A funny thing about being a new blogger is that I never know what is going to get people talking. My post on an easy-to-use Raid Array, which is designed to prevent loss of your important data, got lots of responses. A number of people pointed out that a RAID is no substitute for backing up your data. I agree. But the best backup is the one you never need to use because your primary data never gets lost or corrupted. That’s why I like RAIDs.
So here are a few thoughts on backing up from a businessperson’s perspective. (Note: I’m not an IT person!)
There are lots of ways to back up your data. I use a little program called SmartSync to keep my notebook computer (home and travel use) synched with my office computer. The software keeps track of which files have changed since the last synchronization, and pops them onto a little 2gb thumbdrive. When I plug the thumbdrive into the other computer, all the files get synched up, including my email. So the inbox and outbox look just as they did when I left the office, or vice-versa. This has the added benefit of keeping two complete copies of all my stuff in separate places, so fire or theft should never result in data loss.
Another approach is a removable hard-drive. I just came across the new Free Agent drives from Seagate. The drives are cool, and the site also uses some fun Flash functionality.
Thanks to everyone for your comments and observations. Entrepreneurs are cool.
