W. Curtis Preston (a.k.a. "Mr. Backup"), Executive Editor and Independent Backup Expert, has been singularly focused on data backup and recovery for more than 15 years. From starting as a backup admin at a $35 billion dollar credit card company to being one of the most sought-after consultants, writers and speakers in this space, it's hard to find someone more focused on recovering lost data. He is the webmaster of BackupCentral.com, the author of hundreds of articles, and the books "Backup and Recovery" and "Using SANs and NAS."
Articles, videos, podcasts and tips by Curtis Preston:
NEW COLUMN Using data deduplication with backup applications: Source vs. target dedupe
Learn about the latest data deduplication battle with backup software vendor's in Curtis' latest column, and about source dedupe vs. target dedupe.
NEW PODCAST Bare-metal restore FAQ
Bare-metal restores can be challenging. A little planning up front can save you a lot of headaches when performing a bare-metal restore. Curtis answers common questions about bare-metal restores in this Q&A.
Data backup for virtual machines: Alternative methods to VMware Consolidated Backup
In this column, Curtis discusses "point products" that address virtual machine (VM) data backup, and using data deduplication and continuous data protection (CDP) for VM backup.
Data backup and recovery choices for SMBs
Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need and deserve the same level of quality found in the data backup and recovery systems of their larger "enterprise" counterparts. The good news is that there are a lot of choices available to them.
Global data deduplication FAQ
Global deduplication allows users to deduplicate data across multiple boxes, which can simplify management as companies back up more and more data. Backup expert W. Curtis Preston discusses the pros and cons of global deduplication, who should consider it, and which vendors are offering it today in this Q&A.
Is VMware Consolidated Backup right for your enterprise?
VMware's answer to the backup dilemma is VMware Consolidated Backup. Learn about the pros and cons of VMware Consolidated Backup in Curtis' latest backup tech tip.
Tape backup best practices: How to improve tape storage performance
Despite all the hype around the use of disk-based data backup and recovery, tape storage is still the primary target for most backups. Not only is the most data stored on tape, but most data is backed up directly to tape without using disk as a buffer.
Open-source data backup options for your data center
Your data center's backup needs might be able to be met by an open-source backup software package, possibly saving you money and giving you greater control over its functionality.
Symantec Veritas NetBackup best practices: Using the maximum jobs per client setting
This is the second in a multi-part series discussing Symantec Corp. Veritas NetBackup best practices to help you make the right choices for your data backup system.
Continuous data protection (CDP) on the rise in data backup and recovery products
Why is CDP on the rise this year? Do customers see CDP as an attractive asset now, and why? Rick Walsworth, EMC's director of product marketing for cross-platform replication solutions, and Curtis Preston, discuss recent CDP trends in this podcast.
Target-based data deduplication product considerations
Learn about target-based data deduplication product considerations in W. Curtis Preston's latest backup tip.
Using bare-metal recovery to migrate physical machines to virtual machines with VMware
Learn about using the bare-metal recovery procedure to migrate physical machines into virtual machines in Curtis Preston's latest column.
Symantec Veritas NetBackup data backup and recovery best practices
This is the first in a multipart series about Veritas NetBackup best practices to help you make the right choices for your data backup system.
Creating a custom data backup process and customizing backup scripts
Customizing your data backup process and customizing your backup scripts may make things much more complex. Read W. Curtis Preston's latest column about customizing backup systems.
SharePoint data backup and recovery best practices
To back up SharePoint, one must understand it first. Learn about how to use SharePoint recycle bins, SharePoint and data deduplication, and SharePoint backup best practices.
Data destruction FAQ
When data backups are deleted in your business, are they really gone? In this FAQ, Executive Editor and Independent Backup Expert W. Curtis Preston discusses data destruction in backup environments. Curtis takes a closer look at the approaches to destruction, regulations and policies regarding destruction and options for outsourcing this policy.
Tape backup and recovery technology tutorial
Despite all the hype around disk-based backup and data deduplication, tape remains the predominant way that users ultimately store their backups. Even if they first back up to disk, most users eventually store their backups on tape. Learn about recent changes in tape technology and how to best use tape in a modern backup environment in this tutorial.
Backups (not so) Anonymous
Got a backup problem? Here are 10 ways you can fix your most vexing issues.
CDP FAQ:Continuous data protection (CDP) is becoming an increasingly attractive data protection and backup option. But is CDP right for your business?
Server-free backup FAQ
W. Curtis Preston discusses how server-free backup works, pros and cons of server-free backup, the server-free backup market today, and alternatives to this complicated approach.
New Year's resolutions for data backup administrators
To make sure you start off the new year right, here are W. Curtis Preston's (a.k.a. Mr. Backup) New Year's resolutions for 2009.
Podcast: Disk-based backup for SMBs
In this podcast, Curtis takes a closer look at the benefits and cost differentiators of moving from tape to disk for data backup for SMBs.
Continuous data protection: Near vs. real CDP
In this article, learn about the differences between continuous data protection (CDP) and near-continuous data protection.
Data replication for backup best practices
In this interview, Curtis discusses synchronous and asynchronous replication, data deduplication, and backup management best practices.
