Protecting Hardware and Data
One of the simple truths in life is that everything is breakable. Computer hardware and the data that it contains is no different. Whilst the computer hardware is replaceable, the data is not. if data is essential to ones business/livelihood (which is true for any engineer/software developer), protecting this data from corruption/loss is paramount.
There are two levels of protection to consider: protecting the hardware that stores the data, and protecting the data itself via backups. Hardware protection is more than just preventing the hardware from being destroyed, a power failure at the wrong time (when data is being written) can also destroy data. Backups help preserve data via redundancy; if one copy is corrupted or lost, there is still another copy available.
Hardware and Data Protection Measures
An effective protection system contains the following:
- An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), or a surge protector for laptops which already have a battery, and
- Use an off-site backup service.
A UPS keeps computer hardware running in the event of a power cut. This prevents the possibility of files being corrupted because the power failed in the middle of writing files to disk. UPS' typically also contain surge protectors that prevent hardware damage due to lightning strikes or other power problems.
Making ones own backups is always a good idea. However, should the building be destroyed by a fire or some other disaster, an off-site backup will ensure that the data is preserved. Companies that do not have off-site backup are usually one disaster away from closing down.
Choosing Protection Hardware and Services
The following sub-pages provide some suggestions for suitable data protection hardware/services:
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