Question

Question 4: Tim’s Nani sews clothes for newborn babies for a living. She has been recording her order and client details in a spreadsheet. As her work is growing, she has approached you to prepare a backup strategy for her small business. In this context, discuss: a. What type(s) of backup strategy would you implement, and why would that be your preferred approach? b. Where would you store your backup(s) and why would you opt for this approach in comparison to its alternative? c. How would you ensure redundancy in your preferred solution? d. What could possibly go wrong if you do not ensure redundancy?

Answer 1

a. For small businesses it is important not only to focus on technology while considering backup strategy but also prevent systems from other types of data loss.

For the given situation, the best method would be an external drive. This is because it is not very expensive and is easy to use. It can be plugged into a USB port and has backup software.

b. For the storage, the drive should be made powered on for some years and kept in a climate controlled place. Additional copies of drive's data should be kept in a different location.

In normal conditions, if the drive remains plugged in, it won't cause any harm. However, it is important to keep the power surge in check so that on damage is caused.

c. A RAID solution in which redundant arrays of disks are made, can be used for the redundancy of data. There are different methods in this solution. All data that is important can be mirrored between different drives. Mirroring also helps with real-time solutions and easy back up.

d. If there is no redundancy solution, the data in the drive can be damaged. Damage to the drive is usually the result of physical shock. If the platters are crashed or damaged even the circuit can fail.