Tag backup

Article (PSA‑0022)

Why Backups Matter

A reliable backup strategy is the cornerstone of any IT Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity plan. Fires, hardware failures, ransomware attacks, or simple user error can wipe out data in seconds. The quicker you can restore what you’ve lost, the less impact on your business (or personal life).

The 3‑2‑1‑0 Backup Rule

Rule 3 – Three Copies

• Primary data + two separate backups.
• If one backup becomes corrupted or unavailable, you still have a second copy to fall back on.

Rule 2 – Two Different Media Types

• Use at least two distinct storage media (e.g., external HDD/SSD, network‑attached storage, tape, or cloud object storage).
• Each medium has its own failure modes; mixing them reduces the chance that a single incident wipes out all copies.

Rule 1 – One Copy Off‑Site

• Store one backup in a different physical location – a secondary office, a trusted friend’s house, or a reputable cloud service.
• This protects against site‑wide disasters like fire, flood, or a break‑in.

Rule 0 – Zero‑Error Verification

• Regularly test restores (at least quarterly). A backup that can’t be recovered is useless.
• Automate verification where possible (many cloud services provide built‑in integrity checks).

Putting the Rule Into Practice (Simple Checklist)

1. Identify critical data. Documents, photos, databases, configuration files, etc.
2. Create the three copies. Primary + two backups.
3. Choose media. Example combination:
   • External SSD (local, fast recovery)
   • Network‑attached storage (NAS) or a second external HDD
   • Cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, Backblaze B2, Amazon S3 with versioning)
4. Automate backups. Use built‑in tools (Windows Backup, macOS Time Machine) or third‑party software (Macrium Reflect, Veeam Agent, Acronis). Schedule daily or weekly runs.
5. Secure backups. Encrypt at rest, enable MFA on cloud accounts, and keep the off‑site copy in a location you can access quickly when needed.
6. Test restores. Pick a random file or a full system image and restore it to verify the process works.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Keeping only one backup (single point of failure).
• Relying solely on “online sync” services without a true separate copy.
• Neglecting the verification step – many businesses discover a broken backup only after a disaster.
• Storing backups on the same type of media (e.g., two external HDDs that are both vulnerable to power surges).

Additional Resources

• High availability – following the backup rule
• The Importance of Effective Data Backup

Need a Backup Review?

If you’re not sure whether your current backup strategy meets the 3‑2‑1‑0 rule—or you’d like help setting one up—call PSA Computer Services at (707) 506‑6802.

Article (PSA‑0005)

What “High Availability” (HA) Really Means

High Availability is a design goal that ensures a system delivers an agreed level of uptime –‑ usually 99.9 % (≈ 8 h downtime/yr) or higher –‑ even when components fail. Modern businesses (hospitals, data‑centers, SaaS providers, remote offices) depend on HA to keep critical applications running 24/7.

Key HA concepts (2025)

• Redundancy – Duplicate hardware or virtual instances (servers, storage, network paths) so a single failure never stops service.
• Failover & Automatic Switchover – Monitoring detects a failure and instantly routes traffic to a standby component (e.g., active‑passive cluster, hot‑standby VM).
• Load Balancing – Distributes traffic across multiple nodes, improving performance and providing another layer of fault tolerance.
• Geographic Distribution – Deploying services across multiple data‑center locations or cloud regions reduces the impact of site‑wide outages.
• Replication & Data Synchronisation – Keeps data copies in near‑real‑time (block‑level or file‑level) on separate nodes.
• RPO & RTO – Recovery Point Objective (how much data loss is tolerable) and Recovery Time Objective (how quickly service must be restored). HA architectures are built to meet the RPO/RTO goals you define.

Where Backups Fit In

Backups are the foundation of any HA strategy, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle. A solid backup plan protects you from data loss caused by hardware failure, ransomware, accidental deletion, or catastrophic events.

The classic 3‑2‑1‑0 rule (still the gold standard)

1. 3 – Three copies – Primary data + two additional backups.
2. 2 – Two media types – For example, an internal NAS (or disk) plus cloud object storage (e.g., Backblaze B2, Azure Blob, Amazon S3).
3. 1 – One off‑site location – Store at least one copy in a different physical site or a cloud region.
4. 0 – Zero‑error verification – Test restores regularly (at least quarterly) to confirm backups are usable.

2025‑enhanced backup practices

• Immutable storage – Write‑once, read‑many (WORM) or object‑storage lock features that prevent even administrators from overwriting recent backups. This thwarts ransomware that tries to encrypt backups.
• Snapshot‑based protection – Use volume snapshots (VSS on Windows, LVM snapshots on Linux, or ZFS) for near‑instant point‑in‑time copies.
• Hybrid cloud backup – Combine on‑premise fast restores with cloud durability; many solutions now offer built‑in encryption, compression, and bandwidth throttling.
• Automated backup testing – Scripts that periodically restore a random file or database row and verify checksum integrity.
• Ransomware‑aware backup policies – Separate “live” backup streams from “archival” immutable copies; rotate the live backups daily, weekly, monthly.

