Backing up¶

Why back up your data ?¶

• Hard disks die
• Portable devices can be lost or broken
• Disasters happen

How to back up data¶

The core principle is that backup copies of data should be stored in a different location to the main copy.

If you delete your local copy of the data then the primary copy will be the original backup... is that copy backed up anywhere ?

Suitable locations for backups are:

• A firesafe
• A network copy
  • An network drive e.g. provided by the institution
  • Internet storage (in the cloud)
  • A data repository - this could be a public thematic / institutional repository for publishing completed research datasets, or an internal repository for archiving datasets during research
• A portable device / portable media which you keep somewhere other than under your desk

The best backup is the one you do!

Backing up on external devices means that you need access to the device... network drives and "internal" backups are usually more available. e.g. backup every time you're in the office / lab or at home.