Tag Archives: shared storage

Backup keeping your data safe

Posted on by
4

People most often consider a backup of their data when it is too late. I am sure you have heard of many horror stories of people losing all their data. The best insurance policy you can have for your business is to have a copy of your files that will enable you to continue your operation in the situation of some disaster. This guide will look at what you should back up and how to do it.

In information technology, a backup or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event.
Source Wikipedia

WHY do you need to backup your data?

Disaster can strike at any time and can come in many forms.  You could lose your data from:

  • Theft
  • Fire
  • Equipment failure, for example, hard drive failure
  • Data corruption
  • Malware or ransomware (see the guide on internet security)
  • Data is accidentally deleted

In theory, if you have a copy, especially at an offsite location, you can then use this to get yourself back to before the disaster.

WHAT do I need to consider in backing up my files?

Backups are periodic, short term images of files for disaster recovery purposes. Archiving, meanwhile, refers to the long-term storage of data that is no longer in regular use but can be restored if need be.  

Three rules of backing up:

  1. Backup regularly
  2. Backup to a reliable medium
  3. Backup to an offsite location

Just as important as backing up your data is the ability to restore your data.  If you cannot restore, then the backup is useless. Understand how to restore and keep a copy of, or know the download location of the software that will restore.

Label your backups, so you know which is the latest.

What data should you backup?

Everything!  Any file that you have created or modified should be backed up.  For a small business, this will include everything from accounting files to emails.  If you are using cloud-based applications, ensure that the vendor has appropriate backup procedures and save a copy of your cloud data locally so if their systems fail, you can still restore it.

HOW do I back up my data?

To back up our files, we need to decide on a medium, select a schedule and develop a process to complete the backup.

Media Options include:

  • USB (thumb) drives – a low-cost physical device that must be moved offsite.
  • External Hard drives – a larger capacity physical device that must be moved offsite.
  • Shared or NAS storage (see our guide on shared storage) – onsite network attached storage for local copies across multiple devices. (Easy way to implement a backup policy)
  • Cloud Storage – subscription-based storage with its own backup and security. Requires internet.

The best practice for a small business would be to backup all the files you are using. Make a  copy to keep at your office and an additional copy at an offsite location.

Set a schedule of how often this should be done.  The rule of thumb is how many days of work you can afford to lose.  As a general rule, either daily or weekly.

Finally, what is the process to actually do the backup?

  • Manual task – A person has the task of manually doing the backups based on a prescribed agenda.
    • Very labour intensive
  • Application-based – automatic routine as set up in an individual OS or application.  For example, Windows 10 can be set up to automatically back up all data off your PC
    • Only good for individual PCs or applications
  • Specialised backup software –
    • Costs more but may automate the entire process
  • Combination – Hybrid of the above 3.

We strongly recommend that you discuss this with your IT Support organisation as they will have the right knowledge to suggest and set up the right solution for you.

HINTS

Sync is not backup. With sync services such as cloud-based Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, or others, if you accidentally delete a file on one device, it’s gone on all of your devices as soon as the next sync happens.

Getting this solution right will take a bit of homework, but in the event of failure will save you big time.

When moving your confidential files, always ensure they are secure.

Consider having some backup log to understand what you have from when.

A full backup will back up everything.  An incremental backup will only backup those files that have changed since the last full backup.  Incremental backups will be much faster.

SUMMARY – Secure data backup

Data backup of all your files means that you can restore and keep working in the event of a disaster.  Back up solutions can be low cost and high maintenance through to high cost and automated.  Backups should be done reliably, securely, regularly, and kept at a different location.

Storage and sharing of files

Posted on by
2

Emailing copies of files around an office environment just does not make sense especially if they are large ones. In this guide we will discuss what are your options for storage, backup and sharing files in small businesses and lead you through what you should consider in making your decision.

File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to computer files, multimedia (audio, images, and video), documents, or electronic books. Common methods of storage, transmission, and dispersion include manual sharing utilising removable media such as a USB stick or portable hard drive, file sharing server on a computer network, and cloud-based storage platforms on the internet.

WHY do I want a File Share Storage Solution?

You may wish to share files in your office, to your clients, or on the other side of the world. It is most likely to be a document being worked on by many or a large document that is too large for email. Parties with access may or may not have the authority to edit the file.

