You need to back up your data. But what are your options, and how much does it cost? Current technology solutions offer a wide range of protection.

Taking stock: evaluating your data

Before you can select a backup solution that meets the needs of your business, you need to evaluate your data. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What files need to be backed up? To find out, take an inventory of the folders and files on your computer that need backups. Don't forget your contact management software, e-mail and other databases.

2. How big are these files? Databases, spreadsheets and document files don't take up much space on your computer. On the other hand, graphics, videos, sounds and multimedia files are typically quite large. To find out, Windows users can right-click on a folder and choose Properties to find out the file size.

3. How often do your files change? When doing an inventory of files and file sizes, break your list into two parts: files that change often and those that rarely change. You may find that a large number of your files – things such as brochures, company graphics and basic documents – rarely change, while a handful of files – for example your e-mail and contact database – change on a daily or weekly basis.

Once you understand how much data you need to backup, you are ready to select a suitable solution.

Selecting a back-up solution: point to considerations

• Reliability. When backing up data, consider the reliability of the backup medium, as some options are more stable than others.
• Back-up speed. As the amount of data being backed up grows, this factor becomes more important. There's not much point in using a solution that needs to run all night and through part of the day to backup your data. When comparing solutions, keep in mind that the backup speeds promoted by the manufacturer are ideals; in real life, it will take longer – possibly much longer.
• Cost considerations. Once the above two factors are considered, cost comes next. Beyond the cost of the actual backup appliance (tape drive, CD-write drive, etc.), you should consider the cost of the storage media (tapes, CD, etc.) and the scalability of the solution.
• Complexity. If you aren't a technical guru, you'll want to consider how easy it will be to implement a given backup solution. After all, the last thing you want is to find that you've invested in a solution that is so complex you are unable to effectively backup data on a regular basis.
• Taking it off-site. A successful backup solution makes it easy to maintain an off-site copy of your data. This is a critical component of the overall backup process, as backup media will not be protected from fire or theft. Even when stored in a fireproof safe, most media is so sensitive to heat that a fire can destroy it.

Back-up solutions: different technologies

Once you have evaluated your data and identified the features that you want, it's time to select the best solution for your business from the most obvious backup options.

Web-based backups

It's a simple concept. If you don't have much data to backup, you can schedule daily off-site backups where your data is sent to a remote server, either through the Internet or perhaps a private network. Because it takes a long time to move data through regular dial-up connections, packages often include software that can determine what data has actually changed on your computer, so only changed data is backed up daily.

Pros: Easy off-site backup, regularly scheduled backups, great if backing up small amounts of data.

Cons: Can be very slow as daily backup requirements increase; the reliability of the off-site provider is also critical to the value of this solution.

Cost: Varies. For example, starts at US$3 per month for up to 50 MB, while starts at US$7.95 per month.

High density disks: drives from Iomega and others

As an alternative to the floppy disk, Iomega and others pioneered the development of disks that could hold considerably more than a 1.44 MB floppy. As a results, a number of disk-based solutions typically backup between 100 MB and 5 GB. Two popular options in this category are the Iomega Zip drive, which uses 100 MB or 250 MB disks, depending on the unit purchased, and the Iomega Jaz drive, which comes in 1 GB and 2 GB variations.

Pros: Useful for purposes other than backups, such as sharing data with clients and suppliers.

Cons: May not be as reliable or durable for long-term backups as tape or external hard-drive solutions. Cost of backup disks can be expensive when factored into the total cost. As well, compatibility with other users' systems may be a problem when used to share files. If you plan to purchase a Jaz drive, you'll need a SCSI, USB or Firewire connection.

Cost: Drives vary in price, from approximately $70 for an internal 100 MB Zip drive to $500 for a 2 GB Jaz drive. Media costs also vary, with 100 MB Zip disks starting at $15 while the 2 Gb Jaz disks cost about $150 each.

CD-write Backups

Once slow and unreliable, CD-write technology (also known as CD-R) has greatly improved. When burning a CD-ROM, the user selects the files that will be backed up through a simple user interface, inserts a blank or rewritable CD into the drive and clicks on the button to burn a CD.

