Common Backup Misconceptions

There are a number of misconceptions that people have when it comes to backups and there data. In this post I’m going to cover two of the major ones.

Mistake 1: Theft is the biggest threat

Most people seem to think that theft is the biggest threat to their data. If I dig deeper most will tell me that they never actually lost data to theft. The majority that do had a whole laptop stolen.

Fast Finger – Data Enemy Number 1

From experience the most common reason for loss of data is fast fingers. People pressing delete when they shouldn’t, saving a file under the wrong name or just not paying attention. It’s such a big issue that I made sure to point it out in the company brochure. The online backup software that Shercom provides keeps a history of changes to files. The ability to restore accidentally deleted files or incorrectly changed files are one of the main reasons our users restore files.

The next most common reason – from experience – is hardware failure. It’s an especially big problem in Ireland where servers are stuck in a cupboard and have a tendency to overheat. A few extra degrees can be a real nightmare and will take years off the lifetime of a harddisk. Many servers have very little maintenance performed on them – the amount of dust and dirt inside can be quite shocking at times.

A few years ago the next biggest issue was damage from viruses. Thankfully most people have gotten much better at installing up to date virus checkers and this problem has dropped off dramatically.

Mistake 2: Only My Documents needs to be saved

Although it may feel like everything is being saved in the My Documents folder structure – there is still a lot of data that gets stored elsewhere. Accounts and invoicing packages have a habit of storing data in their own structure. Many people get in the habit if saving files to the desktop and specialist programs (machinery control systems, cash register systems etc) all have their own way of saving things.

The default settings for our backup software will automatically pickup as much as possible – but we make a point of contacting customers that have installed the software themselves via the website to make sure they have everything. We recommend you review your setup quarterly – call us anytime for help.