Langmeier Backup

Why Do You Need a Data Backup?

Data loss can occur at any time—whether due to a hard drive crash, accidental deletion, or unforeseen disasters. When such incidents happen, it is crucial to have taken preventive measures. The most effective way to protect your valuable information is by creating a comprehensive data backup.

Essential: A proper data backup strategy involves much more than simply copying files. For instance, consider the rare but devastating scenario of a fire at your workplace. If your backup hard drive is stored in the same location as your computer, both could be destroyed. While the probability may be low, the potential damage is significant.

Continue reading to learn how to back up your data professionally and securely. These best practices apply regardless of whether you use our award-winning Langmeier Backup software or another solution. Many of the recommendations outlined here are already integrated into our software, helping you avoid common pitfalls in the backup process.

Why Is Data Backup Essential?

Without a reliable backup, you risk total data loss. Most individuals and businesses will not engage a data recovery service, as professional recovery can easily cost thousands of euros—and even then, there is no guarantee that all data can be restored. Take the first step today and protect yourself from potential data loss.

Here you can explore Langmeier Backup and test our data backup software free of charge for 30 days, with no obligation, before making a purchase decision.

The most important measure is to perform regular data backups. Once you have installed Langmeier Backup and configured your backup, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the 3-2-1 backup rule to ensure your data is protected correctly and securely.

What Causes Data Loss?

No one expects it, but data loss can happen to anyone. Hard drive failures are common, especially during the hot summer months, as high temperatures make disks more vulnerable. Hardware failures are often due to aging components, particularly the read/write mechanism. Excessive heat can cause materials to warp, leading to the dreaded hard disk crash.

During a local thunderstorm, a power surge can destroy data on your hard drive. Moving the hard disk while it is operating can also result in a crash. Malicious computer viruses may delete or alter files, and hackers can intentionally erase your data.

Human error is another frequent cause of data loss—such as accidentally deleting important files. Additionally, software errors in everyday applications can corrupt or destroy documents.

For Businesses

Backup Solutions for Companies

Data loss can have severe consequences for businesses. The economic impact can be enormous, even though such damage is easily preventable with minimal effort.

Langmeier Software offers backup solutions with specialized features for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as for large corporations. While there are technical differences between these environments, our comprehensive software packages are designed to address them efficiently.

Even small businesses often operate one or more servers that store critical data, such as mail servers, databases, or the content of CRM and ERP systems. This data must be protected against loss, even in the event of server failure. At the same time, backups must be as secure against unauthorized access as the original data.

Langmeier Backup Business combines these advantages, providing robust protection against data loss with 256-bit encryption and optional backup in compressed, manufacturer-independent ZIP archives.

Additionally, Langmeier Backup Server enables you to back up both physical and virtual environments.

Legal Requirements for Company Backups

Accounting and other tax-relevant documents must be backed up and made available to auditors at all times. There is also a legal archiving obligation for certain documents, although archiving is not the same as data backup. Read our article "Data Backup in IT Baseline Protection" to ensure you meet all requirements for your business.

For Private Individuals

Backup Solutions for Home Users

It is always unfortunate to lose photos, music, or other personal data stored on a hard drive due to technical issues or other reasons.

Langmeier Backup Professional is ideal for demanding private users.

It allows you to synchronize your valuable data in real time on Windows or create backups at regular intervals. As mentioned earlier, the software makes it easy to back up your data professionally and to go beyond simple copies—for example, by following the 3-2-1 backup rule.

Langmeier Backup can also save your emails, contacts, and more. Take the time to set up your backup correctly from the start, and you will have peace of mind knowing that important items such as emails and contacts—which are often overlooked—are also protected.

If your computer is compromised by a virus or your data becomes inaccessible for any reason, you can restore everything from your comprehensive backup to your repaired system.

Key Facts About Data Backup

Backup Best Practices: What Makes a Good Data Backup?

If you have implemented a solid data backup strategy, you should be able to answer the following questions with a resounding "yes":

• Have you followed the 3-2-1 backup rule?
• For companies: Have you developed a data backup concept?
• Are you familiar with all types of data backup and backup methods?
• Do you know which data should be included in your backup?
• Do you know which backup medium best suits your needs?

