Page 272 - DCAP104_EXPOSURE_TO_COMPUTER_DISCPLINES

Unit 14: Taking Protected Measures

14.7 Backing up Data Notes

In Information Technology, a backup or the process of backing up refers to making copies of data
so that these additional copies may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The
verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup (often used like an adjective in
compound nouns).

Backups have two distinct purposes. The primary purpose is to recover data as a reaction to data
loss, be it by data deletion or corrupted data. Data loss is a very common experience of computer
users. 67% of internet users have suffered serious data loss. The secondary purpose of backups
is to recover data from a historical period of time within the constraints of a user-defined data
retention policy, typically configured within a backup application for how long copies of data are
required. Though backups popularly represent a simple form of disaster recovery, and should be
part of a disaster recovery plan, by themselves, backups should not alone be considered disaster
recovery. Not all backup systems and/or backup applications are able to reconstitute a computer
system, or in turn other complex configurations such as a computer cluster, active directory
servers, or a database server, by restoring only data from a backup.

Since a backup system contains at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage
requirements are considerable. Organizing this storage space and managing the backup process
is a complicated undertaking. A data repository model can be used to provide structure to the
storage. In the modern era of computing there are many different types of data storage devices
that are useful for making backups. There are also many different ways in which these devices
can be arranged to provide geographic redundancy, data security, and portability.
Before data is sent to its storage location, it is selected, extracted, and manipulated. Many different
techniques have been developed to optimize the backup procedure. These include optimizations
for dealing with open files and live data sources as well as compression, encryption, and de-
duplication, among others. Many organizations and individuals try to have confidence that the
process is working as expected and work to define measurements and validation techniques. It
is also important to recognize the limitations and human factors involved in any backup scheme.

14.8 Safeguarding Your Computer Hardware

In small and home based businesses, the aspect of physical protection is often overlooked.
Sufficient measures should also be put in place and maintained for protection against climate and
environmental factors such as fire, dust, power, excessive heat and humidity, electrical emanations,
and natural calamities. Regulation of power supply is vital.
In a good security policy, special emphasis should be given to protect all equipment handling or
containing sensitive information. It should lessen the possibilities for an intruder to access these
devices.

In order to have a secure computer network, it is necessary to have a proper mechanism for
protecting the computer hardware and other equipments from external physical threats such as
theft, natural calamities (earthquake, floods, or even accidents in the home, etc.)
14.8.1 Physical Access and Data Security

The first line of defense locally to protect network equipment such as servers, switches, and routers
is to keep them in a locked, climate controlled, and fire protected environment. If equipment is not
physically accessible to unauthorized personnel, there is less chance of accidental or intentional
tampering.

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