Backup routine & Software advice

[amir_j]

Any recommendations on best way to backup computers? I have 2 laptops and a desktop all with a Truecrypt encrypted partition containing work docs which I need to backup weekly (other partitions don't matter). Mainly use 1 laptop and sometime the second with very occasional desktop.

Have 3 500GB portable drives (all to be encrypted) and thinking
1) Monthly backup stored at external distant location
2) Weekly Backup kept at home
3) Weekly backup kept in car boot (Chances of 2 and 3 being stolen at same time are minimal).

Note: most of my day to day docs are backed up on an online storage service hence daily isn't a big concern.

Does the above sound ok? the plan is to encrypt each drive with Truecrypt completely and then mount this and the internal partition and use Microsoft SyncToy to transfer across. Would I better off using something else like Norton Ghost or is Synctoy ok?

Edited by amir_j on Monday 19th April 14:07

[mrmr96]

amir_j said:

Note: most of my day to day docs are backed up on an online storage service hence daily isn't a big concern.

I use mozy.com as it's only about £3 per month for unlimited storage. However the encryption you use and the frequency of your backups suggests to me that the data you have changes frequently, so an online backup might not be the best option for you. (Obv online backups only do incremental backups so long as you trust the server side encryption. If you have a locally encrypted container then any change will require the whole file to be backed up again, which could become tiresome depending on your bandwidth.)

So on the basis that you don't want an online backup then using multiple hard drives seems like a reasonable idea. What risks do you want to protect against?
- Corruption/accidental deletion etc
- Flood/fire damage
- Loss/theft
- Mechanical failure of a single drive