it’s not too late we suggest that you invest in a CD/DVD Writer. There are some cheap options available, prices starting from about R370-00. A good quality rewritable DVD should not cost more than R10-00.

To back up an entire PC or server, you will need a backup device and software to manage the backups. Many backup device resellers bundle backup software with their products, or you could even use the generic backup software that ships with the standard Windows versions (ntbackup). data back up

Online backup solutions have received a lot of publicity. An online backup service provider will typically install a small piece of software on your PC and then schedule a time that your data will be backed up. The data is then backed up via the Internet to the service providers’ secure servers.

The obvious disadvantage of this system is that you cannot backup huge amounts of data. Restoring your files will be slow as well as it needs to be copied from the Internet. This solution tends to be quite expensive as bandwidth in South Africa costs a premium. BSF offer online backups for workstations and servers. We have an online backup for R400 per month. Your data is encrypted at 418 bits and then replicated to a secure site in South Africa and Germany. data back up

We’ve also noticed that if you purchase a cheaper backup device, the backup cartridges are more expensive and vice versa. A typical example is Onstream’s 40GB IDE digital tape devices which retails for around R2000-00, but a single cartridge costs about R600-00. Compare this to Quantum’s 60GB SCSI drive at R 9 000, but the cartridges cost R 400. I know this is pricey, but think of the consequences of losing.

At WOW we prefer to stick to our old favourites, Backup Exec. (about R 5000.00) They’re easy to set up and manage, include backup agents (to be able to back up remote pc’s, database files and Exchange servers and mailboxes). We use these products to back up our clients’ Windows and Novell Servers.