Computer BackUp has important objectives including:

• The recovery of files that get damaged, accidently revised, or even deleted

• The recovery of files when hardware fails

A few rules-of-thumb that we apply to any BackUp solution include:

• It must be simple! Complex backup schemes tend to be too much trouble to use, or worse they're too complex to actually work when its time to restore from a backup.

• It must generate several slices of your data! Backing up just the files as they were yesterday or last week is NOT enough.  Problems with files come unexpectedly and sometimes files from Tuesday, or a week before last will, be the better choice.

• It must run itself!  Backups that need to be attended by humans more than once-a-day, even to change disks or CD's, etc. are destined to fail at least occasionally.  The more automatic the better!

The type of solution you choose to implement depends in part of the size of your organization.  Here are some recommendation for individuals and organizations with small numbers of users:

One or Two PCs	Consider on-line backup as the easiest and very likely cheapest way (FREE for up to 2 GB of data, see below left) to get regular backups completed in a way that satisfies all our rules-of-thumb!
Three to five+ PCs	With three or more PCs we recommend using a 'dedicated' or at least 'well-configured (e.g. memory and disk) PC' as a network 'Hub PC' that can act as the central data storage place for all the PCs.  On that 'Hub PC' we typically recommend a USB connected drive with removable disks.  Then with enough disks (12 is a magic number) full regular backups can protect a lot of data (maybe 35GB or more)  while satisfying all our rules-of-thumb.
Three to 25+ PCs	For larger backup needs on a network server we have routinely installed DAT (Digital Audio Tape) systems that will typically backup up as much as 72 GB (recently even 160 GB & more!).  They can be set-up to operate in a relatively simple way that satisfies our rules-of-thumb, and like removable hard disks, these DAT tapes can be taken off-site. We expect that backup systems with multiple USB connected hard disks are fast becoming a viable alternative to DAT tape, but they still require a separate solution for getting data off-site that makes the resulting combination of solutions a bit more complex and expensive than we'd prefer.

For a more detailed run-down on these backup recommendations and and explanation of why 12 is a magic number for removable backup media see our guide titled "Computer BackUp for Small Bus.-The What, Why & How?".