Business Viewpoint: Tim Jackson pushes data backups
BY TIM JACKSON Business Viewspoint
Thursday, January 10, 2013
1/10/13 at 4:35 AM
Starting the New Year with a clean slate is a good thing in some ways, but not when we're talking about a computer, smart phone or tablet.
So before we get too deep into 2013, let's take time to back up before moving forward.
Reasons to have backups in place are virus infections, file corruption and accidently deleting files, but mostly it's because hard drives fail. They can literally quit at any time without warning. It can happen to a week-old computer or one that's been running for six years.
So which backup system do you choose? Here's a start: for the iPhone and iPad, use the new iCloud backup feature. It backs up everything on your phone, including text messages.
For Mac users, we recommend using the built-in TimeMachine backups to a local USB drive. This is great for hardware failures and accidental deletions.
For PC users, you can use the free built-in Windows Backup utility. However, for more frequent backups, we recommend ShadowProtect Desktops edition. For office servers, Jackson Technical licenses ShadowProtect server edition.
For both PC and Mac users who want to back up to a cloud-based system in case of fire or theft, we recommend Mozy or Carbonite. These products should be used in addition to TimeMachine or ShadowProtect to have files in a secure Internet data center.
It's best to have a local backup for commonly used items and a remote backup for more disastrous situations.
On a final note, you should invest in a backup plan so you're prepared for winter. Cold weather can ruin hard drives. Try not to leave electronics in the cold, but if you do, let they slowly warm up to room temperature before turning them on.
Original Print Headline: Start 2013 by backing up your data
Tim Jackson is owner of Jackson Technical in Tulsa.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily the Tulsa World. To inquire about writing a Business Viewpoint column, email a short outline of the article to Business Editor John Stancavage at john.stancavage@tulsaworld.com. The column should focus on a business trend; the outlook for the city, state or an industry; or a topic of interest in an area of the writer's expertise. Articles should not promote a business or be overly political in nature.
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