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B U Y E R ' S G U I D E

Data-Backup Software

July 23, 2001
By Steven J. Schuchart Jr.

Data-Storage Planning Bolsters Backup Effectiveness

Sometimes the purchase of backup software is unnecessarily complicated by the company's legacy data schemes. For example, does your company, by default, store data from applications such as Microsoft Office on the local workstation's hard disk? If that's the case, perhaps a change in operational procedure is in order.

Instead of purchasing software to ensure backup of locally held data, simply switch this data to the network. Holding the data on your network server's storage or in a NAS (network-attached storage) device ensures complete nightly backups without per-seat licenses to back up each workstation. This also simplifies restoration of data when workstation failure does occur. When the end user is given a new workstation, his or her data is still present on the network. You may find your end users reluctant to give up their local drives, but they will come around when they see the inherent value of having their data backed up every night. This kind of scheme also allows for less wasted drive space on desktop machines. If the average machine has a 10-GB hard disk drive, for example, and the average desktop uses only 1 GB on top of the operating system and software, you're wasting significant amounts of useable storage space.

The reloading of workstations is yet another issue. No longer would your PC support staff have to go through the pain of careful backups on each desktop before a reload. The cost savings in PC support time and user downtime are significant. Careful planning for data storage can minimize costs and reduce business downtime.

Another aspect to consider is the importance of any given data. Sometimes the hassle of backup exceeds the importance of the data. Make sure what you're backing up is essential and difficult to replace in a timely manner. Backing up the same document three or four times is a waste of resources. Tools such as StorageCentral from W. Quinn Associates can help search for and eliminate duplicated data on your network, saving backup and storage resources.