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Computer Backup Technology That Makes Business Sense; The Really Technical Version and
Recommendations By Microsoft
In today’s business and technology environment, secure offsite data backup makes the best business sense and has become today’s technology of choice. Storing your critical business data using an automated process, off site in a secure environment ensures that the data is safe and available to you in case disaster strikes.
In the past, users have only performed data backups using media such as tape, floppy disks, CD Rom and mirrored hard drives. These older technologies require an investment in hardware, software and the user’s time to perform the backups as well as the time required to rotate backup copies to a secure offsite location. Most importantly these technologies require that someone remember to perform the backup processes everyday, without fail, or the data backup will not be current when needed. The majority of these types of backups are performed with no data compression or data encryption, which creates a copy of your most important information that can be read by anyone in the event your backup copies fall into the wrong hands.
Current technology allows you to fully automate the backup process, compress and encrypt your critical data, to the highest standards of encryption commercially available for worldwide distribution, prior to transmission of the data via the Internet to our secure location. The automated process ensures your backup data remains confidential and available only to the holder of the encryption codes. By performing data backup via the Internet you can perform data backups from any Internet connection, wherever you are, so laptop users can perform data backups when they are out of the office.
In the event your computer is stolen or destroyed, you will most likely purchase a new computer system that will come loaded with a current version of WindowsTM and other accessory software as part of your purchase. Attempting to load a full system backup from an old system onto your new computer will most likely fail because of the numerous conflicts you will create in the new WindowsTM operating system when attempting to write the old system data into the new system (see Microsoft support reprints below). Another example of the misconception of a program backup can be seen with a commonly used accounting program called Quick BooksTM, which resides in a program folder called Intuit. Under the Intuit file is the sub file which holds all of the data for each company that has been set up. If you backup the Intuit folder and then try to restore it to a new WindowsTM system, the program will most likely not work because you will be missing all operating files that Intuit has written to numerous WindowsTM folders spread out over the operating system during the original Intuit software installation.
Because the price of new computers, which should include new technology, has come down dramatically in the past few years, you will probably purchase a new system even if your current system fails, so the most important item you need to recover is your data.
What you really need to backup, everyday, and be able to automatically restore is your essential business data
Another misconception with the traditional backup methods is that even though you have the data backed up, how do you restore it in the event you need it? Many currently available data backup software’s will attempt to create a copy of your selected files and folders but not provide a method to recover the data to your hard drive short of copying files from a remote drive to your hard drive one file, folder or set of files at a time.
Current technology does provide a user executed restore function that does not require administration by others, that will automatically place the data you have backed up back onto your hard drive in the correct folder or to a folder location you specify.
What do you really need to do to protect yourself in today’s technology environment?
Place all program disks and registration information that comes with your computer in a safe, off site location
Place all special additional program disks, or custom programs and registration information you purchase in a safe, offsite location If you download a program from the Internet print and place a copy of the download address and registration information in a safe, off site location
Select a secure, offsite data backup service provider that provides the following minimum services and software in a single package:
a. Data Backup software supported by the service provider
b. Software that will perform scheduled data backups without user intervention on a schedule that can be set by the user
c. Software that will perform daily incremental data backups
d. Software that can perform scheduled full data backups
e. Software that will compress and encrypt your data prior to transmission
f. Software that will perform unassisted data restore functions
Can you really make a copy or backup your complete current system?
Yes! There is a method that you can use to backup your entire system. Most backup software or even hard drive ghosting software will not back up a file or process in use by WindowsTM or any other operating system. Because today’s operating systems open a number of files and processes, just to display your WindowsTM home screen that would allow you to execute your backup software, these files and processes would not be backed up because the operating system has them in use.
In order to create a true full system backup you need to use backup software that will boot your computer without booting WindowsTM or any other operating programs and create a mirror image of the hard drive to a remote hard drive connected to your USB port or some other media source.
The remote hard drive or other source can then be removed and stored in a safe, off site location. To insure there is not a gap in your essential data files this method should be performed, manually, everyday.
Another issue to consider when using this method is the installation of the full backup information to a new device. In order to insure that the backup information on the drive will function in the new machine, the new hard drive must be free of all data and programs and the new system architecture and hardware must be compatible with your old computer. This may require that you reformat the new drive and delete the new version of the operating system you have just purchased. If the new architecture and components are different, and they most likely will be since technology moves at a very rapid pace in both system architecture and components, the system backup you have created may not function on the new device.
The following information is from the Microsoft support web site regarding cloning and restoring a full system backup from an external source should be considered before you select your final backup solutions:
“Limited Support for Cloned Installation of Windows 95/98/98 Second Edition
SUMMARY
Microsoft provides several methods for properly installing Windows on a computer. A cloned installation, which is when an installed version of Windows is copied from one computer to another, is not a supported method of installing Windows.
