Storage » Backups

Seven strategies for keeping disaster recovery ON TARGET

It was a normal Monday batch process at a well-respected global bank - until, that is, a critical back-office system failed. At first, IT administrators took it in stride. This wasn't the only time they'd had to recover lost data. But soon it became clear something more ominous was occurring: the bank's multi-terabyte database had become corrupted.

By Craig Sands and Andrew Truscott | 12 May, 2008 08:14

Tags: disaster recovery

Backup resolutions: five strategies to back up your data, now

Every year you say you'll be better at keeping your data backed up, but then life happens. You get busy. You get distracted. And the number of files in your digital life grows exponentially--all while you continue to relegate this critical task to the "I'll get to it" pile.

By Melissa J. Perenson | 07 January, 2009 02:18

Tags: storage

Review: Maxtor's Central Axis -- a networked terabyte for any novice

Maxtor's Central Axis (US$319.99) offers a new way to add a centralized, always-available terabyte of storage to your local network, whether you install it at home to share media files or set it up at work to share proposals among your colleagues. You can even stream your media to UPnP AV-compatible (Universal Plug and Play Audio/Visual) networked entertainment systems without using a computer. Best of all, by setting up an account with Seagate Global Access, you can store and retrieve files from the Central Axis device over the Internet.

By Rich Ericson | 04 November, 2008 08:15

Tags: storage backup

Solid state not yet on solid ground

Companies are slowly starting to more closely evaluate solid-state storage technologies, though most are still waiting for the cost to come down before implementing it.

By Todd R. Weiss | 14 October, 2008 08:59

Tags: solid state drives

Saved by SaaS: Data backup via software as a service

A data storage crash is the last thing a collision-repair shop needs to worry about. So when John Sweigart realized that the software he was using to manage his business was no longer compatible with the way he was backing up data, he knew it was time for a different option.

By Esther Shein | 30 September, 2008 10:21

Tags: SaaS, storage backup

How to equip your PC with SSD for about $200

A lot of solid-state disk (SSD) drive reviews and features have been circulating around the Internet lately, and I've noticed that the speeds of those products are increasing remarkably, even as manufacturers use more multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash memory in their products, which is innately slower than single-level cell (SLC) NAND.

By Computerworld Staff | 23 September, 2008 11:45

Tags: SSD

When to shred: Purging data saves money, cuts legal risk

A funny thing happened on East Carolina University's journey to creating a data-retention strategy. As part of a compliance project launched one and a half years ago, Brent Zimmer, systems specialist at the university, was working with attorneys and archivists to determine which data was most important to keep and for how long. But it soon became clear that it was just as important to identify which data should be thrown away.

New Intel 80GB SSD is faster than the best HDD

Solid state drives (SSDs) are finally coming into their own -- they're faster, more durable, and use less power than traditional mechanical hard drives. However, the strongest indicator that this may be the storage tech of the future is Intel's release of its X18 and X25 solid state drives.

Solid state disk lackluster for laptops, PCs

Most observers agree that solid-state disk (SSD) will eventually overtake magnetic disk drives as the storage medium of choice. SSD is lighter than traditional hard disk drives, is faster, is more durable and consumes less power. Still, SSD doesn't measure up to the hype, particularly when using it in a desktop or laptop PC.

When the meteor and the 1PB database collide

Our fascination with the prospect of asteroids smashing into the Earth is as deep as the craters that can result from such cosmic fireballs. Think of all the movies Hollywood has made, from little-seen B flicks such as A Fire in the Sky to campy cult classics such as Night of the Comet to scientifically shaky blockbusters such as Meteor and Armageddon.

Data explosion forcing IT to seek new backup tools

The need to control and secure a continuing explosion of data across the corporate world is forcing IT managers to constantly be on the lookout for new equipment that can handle perpetually evolving requirements.

Stupid user tricks: IT admin follies

For those of us who make our living behind a keyboard in IT, it's hard to imagine a more time-tested vulnerability than the end-user. Armed with network access, these IT viruses wreak havoc nearly everywhere you look -- havoc borne of tech idiocy.

Five hot -- and cool -- storage technologies

Down economy or not, the growing appetite for enterprise data storage won't be sated anytime soon, if ever. The rise of data-heavy multimedia files, new customer touchpoints, evolving reporting and compliance standards and other trends are contributing to near exponential growth rates in the amount of data created and stored in the digital universe.

5 questions to ask your potential storage cloud provider

What security measures do you offer?

Can you trust your data to storage cloud providers?

Michael Witz, founder of online file-sharing site FreeDrive, knows the horror of that proverbial middle-of-the-night call: "The site is down."

Four tips for optimizing continuous data protection

US-based Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin found that moving away from tape toward continuous data protection let it cut costs and provide more reliable backup and recovery. Here are some lessons the law firm learned along the way:

Law firm dumps tape for cheaper, greener CDP

Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin, a US law firm, knows what competing against the big guys is like. Although it has just 135 lawyers and 400 employees overall, its client list includes such heavyweights as Citigroup, Google, HP, the Oakland Raiders football team and Sony Online Entertainment.

Utility storage: Ready for a long haul?

First will come virtualization, then utility storage. That's long been the vision of how enterprise storage will evolve as IT grows increasingly dynamic and on-demand becomes business as usual.

Is an online backup service OK for your data stockpiles?

These days in IT, you can buy a service for anything - including, once again, your storage.

How do you back up virtual environments?

When it comes to backing up virtual servers, IT administrators have a lot of choices. But increasingly, they're finding one method of backup isn't enough to satisfy all the demands of a virtual environment.