Safest and cheapest storage options for your backup files

When it comes to storage for your back up files, it is important to plan for your future storage needs. Waiting until you absolutely need more storage will only cost you time and money. Some of the storage options that are available include:

Flash memory thumb drives. These types of drives are small enough to fit on a keychain, have no moving parts, and consume little power. They are particularly appealing to mobile users because of the ability to connect the flash memory thumb drive to a laptop's USB port while on the road to back up files. Encryption is provided by some USB thumb drives to protect your files in case the drive is lost or stolen. Some also allow you to store your Outlook data, Internet Explorer bookmarks, files and even some desktop applications. This will enable you to plug the USB drive into another computer and leave your laptop at home

External hard drives. Connecting an external hard disk drive to your computer is a relatively simple and inexpensive method of adding more storage. Unfortunately there are some disadvantages when you connect an external hard drive directly to you PC. One of these disadvantages is any files stored on the drive and not any where else will need to be backed up.

Network-attached storage (NAS). This type of storage is fast, simple, and provides reliable access to data in an IP networking environment. NAS is mainly used by small and mid-sized businesses that have a large amount of storage needs. A basic single hard drive with an Ethernet port or built in Wi-Fi connectivity can cost around $200.00 for 300 GB.

Online storage. This type of service provides remote storage along with backup over the internet. You have the ability to share large files with others by providing them with password-protected access to your online storage service, this will eliminate the need for e-mailing large files. Online storage is also a great way to retrieve files when you are away from your PC because you can log into your account from any computer using a web browser. But remote storage does have its disadvantages, like it can be slow especially during an initial backup session. But you will be protecting the data stored by backing up your important files to a secure, remote server.

Remote storage tips:
1. When backing up remote storage database files, back up files as an administrator. Remote storage database files will not be included, if you run a system state backup a member of the backup operators group. In order to backup the remote storage data base files, remote storage will require that you run system state backups as a member of the administrators group.
2. Think before deleting a file from a managed volume. When you delete a file from a managed volume, the data can not be recalled. Do not delete files that you may need to recall at a later time.
3. Avoid formatting managed volume. Remote storage cannot locate the volume anymore when managed volume is formatted. The remote storage does not know if the volume is temporarily unavailable or if it has been deleted.
4. Do not schedule tasks at system restart. You should not schedule tasks to start at system restart, this will avoid excess work for your server.
5. When managing volume, log in as a domain user. You will only be notified of file recalls if you are logged in as a domain user.
6. Try to avoid deleting the USN journal, if one has been created. Deleting the USN journal will degrade the performance of the remote storage.