The Essential Process of Backing Up Your Server

August 16, 2012
by Jonathan Watkins

It's happened to almost everyone, and if it hasn't happened to you yet, then count yourself lucky. Whether it's an important work document, a beloved photo album or your entire music collection, when files on your computer are lost, hindsight will always put forward the annoyingly obvious question: "Why didn't you back it up?"

A server is no different from any other computing file. It contains large amounts of valuable data that once lost will not be recoverable if not previously backed up. While automatic backups should run efficiently on your server, manual checks also provide a further level of security and should not be skipped.

If you've been in the position of losing data in the past, then you should have learned your lesson to always back up everything, however if you've yet to suffer the excruciating loss of computer data then consider the following reasons for backing up your server.

Backing up your computer may cost a little extra, but consider that you always pay to insure and protect your car, house and various other appliances which are valuable to you, so why should your server be any different. By paying a little, you can save a lot; backups don't cost much but the price of not backing it up could be far more costly.

Losing your data is always frustrating and can often result in a lot of hard work, but an even worse prospect is having to explain to someone else that their data has been lost. If you are hosting sites for others, or have other peoples information contained on your server, then by not backing up you are gambling with their data as much as your own.

Switching to a different server is by no means uncommon, and having your data backed up makes migration a much easier process. If you do require a new server, having your information already backed up can save both time and money.

Anything could happen and nobody is exempt from the dangers of losing data, so never presume your server is any different no matter how secure it is. Always be prepared for the worst with the simple task of backing up.

Essentially it's a simple and easy process that could save you extraordinary amounts of time in the future. It is best not to be someone who has learned from their mistakes, instead be the one who made the precautions and secured their server so that the mistake never happened in the first place.

About Author
Jonathan is a senior writer covering web hosting and tech news on FindDedicatedServer.com. Jonathan graduated from the University of Brighton with a BA (Hons) in Journalism and has been working for various websites, magazines and newspapers.

Comment Article

Connect with