Backup and Recovery

How to Backup Outlook Client

Fun Fact: Did you know that around 240 million people in the US use Microsoft Outlook. (It was on wikipedia so it must be true!)

But on a more serious note, we often get asked the question “We use Outlook for everything, so how can we back it up?)

Well, first Outlook starts to depreciate in performance when it starts to get to large, often we see it start flaking out around 5GB or so, depending on the machine, memory, drive etc… So it is important to perform regular archiving to help with performance.

The Following Article links provide a great reference for the tools to use for backing up depending on your version:

Outlook 2007/2003/2002 Add-in: Personal Folder Backup from Microsoft

Using the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup Tool

Now what is neat about the above tool is that it will let you schedule your backups on an interval!  No more forgetting!

As for version 2000, as great a client as it may have been, it is now 10 years old and should be upgraded. So do a manual Export of your .pst file and migrate it over. Here is a link that will help you get started exporting the .pst file —-> Ways to back up Outlook 2000 data

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How to Backup your files on Windows 7

We all know that we should backup our files, yet we are all human, and thus human nature tends to be lazy at times.

This video, shows you how to get your Windows 7 machine backing up on a regular schedule. It is also a very, very and I repeat a very good idea to perform a simple test restore of some of your data on a regular basis. This will ensure that your backups are working as you expect them to.

Now when something goes wrong, such as deleting a file, or a lightning strike destroying your hard rive, theft etc.. you can then perform a restore on your new equipment, or at the very least when you contact one of our technicians, and we ask you. “Mr. Smith do you have a recent backup of your files we can restore for you?” The answer will be, “Why Yes, Yes I Do!”

Business Continuity Planning

A Business Resumption Plan describes how to resume business after a disruption. A Disaster Recovery Plan deals with recovering Information Technology (IT) assets after a disastrous interruption. Both imply a stoppage in critical operations and are reactive.

Recognizing that some services or products must be continuously delivered without interruption, there has been a shift from Business Resumption Planning to Business Continuity Planning.

A business continuity plan enables critical services or products to be continually delivered to clients. Instead of focusing on resuming a business after critical operations have ceased, or recovering after a disaster, a business continuity plan endeavors to ensure that critical operations continue to be available.

So the question is, can a small and medium size organization realistically implement a Business Continuity Plan to allow for the business to continue to operate in an event such as a hurricane, or earthquake etc…  And the answer very well may be YES. 

Now we understand that each environment can be very different, but with the proper overall planning and the right tools, this can be accomplished.

With new hosted solutions systems such as your Customer software, email systems, VOIP phone system, accounting and back-up solutions can be available and running 24×7 for employees to access from all over the world no matter what happens at your local office.

Contact us today so we can get your operation on a solid Business Continuity Plan.

When Planning Your Virtualization Project

Virtualizing your servers can bring many benefits in they way of reducing costs, consolidating your servers, and planning for disaster recovery. However there are some questions you should address before you begin your virtualization projects.

1) Are your applications supported in a virtual environment?

Not all applications are supported on virtual servers. It is very important that each application is researched and tested before implemented in a virtual environment.

2) Am I putting all my eggs into one basket?

You should take into consideration things such as:

• Location of Domain controllers in your virtual strategy
• Critical Applications and their location
• Storage Devices to run your VMs
• Backup and or Failover equipment

3) What Hardware am I planning to use?

Not all servers will be up to the task to be a virtual server. A thorough study of the application and it’s resource intensity as well special hardware requirements need to be determined. For example: Some server based phone systems would not be a fit for a virtual environment based on the hardware (Dialogic cards etc…)

4) What Virtualization Product should I go with?

There are some great products on the market today, each with it’s own pros and cons. The best way to approach this is to have a good understanding of your different requirements such as application and hardware as well as your budget for licensing the product. Be aware of the different support plans and licensing agreements with a particular product.

5) How many VMs or Guest Machines can a Virtual Server Hold?

Capacity planning is key in determining the answer to this question. Storage size, Memory, CPU, Read/Write access to the drives. This should be mapped out and tested before you go live!

Summary

Above are some key areas to understand when considering virtualizing your servers. At JND Consulting Group, we have many solutions and offerings that can help you make these decisions, so give us a call today to get started. –  561-705-2905