Backup and DR
How to Back Up PC: Desktop Backup Best Practices with MSP360
Read this article to learn how to backup PCs and all about desktop backup best practices. Furthermore, discover how MSP360 desktop backup software can help you safeguard data and streamline your backup processes.
How to Backup PC: What you need to know
Protecting desktop data is essential for many reasons. Files can be accidentally deleted or altered due to human error, or become corrupted or locked as a result of ransomware attacks or software malfunctions. Natural disasters also pose a significant threat: floods, fires, and similar events can result in the complete loss of valuable data. Without a proper backup solution in place, this data may be irrecoverable. For individuals, that means lost memories and important files, and for businesses and MSPs, the consequences can be even more severe. The inability to recover lost data can lead to business disruptions, financial losses, and negative impacts on hundreds of clients.
While protecting desktop data doesn’t need to be a complicated process, it also shouldn’t rely solely on manual efforts. Instead, users should implement a reliable data protection system that automates backups and safeguards data against both accidental loss and malicious threats.
Desktop Backup with MSP360
To start backing up your desktop data, you need to choose a proper backup solution first. MSP360 Backup is a comprehensive, cross-platform data protection solution that fits the needs of individual users, growing businesses, and managed service providers. Whether you're securing personal files, safeguarding critical business systems, or managing complex client environments, MSP360 provides the right level of control, flexibility, and security. Let’s explore the key differences between the backup solutions MSP360 provides:
- MSP360 Free Backup software is ideal for personal use: it’s great for small data volumes (e.g., documents, photos) or testing professional-grade tools. However, it is limited to desktop backup for Windows, Linux and macOS.
- MSP360 Backup Pro is a solution best suited for managing up to 5 devices. It supports more backup types, including servers and virtual machines, making it suitable for small IT environments. The key difference that sets it apart from the Managed edition, is that it lacks centralized web-based management and relies on a local agent.
- MSP360 Managed Backup is the most comprehensive option, built for MSPs and businesses managing multiple endpoints. It supports large-scale, diverse environments with centralized management, multi-tenant support, compliance features, and a cost-effective pricing model.
Desktop Backup Best Practices with MSP360
It doesn’t matter what operating system you need to back up, or what device you’re using, there are a number of desktop backup best practices that can be implemented to your backup routines. These are core best practices and rules that anyone should follow:
Follow the 3-2-1-1-0 backup rule
Following the traditional 3-2-1 backup rule is no longer sufficient, as ransomware attacks continue to compromise and destroy data. To strengthen data protection strategies, the 3-2-1-1-0 rule was introduced, adding immutability (object lock) and consistency checks to the equation. This enhanced approach requires meeting five conditions: first, at least 3 copies of data have to be created. Second, these copies have to be stored across at least 2 storage types. Next, at least 1 copy must be kept off-site, in case your device is damaged or lost. At least 1 copy should be immutable, meaning that it has to be locked from any alterations or deletions. And finally, you have to check your backups for completion with 0 errors.
MSP360 Backup helps you implement this strategy seamlessly. It supports multiple storage destinations and allows you to connect to the cloud storage provider of your choice, without vendor lock-in. Object lock (immutability) is supported across all MSP360 Backup products when using AWS, Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, and Backblaze B2.
Further reading Immutable data backups explained and how they work in MSP360
Additionally, MSP360 Managed Backup provides comprehensive monitoring tools that help identify backup plans completed with warnings or failures to meet the “zero errors” requirement. These tools offer visibility into backup trends and allow you to detect potential issues before they affect business operations.
Implement file-level and image-based backups
Another best practice is to enable total data protection with both file-level and image-based backups. The first backup type is a primary choice for files and folders protection to secure the most valuable data. This approach on its own is a basic data protection option that doesn't allow you to back up a full system and restore everything in case of a disaster. Image-based backup, in turn, captures the entire system, including documents, installed software, and system configuration. Its key feature is that by restoring it you get a ready-to-work system.
Both these approaches have their own advantages and limitations, however, if you configure file-level backups and then supplement them with image-based backups, you should be able to enable total data protection for your endpoints. All MSP360 Backup solutions can help you enable both approaches. You can set up a file backup plan to enable the best RPO and fastest recovery of individual files and supplement it with an image backup plan that will facilitate the recovery of desktop workstations that were targeted by ransomware or suffered physical damage.
Automate your backups
As it was stated previously, users should not rely on manual backups, but should automate them instead. The frequency of backups should align with the rate of data changes and the recovery point objective (RPO), which defines how recent a backup needs to be for business continuity.
With MSP360, you can customize your backup schedule to ensure your most critical data is always up-to-date. You can configure backup schedules that align with your IT routines. For example, you can back up every 10 minutes during work hours, run a daily backup at 2 AM, or schedule a monthly backup to an external drive or the cloud.
Optimize storage usage with retention policies
Backup retention policies play a crucial role in managing and securing your data. As an MSP or IT administrator using MSP360, understanding when and how to implement specific backup retention policies like Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) or Forever Forward Incremental (FFI) can significantly impact your data management strategy, resulting in reduced storage cost with longer data retention periods. Here’s an overview of retention policies supported in MSP360 Backup:
- Base retention: a base backup retention policy defines how long your backup data is retained before it is automatically deleted.
- GFS (Grandfather-Father-Son) Backup Retention: GFS works as an addition to the base retention and combines weekly, monthly, and yearly backups to create a comprehensive backup strategy.
- Forever Forward Incremental Backup Retention: this approach involves creating the initial full backup, followed by a set of subsequent incremental backups. Unlike the traditional approach, which requires multiple full backups, the FFI approach creates only one full backup, which saves storage space and a significant amount of money and ensures quicker backup times.
The backup schedule and retention policy configuration in MSP360 Managed Backup also includes intelligent retention to prevent early deletion fees in cloud storage.
Enhance security with role-based access control and encryption
MSP360 Standalone Backup and MSP360 Managed Backup include built-in encryption (AES encryption with key sizes of 128, 192 and 256 bits is supported) and MSP360 Managed Backup also includes role-based access control options, enforcing strict security policies while keeping backup operations efficient.
Test backups regularly
The primary goal of regular backup testing is to ensure that, in the event of a disaster, you can fully recover all your files and system backups and resume operations as quickly as possible. For this reason, a backup solution must include options to verify that the data is valid and recoverable.
In MSP360 Backup, two key features help confirm that backups are valid and ready for restoration: Restore Verification and Consistency Check. With Restore Verification, you can test backup recoverability by restoring it as a fully functional system on a virtual machine. With Consistency Check, all backup data associated with the backup plan will be checked in the backup storage to ensure it remains unmodified.
Conclusion on how to backup PC
Now you understand how to back up a PC and how MSP360 can help you to enhance your backup strategy. Start your 15-day free trial to see the benefits for yourself, or book a 30-minute demo to ask any questions you might have.
If you're running a smaller business, start a free trial of MSP360 Backup Pro. This tool provides secure and easy-to-use data protection for managing up to 5 devices. With this solution, you can conveniently manage smaller-scale IT environments and upgrade at any time.
If you need a backup solution for personal use, try our FREE backup software.
