Disaster Prevention & Recovery Methods | CompTIA A+ 220-1002 | 4.3

In this video you will learn about implementing basic disaster prevention & recovery methods.

Backup & Recovery

For Windows, Linux, and macOS systems, there are several ways to back up images such as: cloud backups, using a backup service, or backing up to a network-attached storage (NAS) system on a network. For each backup method, there are three levels of data backups:

• System image:  Makes a copy of an entire disk, including the operating system (system image). Also known as a full backup or snapshot & can be used to restore a failed computer if there is a failure.
• File-level backup:  Backs up or archives files such as documents, reports, and pictures.
• Critical application:  Backs up applications needed to restore business after a disaster. This can be accomplished with a system image or with VMs that can be loaded to run quickly.

Backup Testing

Backup testing is the activity of testing in a controlled environment how well an application is able to recover from crashes, hardware failures and other similar problems to allow for IT staff to practice restoration so the skill is in place when it is most needed.

UPS

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source or mains power fails. An UPS is typically used to protect hardware such as computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruptions or data loss. An UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions by supplying energy stored in batteries.

Surge Protector

A surge protector is an appliance or device intended to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes in alternating current (AC) circuits. The most common types of surge protectors are power strips that are plugged into a grounded wall outlet to protect devices such as PCs, TVs, and other common electronic devices. If there is a surge or spike in power, a protector simply breaks the circuit, and the device loses power.

Local Storage

Local storage consists of backing up data on workstations to an external drive such as a hard drive or USB flash drive. The Windows Backup and File History utilities and Time Machine in macOS easily back up files and system images to external hard drives.

Depending up the distribution of Linux being used, it can include several utilities that can be used for backups such as the command line tar, rsync, & grsync (GUI for rsync) utilities.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a model of computer data storage in which the digital data is stored in logical pools, said to be the “cloud”. The physical storage spans multiple servers (sometimes in multiple locations), and the physical environment is typically owned and managed by a hosting company. These cloud storage providers are responsible for keeping the data available and accessible, and the physical environment protected and running. Some popular cloud storage providers that provide varying levels of storage space, encryption services, and price points are:

• Amazon Drive
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• OneDrive app in Windows

Account Recovery Options

There are a variety of ways to recovery an account such as:

• Submitting email address associated with an account on a login page and then having a password recovery link sent via email
• Having a tech support reset an account with a temporary password that must be reset upon login
• Answering secret questions with answers provided during account setup
• Having a system administrator use Windows Active Directory administrative tools to recover user accounts