Backup Best Practices

Many details go into making a backup strategy a success. The following list contains issues to consider as part of your backup plan.

Offsite storage Consider having backup tapes stored offsite so that in the event of a disaster in a building, a current set of tapes is still available offsite. The offsite tapes should be as current as any onsite and should be secure.
Label tapes The goal is to restore the data as quickly as possible, and trying to find the tape you need can be difficult if not marked. Further, it can prevent you from recording over a tape you need.
New tapes Like old cassette tapes, the tape cartridges used for the backups wear out over time. One strategy used to prevent this from becoming a problem is to introduce new tapes periodically into the rotation schedule.
Verify backups Never assume that the backup was successful. Seasoned administrators know that checking backup logs and performing periodic test restores are parts of the backup process.
Cleaning From time to time, it is necessary to clean the tape drive. If the inside gets dirty, backups can fail.