CO USERS’ DATA
BACKUP STRATEGY AND
GUIDELINE
Functional-setback experiences in program activities caused by data loss incidences, can severely cripple program success, hence the need for data backup can not be over emphasized.
ICT Unit 3/7/2013
CO USERS’ DATA BACKUP STRATEGY AND GUIDELINE
RATIONALE
In a number of cases users have been experiencing computer crash and data loss. These incidences have caused huge functional setbacks in their project activities. Reasons behind such data loss are many but there have a common characteristic. The common characteristic is lack of data backup. In order to mitigate for data loss risk, it is important to have a data backup strategy in place and that is the essence of this document.
In simple terms, the purpose of this document is to raise user awareness on the importance of data backup and guide them on how to backup their data, which is their responsibility by policy, in order to secure and make them available whenever needed.
PROPOSED STRATEGIC WAY FORWARD
1. COMPUTER AND DATA SECURITY BEST PRACTICES a. Antivirus updates
i. You are required to regularly check if the antivirus software in your computer is up-to-date ii. Once a week you must run a “Full Scan”
HOW: Double click icons below one after another
b. Safe surfing
i. Do not allow download and installation of material from unknown and unreliable sources over the internet
ii. Make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date before surfing iii. Avoid use of hot bars
iv. Take steps to avoid fraudulent sites that ask for personal information.
v. Do not follow system activity instructions received from unsolicited emails either from known or unknown sources (Seek advise from IT Unit ).
vi. Always observe responsible use of the internet.
vii. Practice safe shopping – Shopping online or planning vacations via the Internet can be a terrific tool for consumers, but be careful when you are on sites you have never used before. viii. Strong passwords – When banking online or accessing other sites that may reveal personal or
financial information, use passwords with at least 10 characters and include combinations of letters, numbers and symbols. Change passwords regularly.
c. Safe carriage
i. Handle your backup drive with extreme care.
ii. Make sure your laptop is always carried in a properly cushioned carrying case. iii. Make sure you do not drop your backup drive.
d. Safe storage
i. Make sure your computer is stored in a well protected (Moisture, theft, fire and flood free) place.
ii. Make sure your laptop is completely shut down before putting it in a carrying case.
iii. If you feel your home environment is not safe enough to keep a laptop, you are advised to leave it safely locked in the office.
e. Safe work area
i. Keeping food and drink away from workstations in order to avoid accidental spills.
ii. Have your laptop on a hard flat surface (e.g. Table) as you work to allow for effective cooling (ventilation).
iii. Avoid abusive use of your computer.
f. Safe handling on travel
i. Hand over your laptop to the hotel / lounge Administrator with proper records whenever you are not certain of hotel/lounge security.
ii. Do not put your external hard drive together with your laptop in the same carrying case while in the office or on travel.
iii. Put your laptop on visible location to where you are while on travel. iv. Do not allow heavy luggages on top of your laptop.
2. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS a. Required backup hardware for every user:
i. Every user must have an external hard drive for data backup ii. The external hard drive must be of not less than 320GB iii. Recommended external hard drive brand: TRANSCEND
b. Required backup software for every user:
i. Recommended software: Genie Timeline Version 3.0.3.300 Click this link to download the software:
http://www.genie9.com/free_products/download.aspx
3. HOW TO CONFIGURE AUTOMATIC BACKUP AND APPLY ANTIVIRUS UPDATES
As part of this strategy, we recommend the use of Genie Timeline as standard automatic data backup software and emphasise proactive use of Kaspersky Antivirus.
i. Configuring your first backup
To install the backup software, follow steps below:
Click Next button to go to the next stage of your setup.
Click “I Agree” to the license Agreement and that will take you to the next step where you will have to accept the installation Location by clicking “Next”. The subsequent window will require you to enter your email address, you do not have to put your Email Address.
From there wait until the process finishes.
2. From Start > All Programs > Genie-soft> Genie Timeline.
Note
Users can restart the backup process by accessing the Dashboard > Start a new backup under Manage Backup section.
Setup wizard
The Setup Wizard consists of 3 steps depending on your version:
• Select Backup Drive: A list of backup destinations with recommendations on where to backup. It is recommended to backup to an external drive with the sufficient amount of free space for more reliability.
Select Backup Drive
Genie Timeline recommends that all data is stored in a safe, removable location for storage purposes. Users are restricted to place the backup on the System drive or the boot drive. Drives with an inadequate amount of space or local drives will be listed under "Non-Recommended drives".
To select a backup drive:
1. From the Setup Wizard, click start here.
2. Make sure the drive you wish to backup to is connected and accessible. 3. Choose a drive from the recommended or non-recommended drive list.
4. Click next to proceed.
Notes
• If your backup location is not shown or wish to designate the backup to a specific folder, click on Select a different destination and browse to the desired location.
• If a drive is not showing in the list, try refreshing by clicking the refresh button located under the drive list.
Select Data
Genie Timeline preselects the most important data to backup on your System. Users have the ability to modify selections via customize selections
In the "Smart Selection" section, users have the option to select predefined data groups; "Smart Selection" that backs up most important items on your computer. This includes Emails, Favorites, Desktop files and folders, etc.
Users can select to backup from
Smart Selection: Enables you to select data groups. • Outlook Profiles • Desktop • My Documents • Pictures • Music Files • Video Files • Office Files • Financial Files • eBooks and PDFs • Bookmarks
My Computer: Enables you to select any file stored on the computer using the same structure as Windows Explorer. Users can exclude certain file extensions from My Computer selections using the file filtering.
Genie Timeline backs up the following file types for each Data profile: Outlook: Genie Timeline scans for Personal Folders Files (PST).
My Documents, Documents, and Desktop backup all files located in these locations. Pictures: Scans for these file types in user account and local drives.
ii. Applying and checking for antivirus updates
1. Check if Antivirus software is installed
HOW: Check for the icon below on the task bar
2. Regular antivirus updates checking
HOW: Double click icons below one after another and read the last update date shown.
If the date is not current then, connect your machine to the internet and press “Start update” button as shown above to initiate an antivirus update.
NOTE:
Every time you work on your computer, make sure your external hard drive is connected for automatic backup to take place.
