up your data.

Data Backup Plan: 1 External Hard Drive

There are many methods you can use to backup your data. In this post I will look at one of the most common methods: using an external hard drive. What makes this method so popular is that external hard drives provide you with a large amount of disk space for a reasonable price. Also, hard drives are durable when it comes to the amount of times you can read and write data to it, and they are fairly fast.

The question is, does a single external hard drive make a good backup plan?

Choosing a Data Backup Plan

I have talked about various types of methods you can use to backup your data. Several methods include local data backup, offsite data backup and using an online data backup service provider.

Regularly Check Your Data Backups

Let's start this post by having a look at a simple scenario. This scenario can become a reality for many who backup their data. In this scenario we will look at someone name Fred. Fred makes regular backups of his data, almost daily. He ensures that his most important files are stored safely away.

Fred never has any problems with his backups, as he keeps one copy of his files on his external hard drive, and another one on a DVD. He doesn't have many files, so a DVD is large enough to hold all his data.

5 Points to Make Data Backups Easier

When it comes to data backup, it can be complex if you aren't used to doing it regularly. Many people may not want to run a backup because it can seem like a chore that takes a long time to complete.

If you feel backing up your data is a bothersome chore, then maybe following these points will help to make your life easier.

What is the Cost for Data Backup?

While there are many options that you can choose to backup your data, which method you choose depends on a number of factors. In this post I'll concentrate on the financial aspect of data backup. This is always a concern, especially since you will need to finance your chosen backup method. Let's look at the media that you can use to backup your data.

The first option is to use CDS or DVDs. It is probably more practical to use DVDs since they are a few cents per disc and can hold much more data. You can buy DVDs in batches of up to 100 or more, so you should always have enough. The reason you will need so many is because you can't reuse them, at least you shouldn't use the re-writable types. I would, however, look for the quality makes of DVDs to ensure you will be able to read your backups for years into the future.

Data Backup Protection and Easy Restoration Solution

When backing up your data it is important to think about where you will backup the data. As you come up with a backup solution, you should think about protecting your data as well as making it easy for you to restore data as quickly as possible. A solution such as this may require you to backup your data on various media, which also means that you will have multiple copies of your data. Having multiple copies of your backed up data is also recommended.

Let's look at two methods of backing up data that you can implement to protect your data as well as ensure you can quickly restore your data.

What Should You Backup on Your Computer?

Backing up your data is very important. Think about how you would feel if you computer crashed and you couldn't access your files? Imagine losing such files as your digital photos? Items such as these can't be replaced, so why take the chance?

With software and the ease of use of backing up data today, you could possible back up your entire hard drive. The problem is it would be a waste of space and time to do so. Let's look at what you should backup, what you shouldn't backup.