Data Backup in Kenya
Data backup in Kenya is a young concept, the enterprise is yet to embrace data backup solution in a serious manner. Most popular data backup solutions in Kenya and Africa in general are individual inventive backup solutions. Individual personnel innovatively come up with their own ways to storing a replica of data.
Offline Backup Solutions
Most common offline media utilized for data backup in Kenya in Africa are the readily available storage devices.
DVDs and Flask Disk as backup solutions
DVD and Flask Disk are most popular, people save data in DVDs and archive for future retrieval. Other use flash disk to store a copy of their data away from their computers. There technique are not very reliable for the following reasons:
- Failure in the storage devices – CD & DVDs easily fail on exposure to unfavorable physical conditions. Flash disk as well easily fail from physical damage, virus attack, among others
- Loss of storage media – loss of DVD/CD or flask disk means loss of data backup.
- Access – backup can only be accessed when you are in possession of the storage device – DVD/CD and flash disk
Different Partitions as a Backup solutions
A few other individual partition their hard drives and store back up data in the other partition of the same computer or hard drive. This one of the most popular backup solutions.
Possible challenges include:
- Hard disk failure – in case of hard drive failure – retrieval of the backup will not be possible.
- Loss of the computer – in the situation you lose the computer – you will lose your back up as well.
External hard drives as backup solutions
External hard disk have also grown in prominence – they are basically large DVDs and Flash disk. Their challenges are similar, namely:
- Failure in the storage devices – external hard disk easily fail on exposure to unfavorable physical conditions, virus attack, among others
- Loss of storage media – loss of external hard disk means loss of data backup.
- Access – backup can only be accessed when you are in possession of the storage device – external hard disk – you need to carry it where you need it.
Network Drives –NAS as backup devices
NAS – Network attached Storage is advancement of the external hard drive approach. NAS are storage devices pluggable to the network. Any device on the network can further back up its data on the NAS anytime. This is popular in organizations with several computers. NAS may or may not be accessible remotely depending with the NAS device and configurations.
Challenges of using NAS include:
- Failure in the NAS storage devices – NAS easily fail on exposure to unfavorable physical conditions, virus attack, among others
- Loss of NAS device – loss of NAS device means loss of data backup.
Access – backup can only be accessed when you are connected to the network which may be LAN in most cases, however a few NAs allow remote