Data loss: It is not if, it is WHEN!

Jul 01

PhilPhotography, Technology , , , , , , , , , No Comments

Part of my job is to explain why we need to backup our data, and whilst it is very hard to appreciate why you should go to all the effort when the chances of data loss are relatively small, the chance is there, and ever present with the increased amount of digital data that we are storing nowadays.

Chase Jarvis is a really amazing visual artist. As well as being a top notch Photographer/Media producer, he is also a great Teacher/Instructor and, unlike many professional photographers in days gone by, he loves to share the secrets behind what he does to get the results. I have learnt a lot from Chase and his team and been inspired in the past by their practical approach to Photography, but also the artistic side too.

In the video below Chase, and his (very professional) team, show us how their workflow has been setup, from capturing the shot/video through to final storage and output via backup processes for servers and individual machines. It is something to aspire to and is based on a full-on professional studio, but the principles of redundant backups, off-site backups and individual machines with Time Machine running (giving hourly versions of files), are useful to anybody.

If you have ever been unfortunate enough to lose cherished photos of moments that can never be repeated (I have) then you will know how painful and time consuming, (not to mention expensive!) data recovery can be.

It is vitally important to have a solid backup policy in place. At the very least it should include an on-site daily backup, copied to an off-site/online location of your key data.

Please, take the time to watch this very stylish and informative video, even if you have just a passing interest. One day you might be very thankful you did. And if you have any data loss horror stories feel free to leave a comment and share the pain.

Remember: With data loss, it is not if it is WHEN!