system backup program options

[Neto]

What are you all using for full system backups?

I have been using Seagate brand drives, and so use the Seagate DiscWizard, the free cut-down version of Acronis True Image. (Acronis allows you to set up a scheduled backup plan, with one main full system backup, then a designated number of incremental backups, until it starts over with another full backup. The free version only backs up when you manually start the process, creating a full system backup.) This free version also works on Western Digital drives, and although WD also offers a special WD version, I prefer the Seagate one. (WD is my brand of choice for SSDs.)

I have set up Synology on a couple of NASs, but do they offer a backup program that allows you to back up to an external USB drive, or is it only the "cloud" or an NAS? (I say 'an NAS' because I do not pronounce NAS as a word, but as N. A. S.. This was a free comment for the grammar police. I also don't pronounce USB as a word - Does anyone?!)

[Ken]

Is this for business or home use?

I just keep all my files in directories that are mirrored on the cloud so drobox for home and google docs for work and I don't bother trying to backup any systems. If the computer crashes or dies or is stolen I just reinstall new apps and everything I care about is still there.

I used to be diligent about keeping backups on separate hard drives but I don't bother doing that anymore. It's all cloud-based.

[Neto]

Is this for business or home use?

I just keep all my files in directories that are mirrored on the cloud so drobox for home and google docs for work and I don't bother trying to backup any systems. If the computer crashes or dies or is stolen I just reinstall new apps and everything I care about is still there.

I used to be diligent about keeping backups on separate hard drives but I don't bother doing that anymore. It's all cloud-based.

I should have said - it's not for my personal use. For Amish business owners. So it has to be off-line. (Personally I wouldn't trust "the cloud" anyway, unless it was a "private cloud", or one operated by a fairly small and probably Christian organization. My reasons? If there was a major failure across a large part of the internet, how big of a company would you need to be in order to ever get your data back, or in time for it to still be of worth business wise? Of course had my Uncle & Aunt had their wedding pictures on the cloud before the tornado that took their house and my grandma's, then they would still have those pictures. But I do have personal backups in multiple locations, although they are all in the Berlin area. And, I suppose a person could also ask how important my old photos and documents would be if the USA fell, with the ensuing destabilization.)

[Pelerin]

It’s been a while since I set it up, but I just use robocopy on a schedule. It would work to either NAS or a hard drive on the same system. I’m not sure that would work well with a USB drive though, since the drive letter could change.

I just did a search and apparently you can assign a permanent letter to particular USB drives. That would work as long as they use the same USB drive every time.

[DaveK]

I work for a MSP and we use the free Veeam agent for low cost people. It works well and gives full backup and incremental options.
Synology offers a very nice option with their Active backup for Business app that comes free with their higher end NAS units.

[Ken]

Is this for business or home use?

I just keep all my files in directories that are mirrored on the cloud so drobox for home and google docs for work and I don't bother trying to backup any systems. If the computer crashes or dies or is stolen I just reinstall new apps and everything I care about is still there.

I used to be diligent about keeping backups on separate hard drives but I don't bother doing that anymore. It's all cloud-based.

I should have said - it's not for my personal use. For Amish business owners. So it has to be off-line. (Personally I wouldn't trust "the cloud" anyway, unless it was a "private cloud", or one operated by a fairly small and probably Christian organization. My reasons? If there was a major failure across a large part of the internet, how big of a company would you need to be in order to ever get your data back, or in time for it to still be of worth business wise? Of course had my Uncle & Aunt had their wedding pictures on the cloud before the tornado that took their house and my grandma's, then they would still have those pictures. But I do have personal backups in multiple locations, although they are all in the Berlin area. And, I suppose a person could also ask how important my old photos and documents would be if the USA fell, with the ensuing destabilization.)

Got it. If I was running a critical business I'd be more rigorous.

But from my point of view the cloud is just my backup. All my actual files are on my home hard drive and just mirrored to DropBox. So it would take the simultaneous failure of both my home computer and the DropBox servers to affect me, which seems exceedingly unlikely. The more likely scenario is that my house burns down or I get robbed and both my computer and backup drive are lost or stolen. If you are doing on-site backups without any cloud service then you really need to store your backups in some other location to be truly secure.

[mike]

I don't do full system backups. My work files are backed up using Google Drive, and my critical POS database is also backed up to a local USB storage drive by way of a once-daily scheduled task.