Backup2005 Pro offers a wide variety of tools to elaborate sophisticated backup strategy.
With the growing size of external hard disk for less and less dollars, growing size of USB keys (2GB), and the next coming HD-DVD and Blue Ray (over 20GB per medium) DVD standard, it was necessary to introduce functions to take advantage of these new technologies
Because archive files are like any other file, and can be corrupted, we have added at the backup destination level the second copy folder. When the backup is done the archive file is replicated to another destination folder. So you have a backup of your backup.
The second major innovation in Backup2005 Pro is the synchronization tool. The Backup2005 Pro Synchronizer allows you to copy files to another computer or external disk. The Synchronizer is not only a copy tool, it can keep different versions of the same file, encrypt files using AES 256 bits encryption keys and can compress file in gzip compression format.
The Backup2005 Pro Synchronizer is also useful to transfer data from a notebook to a desktop and vice versa.
The most important values on your computer are your data. The hardware can be replaced, the system and programs can be easily reinstalled but your data are unique. In a professional environment contracts, database, emails, reports, accountancy have no price.
In a personal environment can you imagine everything on your computer lost forever? The countless hours you spend filling your hard drive with work, photos of family and friends, emails, financial records, downloaded music and other important documents are irreplaceable and can never be fully recovered if you are not protected.
Data can be lost for a lot of reasons : hardware failure, viruses, spyware, and human errors or they can be robbed.
1st rule : backup often an earlier. Don't wait to back up. Depending of your computer activity, backing up data every month is not enough. In professional usage, you must back up your data every day and even several times a day. For home computing, at least once a week.
Backup can be done transparently when you schedule it.
2nd rule : backup or copy data to external devices. Never backup data from C:\ to D:\ when C and D are 2 partitions on the same disk !
Using external hard disk in combination with network drive is a good strategy. You can copy data to an USB drive through the Backup2005 Pro Synchronizer and back up those data to a network drive. But don't forget to place the external device in a secure place when you leave your office.
3rd rule : encrypt your strategic data, especially when data are backed up or copied to an external device or removable medium.
4th rule : check the disk partition system. Often users are ignoring the disk partition in use. FAT32 limits the file size. You can use Windows XP but your disk partition can be a FAT32. Never move a file > 2 (Windows 9x/Me) or 4 (Windows 2000,NT,XP) GB from an NTFS disk partition to a FAT32 one. The archive file will be corrupted.
5th rule : don't build gigantic backup set. Creating an unique backup set on the root of your main drive (e.g. C:\) is not recommended. A backup software is not a disk image software.
6th rule : never never never remove data from your computer without checking the status of your archive files.
A good strategy is to use a disk image software in combination with Backup2005 Pro.