MORE INFORMATION
During Windows Setup, information is collected about the specific hardware installed in your computer. This information may include Basic Input-Output (BIOS) information, hardware versions, system settings, media access control (MAC) addresses of installed network interface cards (NIC), and unique serial numbers assigned to specific devices.
According to the Plug and Play Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) specification section 6.1.2, a vendor can encode its hardware with a unique serial number. This number enables the BIOS and Windows to distinguish between multiple cards with the same vendor ID plugged into the same computer.
In a cloned installation, Windows may be able to detect new hardware and install the appropriate drivers, but due to the unknown nature of the computer on which Windows is cloned, Microsoft can only support this configuration on a reasonable effort basis.
Microsoft does support copying Windows from one hard disk to another hard disk in the same computer.
Do Not Disk Duplicate Installed Versions of Windows
SUMMARY
· Microsoft provides several methods for the proper deployment of the Windows operating system. The use of a supported method is very important to ensuring the security of the systems running Windows is not compromised.
· Computers running the Windows operating system use a Security ID (SID) to uniquely identify themselves. When you use disk-duplicating software, it is important to take steps to ensure the uniqueness of these Security IDs. This article briefly describes the SID and supported methods for cloning or duplicating a Windows installation.
MORE INFORMATION
During installation of Windows, a machine SID is computed to contain a statistically unique 96-bit number. The machine SID is the prefix of the user account and group account SID'S created on the computer. The machine SID is concatenated with the Relative ID (RID) of the account to create the account's unique identifier.
Cloning or duplicating an installation without taking the recommended steps could lead to duplicate SIDs, and in the case of removable media, lead to accounts having access to files even though they were specifically denied access by using NTFS permissions. Because the SID identifies the computer or domain as well as the user, it is critical that it be unique to maintain support for current and future programs.
Microsoft Policy Statement
Microsoft does not provide support for computers that have been installed by duplicating fully installed copies of Windows. Microsoft supports computers that were installed by using disk-duplicating software and the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep.exe). Microsoft supports the following operating systems that have been imaged by using the Sysprep utility:
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
Windows NT 4.0 stand-alone server (no Primary Domain Controllers or Backup Domain Controllers)
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows 2000 Server (can only be imaged before you run DCPROMO)
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
· Microsoft does not provide support for computers that were set up with SID duplicating tools other than the System Preparation tool.”
How do you restore your data using our current technology backup?
If you have purchased a new computer and it comes loaded with a new operating system, as most do, you only need to perform the following functions:
Make sure the software contained on the new device is updated using the online update functions, most new computers do not have the latest security updates installed
Install and update an effective antivirus program
Install your special or custom programs on the new device and insure they are updated to the latest version
Download from the Internet any special programs you were using that you do not have a disk for
Execute a data restore job in your backup software to place your special settings and data files back on your computer.
Unquestionably the current technology will save you 1 to 2 hours everyday when comparing a full system backup performed daily.
Test your backup solution
Regardless of the methods you select to back up your critical data make sure you test the solution you have chosen to insure it works. Many times users have discovered that when the occasion arises that they need to restore their backup data they are unable to restore the data for a number of reasons, such as:
· The backups are not current, recovery is very limited
· The backup tape was bad, no data found
· The backup tape drive was bad, did not really write to the tape
· The backup CD was bad, bad sectors on the CD
· The backup external drive is incompatible with the new machine
· The backups have been lost, this can be for numerous reasons including disgruntled employee actions
· Backup media was stored in the same room or same facility as the computer and both were lost to fire or theft
By using our secure offsite electronic data backup and restore solution that includes a user control panel to monitor and manage your data and a software package that performs daily incremental backups these issues are eliminated.
Additional protection suggested for all users
In order to help avoid the possibility of corrupted data and programs on your computer and in your backups we strongly suggest the use of an effective antivirus program on your computer. The antivirus program needs to be kept current with on-line updates and constantly run as an agent on your system anytime it is in use.
We also suggest at the time you purchase a new machine, which includes the operating system, the first item that you should install be the antivirus program. This will help to protect you as you continue the program and data recovery process.
Viruses and other harmful programs most commonly hide within program files and can effect both programs and data files. Some virus programs hide within your computers system restore file and may not be picked up by most virus protection programs as WindowsTM may not allow the antivirus program access to the system restore files.
In order to remove some of the most recent virus and worm infections that have been produced, the removal tools provided by others have required that the user turn off system restore and reboot in a safe mode so that the virus removal tool can be effective. When performing a full system backup you may transfer one of these types of virus or worm infections that reside inside the system restore file, and inadvertently restore it to your computer if you use the full backup in a restore function.
In the event you have been attacked by one of these infections, reloading your system from the original installation disks as described above, or buying a new system with current operating technology already installed, and restoring your data which has already been virus scanned will be more effective.
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