Backup Frequency

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

For those of you who have been following my backup trials and tribulations, we're almost at the solution!

First off, each day, after Close Of Business (COB) the employees make a backup of the accounting program to a CD-R using Nero.

There are several data files that need backing up, but the entire program is contained in one directory - so it's easier just to copy the entire 250 mB directory than to select out the individual files (so sayeth the software writers). This is an accounting program for a veterinary practice.

My efforts have been to automate the system backups and shutdown, while conserving or eliminating the CD-R usage.

In this vein, I've installed an extra 40 gB drive on the file server, and an extra 40 gB drive on the office system (the only one with internet access)

Currently I back up daily to the file server using SyncBackSE and rotate 7 versions of the backup. I also backup to the office system and rotate the 7 versions there. The office system FTP's the files to my home system - where I also store the 7 versions.

So, my question is...What is a good backup strategy for this business? My wife and her office manager say that 7 days worth of backups is good enough - but I'm thinking that it should go to 14 or maybe 30. And how's about historical copies - what should I keep on hand (currently they only keep a yearly copy of the CD-R in the safe)?

Thanks for any suggestions that y'all may have!

goretsky · Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:14 am Post subject:

Hello,

A few questions, in no particular order:

How many day's worth of records does a backup contain? Is it 250MB of data for the day (most of which is the accounting application) or is that cumulative since they started using the accounting package?

What would be the cost to the business if they lost use of the application for a day? What about for a week?

Are the backups stored on-site or off-site?

When was the last time restore procedures were tested?

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Rons · Joined: Dec 07, 2002 Posts: 5667

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

Thanks for the responses!

1) The backup is cumulative - it contains all data since they started using this package back in 1995.

2) The cost to the business is several hours of re-entering the data that's hand-written by the doctors on the patient's file. They are capable of manually doing everything - but they have no capability to generate the needed reports. It would require entering everything into the system in order to generate the reports that they've grown used to.

3) Backup Storage:
Daily CD-R's are stored on-site, next to the file server.
Yearly CD-R's are stored in the safe in the office, one room over from the server
7 day backups are stored on the file server, on the office system (both are on-site) and on my home system (sent by FTP daily).

4) The last time restore procedures were tested was a several months ago (it's what spawned my whole series of backup posts in this forum). We were able to restore the previous day's backup with no problem.

By the time we contacted the software folks about this, the data had already been reentered manually. It was then that the software folks told us that the program was entirely self-contained in it's directory.

The source of the problem turned out to be an error message in Nero - and an inexperienced clerk's attempt to fix it. They ended up burying the program directory in a deeply nested stack of directories all of the same name. All data was still there - it was just that the system didn't know the new path for the nested directories.

Silencer · Joined: Jul 03, 2003 Posts: 1271

goretsky · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:34 am Post subject:

Hello,

Does the owner have a safe deposit box at the bank? If so, how would he or she feel about going to the bank once a week [once every two weeks?] and dropping off a disc at the vault? Or having the accountant or bookkeeper or whomever is responsible for the accounting package do so? At a previous employer, I was the "junior backup operator" and responsible for dropping off the weekly disc at the bank. The only disadvantage to this was several years after the company closed I received a call from the bank asking if I would mind coming over and opening the safe deposit box so they could reclaim it (they did not want me to pay, they just wanted the space back).

Also, does this person have a summer or winter home where a backup disc could be periodically left "off-region?" Even if it is a half-year old, it could be useful if all the local backups were unavailable due to a local problem (inclement weather, evacuation due to forest fire or nearby chemical spill and so forth) and the information was needed for business continuity or insurance purposes.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Silencer · Joined: Jul 03, 2003 Posts: 1271

FormalDaHyde · Joined: Jan 02, 2005 Posts: 1511

Topic subject line should have been "What is the frequency Kenneth?" :harhar: You missed your chance usasma!

3 small questions/prompts:
*Do you encrypt the Acronis *.tib files? (how did I know you use Acronis True Image?)
*Do you compress these *.tib files?
*Should you?

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

Thanks folks! There's a lot here to think about!

1) I'm the trusted employee here - it's my wife's business. While we don't have a safety deposit box I suppose we could get one. The backup fits onto one CD-R, and it'd be my job to hoof it on down to the bank (since I'm retired and have nothing to do all day long Smile

. I currently keep a copy at home, which is separated from the workplace by 12 miles (and there's a river in between) - could this be construed as a different region?

2) As for the summer/winter home. I'm hoping to evict my ex from the vacation home that I own for non-payment of the mortgage (divorce settlement). If so, I'll have that as an option.

3) No need to take it home - I FTP a copy to my house every day using the Fast Backup feature of SyncBackSE. I'll be running the CD-R copies from here once we finish setting up and testing the backup system at the office.

4) Because of the size of the Acronis images I only create them on the second drive of the file server and the second drive of the office system. I've got a copy of Acronis True Image Enterprise Server (from beta testing it) that I use for the images there.

No compression or encryption is done on these files. The only personal info that the database contains is Name, Address, and Phone Number. The only system that has internet access is the office system that I use to FTP the SyncBackSE info to my house.

Finally, as the DITS (Director of Information Technology Services) for this company - I am woefully underpaid! BUT!!! Since my wife is the boss, the fringe benefits are fantastice!!! Smile

goretsky · Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 1:53 am Post subject:

Hello,

I tend to think of off-region as being in a different time zone, but as far as I know there's no widely-accepted definition of the term.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

Thanks Aryeh!

I'll have to look into some options for off-region storage. With the vacation home coming into our possession soon, I'll look into a setup there for our system.

User: inactive Posts:

DITS (Director of Information Technology Services) I like that Title. :thumbup:

FormalDaHyde · Joined: Jan 02, 2005 Posts: 1511

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

We were trying to use DITZ, but couldn't figger out what to use for the "Z" Smile

goretsky · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:51 pm Post subject:

Hello,

One final thing to think about: Encrypting the backup.

Although I do not think veterinary practices are subject to HIPAA regulation, it might be a good idea to consider to encrypt or otherwise cipher the data so it cannot be read without applying a key of some type. It does not have to be an ultra-secure involving multi-thousand-bit public and private keys running on emissions-shielded computers; a simple password-protected .ZIP file, for example, should provide a base level of security as well as make it completely clear the data is not for public access.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

FormalDaHyde · Joined: Jan 02, 2005 Posts: 1511

usasma · Joined: May 06, 2003 Posts: 5007

Thanks Aryeh! (and FDH!)

Yep, I missed the encryption thingie in my haste to get a working system in place. SyncBackSE has a compression function that offers encryption. So, I'll add it to my list - I guess that I truly am the DITS! Smile

FYI - Today is the day that we're going to try the final backup strategy. The test will last a week - and if successful - it'll become our primary means of backing up. (with the exception of the encryption).

Thanks for all the help and patience while I sorted this out! You folks are really lifesavers!