Nick_D
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Backup to Hard Drive or Tape
Really open question - We need to back around 1.5TB data from a Veeam backup to keep offsite. I would ideally use the win backup to do the dump of the backup to offsite media. My question is what offsite media would experts recommend? I don't have the budget to lease a rack server in a data centre and so would have to use tape or external HD.
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My view is that backups are for more than just a simple hard drive failure. Things like fire and theft come to mind and in some places earthquakes. And, you want to guard against human error (forgot to take the hard drive away last night!!). So, there is another reason, an important one, for having more than one HD for this purpose.
In view of this, you want to have a backup off site at all times. You can't do that with just one hard drive for backup. It takes two or three.
You need to assess your backup needs and create a system of protection that will meet them.
For example, you might put a backup medium in a safe deposit box; have another off site at home; have another "in transit". Then refresh (rotate) the one in the safe deposit box as often as you deem necessary.
Take the fresh one from home to the safe deposit box.
Bring the older one from the safe deposit box home as the next backup device.
[Double up the presence of the backup devices off site .. because the original source is on site].
Process:
Two or three backup drives (2 if no safe deposit box and 3 otherwise). And it may matter if you do the backup over night.
All backup drives at home to start.
Take 1 backup drive to work, create a backup:
- during the day
take the backup home at the end of the day.
bring a new drive to work the next day.
rotate thereafter.
- over night
bring a new drive to work the next day (note that all the media are now on site unless there are 3 of them)
swap drives at work
take the latest backup home at the end of the day.
rotate thereafter.
So, to assure there is a backup off site at all times, you need 3 drives if the backup happens over night.
This may sound like a bit of trouble but you're trying to cover for the *unexpected* event. You can work the probabilities and do less but then there's a finite possibility of disastrous failure. Your choice. (For example, if you believe that having all your backups in the office at the same time is "safe" then so be it. You might convince yourself that you will surely grab one of them before you run out when the fire starts!!).
How much of the 1.5TB changes daily? That can affect your approaches.
In view of this, you want to have a backup off site at all times. You can't do that with just one hard drive for backup. It takes two or three.
You need to assess your backup needs and create a system of protection that will meet them.
For example, you might put a backup medium in a safe deposit box; have another off site at home; have another "in transit". Then refresh (rotate) the one in the safe deposit box as often as you deem necessary.
Take the fresh one from home to the safe deposit box.
Bring the older one from the safe deposit box home as the next backup device.
[Double up the presence of the backup devices off site .. because the original source is on site].
Process:
Two or three backup drives (2 if no safe deposit box and 3 otherwise). And it may matter if you do the backup over night.
All backup drives at home to start.
Take 1 backup drive to work, create a backup:
- during the day
take the backup home at the end of the day.
bring a new drive to work the next day.
rotate thereafter.
- over night
bring a new drive to work the next day (note that all the media are now on site unless there are 3 of them)
swap drives at work
take the latest backup home at the end of the day.
rotate thereafter.
So, to assure there is a backup off site at all times, you need 3 drives if the backup happens over night.
This may sound like a bit of trouble but you're trying to cover for the *unexpected* event. You can work the probabilities and do less but then there's a finite possibility of disastrous failure. Your choice. (For example, if you believe that having all your backups in the office at the same time is "safe" then so be it. You might convince yourself that you will surely grab one of them before you run out when the fire starts!!).
How much of the 1.5TB changes daily? That can affect your approaches.
ASKER
After a look around decided to go with the high-rely option. Difficult to get in the UK though, only one reseller. Thanks for your help.
But depending on your retention and type of data I would prefer for tape.
@ our company, we have backupdata with a retention of 2 years or more.
There i would prefer tapes, because it's more stable and reliable than disks.
But as said, if retention is not a point, i would also go for the cheaper disk solution.