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How do I go
about buying Backup Software? Part 2
Irrespective
of whichever backup software you end up buying take a look at
this detailed 6 Point Buying Guide to buying backup software
which outlines the essential questions you need to ask about
the product before buying it. In this second part, I will explain
each attribute in greater detail so as to give you a thorough
knowledge of what to look for in backup software.
Ease of Use:
You need to ask a set of questions
in relation to how easy it is to install and configure the software,
to use the product to back your data and to use the product
to restore your data.
For example: Is the install interface clear
and unequivocal? Are the steps written in plain English and
do not leave any place for choosing the wrong options? Is the
product easy to use and user friendly? Is the user interface
built in a Windows-familiar environment? Are the user-interface
and the commands intuitive? Does the product allow step-by-step
backup and restore?
Does the product allow non-technical users to
make use of this product? How easily can the user browse around
the various options to set up backups and restores? How easily
can the user browse around the documents and application settings
to set up backups? Are there any shortcuts to this data and
settings? How easily can the user browse the backup archive
to find and restore multiple or single files? Value for Money:
Money is always an issue, otherwise, we would all be living
the life of the rich and famous! However, this may not always
be the case with backup software.
We usually advise people not to look at the
price tag on its own but to make calculations as to the relationship
between price and functionality and price and time spent on
backup and restore. For example, does the vendor offer limited
functionality with the "bare-bones" product and more
functionality pricey "add-ons" that only together
will the product provide the required protection? Does the product
sacrifice performance and reliability for price? Are upgrades
and patches available at a charge?
In relation to the time factor, buyers must
beware. Beware, some brands may be more costly than others to
administer. If, for example, the compression technology of the
particular product is not strong, it takes longer to perform
backups the data backed up is spread over a larger number of
media (taking up more storage space). Therefore, although a
product may be less pricey, it may be more expensive to run
in the long term. Reliability:
The issues of reliability are -
(a) does the product deliver consistently a 100% accurate restore
of the set of data that was backed up? This includes such aspects
as reliable schedules, accurate reporting and fault logging
features (whether you are alerted when and if things go wrong),
and validation of data integrity. Data validation or verification
is extremely important because there are certain technologies
(e.g., bit level validation) that guarantee that your data restores
are 100% accurate.
(b) Does the product secure your data from prying
eyes? Although, at face value, this may not be important to
the user, think about whether you would like somebody else to
steal your backup files and looking at (or distributing) your
personal data. Therefore, ask whether the product has password
protection and supports the best levels of encryption.
(c) Is the vendor reliable? Does the vendor
provide technical and customer support? Is the vendor slow to
answer? Performance:
The product must be fast and it must not sacrifice sheer power
for reliability, value for money, and ease of use. You must
be able to backup your data securely and accurately in a few
minutes and not spend a fortune on such basic functions. Depth of Feature Set:
What features does the product have? How does the product compare
to other vendors? The features that you should have are - compression,
encryption, scheduling and reporting, popular media support,
high data volume support (as few products have actually overcome
the problem of memory leakage), validation or verification of
data integrity, full and incremental backup feature, restore
multiple or single files to original and to any location, and
strong fault-logging. Breadth of Backup and Media Coverage:
Finally, make sure that the product backs up your PC (or notebook)
and supports a strong list of backup storage media including
CD, Pen Drives, and Zip Drives.
One final tip: it is important to read the independent
reviews on the various products published by magazines (e.g.,
PC World, Computer Shopper) and on technical and similar websites.
WinBackup 2.0 was released last week so please
browse aournd our site when performing your vendor evaluation
for backup software.
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