A common theory and philosophy for back up procedures is the art of Zen. a Chinese practice which has been commonly related to backing up “Zen is the art of becoming one with that which you are doing. It is a form of meditation that puts you in a state where you are sure of exactly what is going on around you.[1]” Knowing your system thoroughly allows users to plan and know what situation there computer is in, and enables proper preparation for disaster.
This is a philosophy that everyone should adopt when working on a computer but adopting it is the problem. Backing up files is seen by many users as work on top of work. Backing up the file will talk a lot less time than recreating the file will. It is the small workload that it added on the end of the bulk of the work that deters users from backing up and preventing major losses of data.“Just as night follows day, as Autumn Follows Summer, so should backups follows your work.[2]” This line sums up the importance of backing up data. It should be almost as important as the work itself. By applying this theory, backups will become common place and enable a system that has all bases covered when it comes to preventing data loss. The art of Zen backup has simple rules to follow which apply to all work. - Backup all your data- Backup frequently- Take some backups off site- Keep some old backups- Test your backups- Secure your backups- Perform integrity checks “For anyone who uses a computer on a regular basis, data backup is very important.[3]”
[1] Walter Stevens , Zen and the Art of Computer Backup, Last Viewed 6th November 2006. <http://free-backup.info/zen-and-the-art-of-computer-backup.html>[2] Rajat, The Tao of Backup, 2006, last viewed 6th November 2006 <http://rajatgupta.wordpress.com/2006/09/17/the-tao-of-backup/>
[3] Walter Stevens , Backup Your Data Today , last viewed 6th November 2006. <http://free-backup.info/backup-your-data-today.html>
