001 Do you remember to backup?

Backing up your data is critically important... but do you remember to backup? Always?

I think you should not.

Why do I say that? Take a listen…

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Backups and restores are ideally done by robots…completely hands-free, fully automated, totally encrypted.

In this episode, I will not discuss the importance of backup because you probably know it already, instead, I will discuss

• Why backups should not be on your to do list


• The true test of a backup solution


• Encrypting your backups


• How do I currently backup?

Why backups should not be on your to do list

I believe you should have control over your digital lives, including your backups. I believe you can get the benefits of cloud computing without having to give up privacy or security.

Doing backups is a chore. A huge risk in backing up manually is that you might forget to backup. You are a human after all. So my solution to this problem is to not put backups on my todo list…instead I assign the task to a piece of software which runs in the background and backs up *all* things I need backed up.

The true test of a backup solution

Backing up alone is not a complete solution to the problem. The true test of a proper backup solution is a complete, successful restore that is free from encumbrance. I, therefore, strongly suggest that you test whether the backup you took is actually restorable exactly the way you like. There is no point in backing up if you can’t restore.

Encrypting your backups

Backing up to the cloud? What if someone gets hold of your backup? What if someone  violates your privacy in the cloud? How do you go about preventing that from happening to begin with? Do you recall that iCloud fiasco and those poor little celebrities?

How do I currently backup?

I use Arq backup with a hidden folder in my google drive as the backup target. It automatically and continuously backups all that I need. It de-duplicates to cut unnecessary redundancy. And, it allows me to select my encryption key while ensuring that that backups are encrypted with my encryption key before any packet leaves my firewall.

The most important reason I use this software is because the author provides arq_restore, an elegant, open-source command-line utility for restoring from backups that is free from encumbrance even though this software itself is not open source. This way, I can get my data back even in case if this company goes out of business.

How would you improve upon this method?

How do you automate your backups? How would you improve upon my current method of automating backups? Join our discussion in the Cloud Genius community and chat with us on our chat channel where we hangout and learn from each other.

 


 

Want us to create an episode on a topic of your interest? Let us know and we gladly develop one. I am your host Nilesh. Look forward to seeing you online.

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The Show Notes

ARQ Backup
Google Drive

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Cloud Genius on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Facebook

001 Do you remember to backup?