Managing your backup methods

Description

Just in time for the start of the semester, Marty and Eric talk about ways you can organize and manage your document backups

The Simple Backup Plan (3-2-1)

Rule: 3 copies, 2 types of storage, 1 off-site.

Step-by-step (7 steps)

Make a home base: Create folders: Teaching, Research, Service, Admin.

Turn on encryption: FileVault (Mac) / BitLocker (Win).

Cloud copy (off-site): Save active work inside OneDrive/Google Drive/Box (edu account). Make sure version history is on.

Local versioned copy:

Mac → Time Machine to an external drive/NAS.

Windows → File History/Windows Backup to an external drive/NAS.

Air-gapped copy (optional but great): A second encrypted SSD you plug in weekly, back up, then unplug and keep elsewhere (office/home).

Label & note: Keep a one-page “Backup Map” listing where copies live and how to restore.

Test restore: Once a quarter, restore one random file from each place.

Weekly rhythm (easy to remember)

Daily: Work from your cloud-synced folder.

Weekly (Fri): Plug drive, let Time Machine/File History run; if you have a second SSD, run it, unplug, store off-site.

Quarterly: Do a 5-minute test restore.

Tips that prevent headaches

Compliance first: Use IT/IRB-approved storage for FERPA/PHI/IRB data.

Ransomware safety: Keep one offline copy or use cloud “file lock/immutable” if available.

Email ≠ backup: Export gradebooks/key emails (PDF/CSV) into your term folders.

Name things clearly: 2025-FA COUN62356 Syllabus v03.docx.

Exclude junk: Downloads, caches, node_modules, giant temp files.

Notifications on: Set backup apps to alert on failures.

One-line defaults (pick these if unsure)

Cloud: OneDrive (edu)

Local backup: Time Machine (Mac) / File History (Win)

Extra SSD: 2TB USB-C, encrypted

iDrive

pCloud

Crashplan

OneDrive

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