What media should be used for backups?
• Back up to media that is not in the same location as the computer being backed up. This can be removable media like a USB key, a writable CD or DVD, a remote backup server, an external hard drive. If you put your backup on relatively unreliable devices (e.g. CD-R or DVD-R), then make sure that the backup program verifies the data after writing it. Once the backup is performed, remove the media. This does not mean to just turn it off or disconnect it from your computer. You need to physically remove it from your office. If you just put the backup device into a drawer beside the computer being backed up, then the same disaster (flood, fire, theft, lightning, etc.) that destroys the server computer will probably also destroy the backup device. You should have multiple copies. Don’t just back up to one device and re-use it every week. We recommend at least five different backup devices, using a different one each week on a five week cycle. Like any other electronic equipment, they can fa
