Backup software tools

The IT joke about backups goes like this: There are two types of computer users, those who HAVE lost computer data and those who WILL. Backing up data is essential, and not just for businesses– it should be a priority for individuals as well.

A wide variety of backup software options are available, here are a few I know about and recommend.

For people using Outlook (2000, 2002 or 2003) on a Windows computer, Microsoft offers PFBackup (personal folder backup) as a free download. This will allow you to archive for backup purposes any or all of your personal Outlook mail folders. For a usage tutorial, refer to “Using the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup tool.”

Macintosh users who are subscribers to the .Mac service can download Backup3 software for free. The slogan (as usual for Apple products) communicates the functionality with style: .Mac + Backup = Smart, powerful backup software (Now with one-step iLife backups.) What this means is that you can backup any documents you have created directly to your .Mac account (a server out on the Internet), to removable media like CDs or DVDs, or to an external hard drive. You can backup different things to different places, on different schedules that are easily customizable. This video explains in the process and options very well in a few minutes.

If your computer hard drive crashes and you have backed up your data appropriately, your data can be restored from a remote server located on the Internet, from removable media like DVDs, or an external hard drive.

Anyone using computers and relying on their data (and that includes more people than ever these days) should not only have a data backup plan, but have a data backup schedule they are following religiously. Whatever your platform, one solution I have used successfully and recommend is the Maxtor “OneTouch” hard drives and software programs, available with many Maxtor external hard drives. By using a multi-gigabyte external hard drive, you have plenty of space to back up even large files.

Not on a regular backup schedule yet? It’s time to get on one– BEFORE you have a hard drive failure!

If you have other backup software solutions you’ve had success with and would recommend to others, I would love to hear about them.

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