Even if you do not want to share files, having separate storage available is great for an individual to store files when they start to run out of room on their PC.

WHAT do you need to know about File Sharing and Storage Options?

There are 3 main types of storage that a small business is likely to consider:
  1. USB memory stick or portable hard drive – portable storage that plugs into a USB port on your PC.
  2. File Sharing server – Data storage box located on your network (Be sure to read our essential guide on Networks)
  3. Cloud-based storage – Data storage provided by a 3rd party and accessed through the internet (Be sure to read our essential guide on Cloud-based services)

File sharing is bad when the wrong person gets hold of a file that they should not have and as such you should ensure you have the appropriate security measures to stop unauthorised access.

Advantages and Disadvantages:
  • USB memory stick
    • Advantage: Cheap and does not require internet or networking, very cheap
    • Disadvantage: manual and requires to be physicaly moved between devices, fixed capacity
  • File Sharing Server
    • Advantage: No monthly fees, instant access over network and or internet, high-speed transfer especially on the same network, functionality can be combined with other applications on an in house server
    • Disadvantage: upfront cost and set up, data could be lost if not backed up properly, additional capacity requires additional or larger hard drive to be installed
  • Cloud-Based Storage
    • Advantage: no hardware required, predictable monthly fee, increase capacity by paying more, access from anywhere
    • Disadvantage: Speed limited to internet speed, you rely on storage vendors security and backup unless unlimited, uses your internet download allowance, ongoing fees

HOW to make a decision between Cloud Storage vs NAS File Server?

Considerations when buying a file server:

A file server also called a NAS (network-attached storage) is a computer designed specifically to share files and can be provided by an IT specialist or even bought off the shelf at Officeworks.  It will plug into your office network by ethernet cable or potentially by wifi.

  • Is it plug and play – just works once you connect it?
  • Will it support a backup solution preferably offsite? (Be sure to read our essential guide on Backup)
  • Do you want it to connect to a cloud service for extra capacity or backup?
  • Does it have a USB port for simple backup?
  • What size and speed of hard drives?  Normally expressed as TB or terabytes.
  • Does it have spare drive bays to add additional hard drives?
  • Will it work with Windows and Macs?
  • Does it support redundancy?  This could be a 2nd power supply or duplication of the same data on 2 disks. This means if one fails you are still up and running without needing to go to your backup.
  • Can video surveillance footage be plugged directly in?
Considerations if choosing a Cloud-based Storage solution:
  • Key players in this space include Google Drive, Microsoft One Drive, iCloud, and Dropbox all of which offer a small amount of storage for free and then charge a monthly fee based on capacity required. What will be your cost?
  • What do you want to store here and is that something you want as a policy in your business?
  • How much storage do you need? (Allow min 1TB per person – more if you deal with large files)
  • Is there a file size limit? For example, individual file no bigger than 10GB
  • Cloud vendors may offer you value add services like productivity tools. What are they and are they of any use?
  • What guarantees do they provide around the availability of service? For example, they may say that your data will be available 364 days meaning up to 1 day a year it might not.
  • What security do they have in place?
  • How do you authenticate an individual is allowed access? (passwords etc)
  • Is there a backup strategy? How many previous versions of a file are backed up and can still be accessed?
  • How fast can you upload or download files? Is that speed equal to the speed of your internet plan?
  • Can files be automatically synced between a PC in the office and the cloud storage?
  • How does it integrate with your operating system (e.g. Windows) and browser (e.g. Google)?
  • Does your main business application integrate automatically?  For example, the CAD design software AutoCAD will integrate with OneDrive allowing seamless sharing of this drafting tool.
  • Where is the storage located?  Is it Australia or overseas?
  • What customer service and support is available?

HINT

Be sure to read our essential guide on Backup to ensure that if you have a disaster you can recover from it!

Reviews of simple storage devices can be found by visiting Gadgetguy

A good comparison of cloud storage vendors can be found here:
Techradar

SUMMARY – Easy File Share Solutions

A modern small business will need some sort of file sharing facility and with modern technology, it is easy to do.  This will make you more collaborative with your staff, for customers and your suppliers. It will also save you time, money, and stress.