Putting It All Together: A Simple HA Blueprint

1. Assess critical services. Identify which applications, databases, and file shares must stay online.
2. Define RPO/RTO targets. Example: RPO = 15 minutes for ERP database; RTO = 30 minutes for web portal.
3. Build redundancy. Deploy two servers (or VMs) in an active‑active cluster behind a load balancer; add a second network path (dual ISP or VLAN).
4. Implement replication. Use real‑time mirroring (e.g., Storage‑Space‑Direct, DRBD, or cloud‑native database replication) to keep data in sync across nodes.
5. Apply the 3‑2‑1‑0 backup rule. Schedule daily incremental backups + weekly full backups, store one copy locally, one copy in a second media type, and one copy in a secure cloud region.
6. Test failover and restore. Quarterly, simulate a server loss and verify that traffic switches automatically, then run a backup‑restore drill to validate data integrity.
7. Monitor and alert. Use an RMM or SIEM to watch health metrics, backup job success, and latency; set up alerts for any breach of RPO/RTO.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Treating backups as a “set‑and‑forget” task – without regular testing, backups can be corrupted or incomplete.
• Relying on a single backup media type (e.g., only external hard drives) – hardware failures are inevitable.
• Storing all copies in the same physical location – a fire or flood can wipe everything.
• Neglecting encryption and access controls – unprotected backups are a gold mine for attackers.
• Ignoring the human factor – document procedures, train staff, and enforce least‑privilege access to backup systems.

Bottom Line

High Availability is much more than “just a backup”. It blends redundancy, real‑time replication, automated failover, and rigorous testing to keep services running. The 3‑2‑1‑0 backup rule remains the foundation, but in 2025 you should augment it with immutable storage, cloud snapshots, and regular restore verification to meet modern RPO/RTO expectations.

Need a Custom HA & Backup Strategy?

PSA Computer Services can design, implement, and test a solution that meets your uptime goals and budget.

Call us today at (707) 506‑6802 for a free assessment.

Article (PSA‑0001)

Life insurance, medical insurance, and retirement funds are all ways we try to ensure the things most important to us are protected. What about your data? Most of us store things like family pictures, legal documents, important thoughts and expensive software on our computers. How important is this data to you?

One way to gauge the importance of something is to imagine it is gone. So take a moment, and imagine your computer is gone. What would you miss? If you can honestly say, “Nothing!” then you can skip this article. If, on the other hand, you have a list forming in your mind of things you would miss, then please read on.

With so many backup ideas and tools floating around today, it can be difficult to know your files are safe. The intent of this article is to help you understand some basics about data backup, so you can know if your files are safely backed up or not. In the following scenarios, we are considering the ability to recover data in the event of a hard disk failure. Let’s consider three questions.

❓ Question #1 – “Is my data safe if I copy it to another folder on my computer?”

No. Both the original file and the copy live on the same physical drive. If that drive fails, every copy is lost.

• Rule of thumb: Keep at least two copies on different storage media.
• Common backup media in 2025:
  • External SSD (USB‑C or Thunderbolt) – fast, durable, and easy to rotate.
  • Network‑Attached Storage (NAS) with RAID‑1 or RAID‑5 for redundancy.
  • Cloud backup services (Backblaze, iDrive, OneDrive for Business, Google Drive) – provides off‑site storage out of the box.
  • Archival‑grade optical media (BD‑XL) or LTO tape for very large, long‑term archives.

❓ Question #2 – “Is my data safe if I copy it to separate storage media?”

Better, but still incomplete unless you verify the backup.

1. After a hard‑disk failure you’d replace the drive, reinstall the OS and applications, then restore data.
2. If the backup is corrupt, incomplete, or the backup software mis‑reports success, recovery will fail.
3. Action: Test your backups. Pick a random file or folder, restore it to a different location, and compare checksums (MD5/SHA‑256) to ensure integrity.

❓ Question #3 – “Is my data safe if I copy it to backup media, test it, and store it off‑site?”

Now you have a truly resilient strategy.

• Catastrophic events (fire, flood, theft) can destroy both the computer and** any local backup media.
• Store at least one copy off‑site—either in the cloud or in a physically separate, fire‑proof location (a safe at a trusted relative’s house, a safety‑deposit box, or a dedicated off‑site storage service).
• Combine this with the classic 3‑2‑1‑0 rule (see PSA‑0005):
  1. Three total copies of your data.
  2. Two different storage media.
  3. One copy stored off‑site.
  4. Zero‑error verification – test restores regularly.

Quick‑Start Backup Checklist (2025)

1. Identify critical data. Photos, tax records, client contracts, project files, software licence keys.
2. Choose primary backup media. An external SSD for daily incremental backups.
3. Schedule automatic backups. Use built‑in tools (Windows Backup, macOS Time Machine) or third‑party software (Acronis True Image, Macrium Reflect, Veeam Agent) to run daily increments.
4. Run a weekly full backup. Creates a clean baseline for restores.
5. Test restores monthly. Restore a random folder to a separate drive and verify files open correctly.
6. Create an off‑site copy.
   • Enable cloud sync with versioning (Backblaze, iDrive, OneDrive for Business) for continuous off‑site protection.
   • Alternatively, rotate an external drive to a secure off‑site location every 2–4 weeks.
7. Document the process. Keep a short “Backup Plan” (what, where, how often, who to call) in a paper copy stored off‑site and in a password‑manager note.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Only one copy. A single drive or single cloud account gives a false sense of security.
• Never testing. Backup software may report success while silently skipping corrupted sectors.
• Storing backups on the same physical device. Two external drives plugged into the same USB hub share the same power source and can both be damaged by a surge.
• Using low‑quality consumer media for long‑term archives. Cheap USB sticks degrade; prefer SSDs with endurance ratings or archival‑grade optical media.

Bottom Line

Just like life, medical, or retirement insurance protects you from unexpected loss, a solid backup strategy protects your digital life. Follow the 3‑2‑1‑0 rule, test regularly, and keep at least one copy off‑site. With that in place, even a total hardware disaster won’t erase what matters most.

Need a Custom Backup Plan?

If you’d like a professional assessment of your current backup system, or you want help designing and automating a reliable solution for home or business use, call PSA Computer Services at (707) 506‑6802. We’ll walk you through the steps, set up the technology, and verify that your data is truly safe.