Cross-posted from my Social Actions blog.
I've worked in a lot of non-profit organizations, and one thing that most of them have had in common is the lack of an IT department. As a geek-in-residence, I've done double duty as LAN administrator, PC repairman, software trainer, and help desk. (Then there's the time when I was removing bugs -- real bugs. Roaches like the nice warm motherboard to snuggle up to.) In addition to, you know, my regular job. So I've picked up a few things here and there.
One thing that is often overlooked is the importance of off-site backup. Let's face it, most of us know that it's important to backup, but how often are you actually doing it? And even if you've got your files automatically backed up to the network, what happens if the building burns down? You need to back up your important data off site. Think of it as Data Insurance.
Personally, I've been very happy with Amazon's service. You download an app called JungleDisk, tell it which directories you want to back up, and it sits silently in the background making sure your data is backed up (and encrypted) to Amazon's servers. You're charged based on how much you back up. And they support Kiva!
Another outfit I haven't tried is DigitalBucket. They're offering 5G of free storage to 501(c)(3) non-profits in the US and registered charities abroad. See their offer here.
Now go forth, and back up!
Two fun facts: first, I learned yesterday that Norton 360 doesn't do incremental back-ups. Half of a 500gb external drive was filled with old old old back-ups, and the program doesn't really let you know of any options but to buy space from them. Sweet. So now I don't use Norton 360 for back-ups, I use the SW that came with the drive.
Second, I have a friend who regularly trades an external drive with a relative, so each is the other's off-site.
Comment #1 :: link :: July 19, 2009 11:17 PM :: homepage