Pros: With CD drives on almost every computer, this option is highly versatile; and the cost of blank CDs can be as little as $0.50 per disk or lower when purchasing 100 or more.

Cons: As drive speeds increase, it can be difficult to read older CDs on newer drives. In some cases, you may find that you can only access old CDs through the original drive. Also, at 650 MB per disk, companies that regularly need to backup large amounts of data can hit a size limitation.

Cost: While drive prices vary, $125-$200 is typical; the cost of individual CDs can range from $0.50-$2.00 per disk.

Tape Backups

A tape backup drive coupled with tape cartridges was once the standard in data backup solutions, and this method remains one of the most popular choices today. As with other media, backups can be scheduled regularly; typically, a business will use two or three tapes, taking the latest backup out each morning and replacing the tape with a cartridge that contains an older backup.

Pros: Very solid, reliable technology, enabling easy off-site backups of large amounts (10 GB+) of data. Good storage medium for a permanent record of the data.

Cons: Backup speed can be slow; it's not uncommon for a business to outgrow its current solution, which means that a new solution and tapes must be purchased. Some drives are quite fast, but their price is also quite high compared to other solutions such as a firewire hard drive. Older tapes cannot always be read in new drives, which can create a serious problem if the original drive has been destroyed or stolen.

Cost: Prices range widely depending on the speed and the amount of data that can be backed up.

USB & Firewire Hard Drives

You plug it into your computer, transfer the files you want to backup, unplug it, and away you go. The advent of external hard drives that connect to your computer through USB ports or "firewires" is an interesting backup option for small business owners. When considering a USB solution, be sure to look at the version: USB 1.1 has an elegant interface and it is a plug-and-play solution, but its speed is slow at just 12 megabits per second, explains a representative from Maxtor.com; meanwhile, USB 2.0 is much faster, and at 480 megabits per second it outperforms firewire backup solutions. With firewire, IEEE 1394 is the standard for PC computers, and backup rates are 400 megabits per second.

Pros: Wide range of storage sizes, from 1 GB to 80 GB, and quite fast backup of large amounts of data. New 1 GB USB drive keychains are an interesting way to take home a large collection of files at the end of each workday.

Cons: As relatively new technology, compatibility problems can crop up between firewire devices and specific firewire cards. Many computers will need to have a firewire or USB 2.0 card added before these drives can be used. Also, you may not be as comfortable carrying around an extra hard drive instead of a case of disks or tapes.

Cost: Prices vary according to the size of the drive, but expect US$100-300 for drives ranging between 10 GB to 80 GB. The cost of a firewire or USB card, if needed, should be in the range of US$50.

Mirror Hard drives

"The concept of mirroring is more of a productivity issue," says a representative from Maxtor.com. However, it is worth mentioning in relation to backups. Imagine that you've had a massive hard drive failure. What now? If you've used an external backup solution, you need to replace the hard drive, reinstall the operating system and the core software programs, and then move your data files back onto the new hard drive.

Pros: Mirroring provides a simpler solution. With mirroring, there are actually two or possibly three drives. When data is written to the hard disk, it is written to all three drives. This way, if one drive fails, you simply replace it with a working drive; your core files are all still there on the other drive(s). Over the next few days, the software that controls the mirror drives will copy files onto the new drive so a complete duplication of files once again exists on all drives. Thus, even though you've had a hard drive failure, you've had little to no downtime.

Cons: A mirror drive system will not protect your data in the case of fire or theft. For this reason, it is not presented as a viable back-up solution. However, it is a useful tool if you need to be up and running quickly should you experience a harddrive failure.

A word of caution: The software must be properly configured to ensure that both drives contain the appropriate data in case of a failure, and if there is a failure you'll need to be sure that the drive with the data writes to the one without, and not the other way around.

Magneto Optical Drives

Because this option is not suitable for most small businesses we have not covered it in depth, but mention it here as it is an option. "To some, magneto optical is very attractive because it still has the portability of optical technology, but it has a history of being somewhat unreliable," says the Maxtor.com representative. The cost of this technology varies depending on the model and manufacturer. Drives that we found from Pioneer started at US$2000 for an internal drive and cost US$4200 for a higher end external drive. The storage media costs US$160 for a 4.7 Gb disk.