"Green Bay Net has been great throughout my website redesign process. They have taken care of everything from handling my domain to setting up my email. They even took care of getting my new PC setup with everything I need. My new website design allows me to post and edit photos of my past and present work as well as lets me add any new content I have in mind. If you are looking for a...
Stuff for Backups!
This week we're going to be talking about computer back-ups. We all know we need them, but many of us put off or disregard the warnings! Remember, you are one dropped notebook computer away from losing all of your digital photos. You are one virus attack away from losing all of your business data. Keep your stuff backed-up!
We're going to talk about different aspects of a complete back-up solution. In this post, we're going to talk about some back-up products. Here are the three we're going to use as examples of products that work well in some back-up strategies:
- Tiny 32GB Flash Drive
- 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive
- Drobo NAS with at least 6 of 2 TB Hard Drive
Tiny 32GB Flash Drive
First off, the Lexar Echo ZX Backup Drive 32GB Flash Drive is amazingly tiny. This allows you to "set it and forget it". You can have Green Bay Net or another consultant set-up a customized automated back-up for your important files. Peace of mind is always plugged in and ready to go. Alternatively, you can simply save off your files 2x, once to your normal "Documents" folder. Then once more, to your always plugged in Lexar USB Flash Drive.
It doesn't have a ton of storage, but for the price and convenience, a tiny USB drive can't be beat. Especially for a notebook computer like the popular Macbook Air this is an extremely elegant way to add a back-up for your most important files. The whole point of this is to get it and leave it plugged in. It shouldn't be your ONLY back-up, but a plug it and forget it USB drive can be a great first step in your comprehensive back-up plans!
1 TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive
This is an example of a huge capacity full-system back-up drive. For most notebook computers, this will provide plenty of back-up space - as well as the ability to keep a history of back-ups via solutions like Apple's Time Machine. This offers 30x the storage space of the Lexar, but it isn't a "plug it in and forget it" device for a notebook computer. It is, however, small enough to keep in your notebook bag, has tons of storage, and is very fast using USB 3.0 while maintaining compatibility for the more common USB 2.0.
Used in conjunction with your Lexar USB Flash Drive, this gives you 2 back-ups of your important data! With some of the information we have for you later in the week, you'll finally gain some control over the longevity of your family pictures and important business documents!
Drobo NAS
This one is for multi-computer households all the way up to mid-sized businesses. It is what is known as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. There are some less expensive options, but since we are talking about back-ups, we feel this one is worth the extra few dollars to give you more reliability in your back-ups. The Drobo solution actually automatically splits up your data and saves it in multiple hard drives! It's relatively simple to set-up depending on your network, and it allows you to INCREASE the size of your storage without losing any of your data. It uses multiple physical hard drives but only appears to your personal computer as a single, simple drive! It is also "network attached", The Drobo allows all of your computers to use it for back-ups as well as file sharing.
The more computers you have on your network, the more this sort of device makes sense. There are even ways to use NAS with mobile devices like iPhone's and iPad's.
So, there you three great recommendations for back-up related hardware. The links in the article allow you to order right from Amazon. There are other solutions at Amazon and elsewhere, so get some extra storage and keep your photos and other data safe!
The much heralded Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson is a fantastic look at the world of Steve Jobs. What many people don't know is just how close Steve Jobs was to Wisconsin in general - ties through both his biological and adopted parents - and Green Bay in specific. It makes for a fantastic read for this alone. If you have a passing interest in the development of the personal computer revolution of the 70's and 80's, this is a must-read. Those interested in great stories of redemption and a complex man will be surprised at what they learn about Jobs. Finally, while we've all mostly lived through the resurrection of Apple beginning in the mid 90's, there are details that will astound you. There are many other biographies of Steve Jobs out there - each bringing some unique facet, but this is the authorized biography. As such, the sheer volume of information makes it tough to beat.
Isaacson is a master of the biography - in the past writing about public figures like Albert Einstein. He was hand-picked by Steve to craft this work. A control freak to the end, it's tough to name someone else who chooses their own biography author.
You can buy the book on Amazon by following the link here: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (where you can also find it in Kindle format as well as Audible and CD audiobook formats)