For a basic introduction, see: What is a backup? Find out here.

Data Backup Concept

Decide which backup medium you will use. Configure your backup in Langmeier Backup to suit your workflow: for example, schedule backups every Friday morning or whenever you connect a specific external hard drive. The possibilities are endless.

Types of Data Backup and Backup Methods

Familiarize yourself with technical backup terms such as generation concept, incremental backup, differential backup, and full backup. Choose the method that best fits your requirements.

Document your decisions in writing. You may discover options you were not previously aware of that better suit your needs. If you are a company manager, clearly assign responsibility for data backup.

Read more about developing a data backup concept here.

Do not forget to periodically test your data recovery process. If you perform file backups, regularly check that all files are backed up correctly and can be restored. Review your backup logs frequently—ideally, after every backup.

If you use Windows backup to create a disk image, do you know how to restore your operating system image in an emergency? We explain the process for Langmeier Backup here.

What Should Be Included in Your Backup?

This question is more complex than it appears. You might think, "All my data," but where is it stored? Do you want to back up your emails? What about your contacts or browser favorites? With Langmeier Backup, you can include these directly in your backup job, or export them regularly to ensure they are protected.

For a comprehensive overview, see our guide: "Which Data Should You Back Up with Your Data Backup Program?"

How Else Can You Protect Your Data?

Always unplug your computer during thunderstorms and avoid using it during local storms, as lightning strikes can cause power surges and data loss.

Do not expose your computer to direct sunlight. In summer, use your computer in a cooled room or near a fan. If your computer is on the ground floor or in a basement, place it on a table to protect it from potential flooding.

Which Backup Medium Should You Use?

First, decide where you want to store your backups. CDs and DVDs offer limited capacity compared to local hard drives, so they are suitable only for small amounts of data.

Backing up to an external hard drive is increasingly popular. The main advantage is high storage capacity—often equal to or greater than your internal drive. Backups can be automated, requiring no user intervention. However, external drives are also susceptible to failure and should be replaced every few years.

We have compiled a comprehensive list of possible backup media for your data backup here, including online options.

Automatic vs. Manual Data Backups

The choice between automatic and manual backups is yours. Automatic backups have the advantage that they cannot be forgotten. Manual backups give you full control over when your data is saved.

Some backup programs run as background services, consuming system resources even when no backup is scheduled. At Langmeier Backup, you decide whether and when the software runs in the background.

Many users prefer to start data backups manually to maintain oversight of active programs. In this case, it is unnecessary for the backup application to run continuously. Langmeier Backup is designed to run in the background only if you choose to enable automatic backups.

Data Backup When the System Is Active or Inactive

With Langmeier Backup, you have both options.

If your system is active, you can initiate a standard backup at any time.

If the system is inactive and no one is logged in, you can run Langmeier Backup as a Windows service to perform backups during downtime.

You can also schedule backups to start after a period of inactivity—for example, after 15 minutes of no user activity, the backup will begin automatically.

Find all details on running Langmeier Backup as a Windows service here.

Backing Up Microsoft Outlook Data

Backing up Microsoft Outlook emails is effortless with Langmeier Backup. This article explains the process and details which Outlook elements are included in the backup, as well as those that cannot be backed up for technical reasons. For example, be sure to save your email signatures separately to ensure they are available after data loss or when migrating to a new computer.

Backing Up Mozilla Thunderbird Data

Backing up emails from Mozilla Thunderbird with Langmeier Backup is extremely easy. Here is how it works:

1. Click the "Add" button in your backup job and select "Email and Internet Favorites" as the source.
2. The following wizard will appear:

Select "Mozilla Thunderbird."

If you also wish to back up your browser favorites, simply run the wizard again and include them in future backups.

Do You Still Have Questions?

Test our backup software for yourself. If you have any questions about the features of Langmeier Backup, please feel free to contact us at any time via the options listed on our support page.

Look it up further: Data backup, Backup, Langmeier Backup, Langmeier Software GmbH, Automatic data backup

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