Buyer's Guide: Data Backup

BUYER'S GUIDE: Data backup

BY MICHAEL ANTONIAK

Peace of mind

Would you know what to do if your computer system suddenly crashed, erasing all the applications and information that drive your real estate career? If themere thought of that scenario sounds chilling, you probably don’t have a backup strategy in place.

But with today’s range of backup and archiving solutions, you can easily and affordably protect critical data, whether it resides on a notebook, desktop PC, or network.

As an associate who spends most of her time away from a desk, Laura Koons of Cagle & Dover Real Estate in Duluth, Ga., doesn’t carry extra equipment for backup. She taps her core hardware and services. Her e-mail is routed to her notebook, but also stored with her Internet service provider.

Koons scans printed documents and contracts into PDF files and saves them on her notebook. “At home I copy important files and contracts to my desktop PC, so I still have them if my laptop is ever corrupted by a virus.”

Scott Behrendt, an associate with R.E.I.T. Homes in Grayslake, Ill., follows a more streamlined approach. Each week he plugs his notebook PC into a Maxtor OneTouch external drive and hits a button: Everything is copied. “Fear of losing data motivated me,” Behrendt says. “The Maxtor is easy to set up and very simple to use.”

Others don’t rely on just one backup system. “I’m a big believer in triple redundancy,” says Fred Abatemarco, an associate with Century 21 Laffey Associates in Manhasset, N.Y.

For swapping files between his primary and secondary notebooks, Abatemarco uses 1GB SecureDigital flash memory cards. On a regular basis, he creates a mirror copy of his entire hard drive on a LaCie external drive. As added insurance, he burns critical documents to CDs that he keeps off site.

Mark Storfer, a commercial and residential salesperson with Choi International in Honolulu, employs a mix of solutions: USB flash drives handle temporary backups when he’s in the field. An external 200GB Iomega drive, plugged into the wireless network in his home office, holds copies of important data that’s automatically updated when he makes changes to the original files. Web-based servers hold copies of real estate forms, faxes, and Quickbooks data for archiving and remote access. And at the close of every transaction, he burns copies of all documents to CD as a permanent archive.

“Redundancy is the only real assurance you’ll always have access to whatever information you need,” Storfer says.

Avoid data disasters

A thorough backup strategy features:

Redundancy Keep multiple copies of data in separate locations.
Temporary backups Save-as-you-go solutions such as USB flash drives or flash media cards, both starting under $20, or portable hard drives, starting around $100, let you back up files in the field to be transferred later.
An external hard drive connected to your primary PC or network should hold copies of all your files and applications. The drives cost roughly $1 per gigabyte of storage capacity.
Web-based services For a monthly or annual subscription fee, these storage solutions save and send copies of your files to a remote server for storage off site.
Archival copies Tape cartridges, CDs, and DVDs can all serve for long-term archiving depending on the type of burner and budget you have. CDs are less expensive than DVDs.
Good habits Your backups are only as current as the most recent copy saved. Conduct saves manually or use software included with storage solutions to update files with each change you make to a file or to back up data at scheduled intervals.
Disaster protection A fire or flood can be just as devastating as a system crash. FireKing Security Group (www.fireking.com), for example, sells cabinets that can protect external drives for up to three hours against intense heat.
Knowing what to do Data-recovery services can often restore files on damaged drives but only under certain conditions. Plan ahead by talking to the vendor about the appropriate course of action when you encounter a system crash or arrive to find your backups damaged by smoke or water.

Mobile Storage

JumpDrive TouchGuard $69.99 Lexar Media Inc., www.lexar.com,800/789-9418.
USB flash drive with fingerprint authentication required to access or activate files, such as log-in passwords and network privileges, stored on drive. 256MB capacity key-sized flash drive. Saved files are encrypted for security and automatically decrypted for the authorized user. Windows compatible.

LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Drive $179.99 LaCie, www.lacie.com,503/844-4500.
Portable hard drive with aluminum shell case. Rubber bumpers protect against damage if hit or dropped. 80GB storage capacity. USB 2.0 compatible. Requires no software driver for Windows or Mac. Includes automatic back-up software. Available with higher storage capacity as well as a FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 version drive.

Micro Hard Drive $189 Imation Corp., www.imation.com,888/466-3456.
Compact, portable drive. 4GB storage capacity. Flexible USB connector locks into drive when not in use. Power supplied through USB connection. Encrypts all files to prevent unauthorized access. Includes synchronization software. Windows, Mac, and Linux compatible.

Desktop Storage

CrossFire XF 160F $149.99 SmartDisk Corp., www.smartdisk.com,239/425-4000.
Entry-level high-capacity external hard drive. 160GB storage capacity. USB 2.0 compatible with Windows PCs. Data transfer rate of 480 MB per second. Includes CMS BounceBack Express software for automatic backup of data on user-defined schedule. Available in 250GB version, also for Mac, and also with FireWire compatibility.

Maxtor OneTouch III $199.95 Maxtor Corp., www.maxtor.com,800/262-9867.
Push a button to back up data. 200GB storage capacity. USB 2.0 compatibility. Internal shock-absorbing mounts protect drive and data if dropped or banged around. Includes software for automatically synching data between two or more computers running the same operating system. Automatic system restoration following a spyware attack. Password protection of files. Available with storage capacity up to 500GB and with FireWire compatibility.

MyBook Premium Edition $329.99 Western Digital, www.westerndigital.com,888/935-8893. High-capacity storage in vertical design that takes less desk space than horizontal unit. 500GB storage capacity. USB 2.0 and FireWire compatibility. Driver software loads automatically when drive is connected. Backup software lets user schedule what’s backed up and when.

StorCenter Network Hard Drive $199.95 Iomega Corp., www.iomega.com,888/516-8467.
Scalable network backup for home or small office. 160GB storage capacity. Provides password-protected data storage for up to 25 PCs on a network. Gigabit Ethernet and two USB 2.0 ports. Automatic Backup Pro software included for automatic or scheduled backup of data. FolderShare software lets users determine who on network can access files. Also offered in 250GB version.

Mirra Personal Server $399.99 Seagate Technology, www.mirra.com,866/647-7248.
Desktop backup solution with remote file access. 250GB storage capacity. Backs up one or more Windows PCs with broadband connection and network router or hub. Automatically backs up files each time they’re saved on connected PCs. Package includes account at www.mirra.com for remote, authorized access to files stored on Mirra drive. Higher-capacity drives available.

NovaStor Online Backup Service Pricing starts at $9.95 per month/$99.50 per year for 500MB of data storage NovaStor Corp., www.novastor.com,805/579-6700.
Entry-level online data backup service. NovaNetWeb software guides users through the creation and management of remote data storage. Allows creation of unlimited number of backup sets for multiple network users. Users can set automatic or scheduled incremental backups and can restore files to any previously saved version. Higher-capacity plans available.

RB Partner HP Smart Desktop Management Service $240 per year Hewlett Packard, www.hp.com/go/nar,800/888-8177, code NAR1.
Remote backup and data recovery service. 1GB storage capacity. Automatically backs up data created on all computers on a password-protected remote site. Fee covers software, account setup, data-recovery services, and live support. For Windows 2000 or later PCs with broadband access.

IBM Tivoli Continuous Data Protection for Files $35 one-time fee per computer; for computers on a network there’s also a $995 one-time server fee IBM, www.ibm.com,888/746-7426.
Data-protection software for real-time backup of networked computers. Unlimited storage capacity. Protects against lost data, file corruption, accidental deletion, and viruses. Continuously writes backup copies on local hardware as files are created or revised and automatically sends another copy to remote server. User can restore data to any previous saved version. For Windows 2000 or later PCs with broadband access.