Pros and cons of disc image backup
What is the first line one reads in just about any backup article out there? Backup is mandatory, no matter what. There are a million situations when people have forgotten about the backup option (note: they never considered it) and they lost data that was very important for their business or for their lives.
If you want to avoid this particular issue then all you have to do is research more on the importance of backup. Within this article we shall discuss about disc image backup – making regular backups is very important without a doubt not to mention the fact that the use of specialized software is mandatory.
The person cannot perform disc image backup since it would take too much time not to mention the fact that it would not be as effective as when performed by the application itself.
The only issue at stake might be the price since some of the popular software in this category might reach hundreds of dollars, which one may not be willing to spend on a backup app.
People usually go for the most popular and most expensive software out there because they have no idea what they are looking for in their software – they simply assume that those expensive apps will provide them with everything they need and something extra (the truth is, all expensive apps provide too many features thus covering almost any individual’s needs).
However, by narrowing down your needs, and what you expect from backup software it will be easier to find a cheaper yet effective application.
Backup Scheduling
When one has to schedule, his own backup it can become risky – people have the tendency to forget about some things and this might be fatal at one point or another. The automation of copying and other related procedures (such as compression or encryption) is mandatory to any backup utility out there.
The basic thing is – the user only has to set up the task once and not go about it every number of days to perform it again and again and again. While it is true that you can make your own backup scheduler script it is also true that not everybody out there is able to make that particular script. Also, note that it is important to keep backup logs, in order to know exactly what was backed up when.
Data Selectors
When you make regular backups of the same data, it becomes useless to back it all up every time. Allow me to explain – it would be as if every time you would put a new picture if your family pictures folder you would have to save them all again, rather than just backing up the new picture in a separate archive. Can you imagine what it would happen if you were to backup more than one picture?
For every new picture, you would have a new backup. Obviously, this is an exaggerated case, but the point still stands – everyone needs an app that can select modified data and back it up, rather than back it all up at any instance.
Backup Storage
Have you ever noticed that CDs and DVDs tend to degrade rather fast to be a reliable backup media? The issue with disc image backup is that you have to be very careful where you back it up if you want it available for a long while.
The first backup thought any individual out there has on his mind is the popular DVD, however, we all know how reliable they become after the smallest scratch. External hard drives or even a FTP server might prove to be useful.