Mastering: System Center Data Protection Manager 2007

Chapter 1. Data Protection Concepts

He who laughs last probably made a backup.

—Murphy's Laws of Computing

As a civilization, we humans tend to get attached to our stuff—all flavors, shapes, and sizes of it. A lot of this stuff is probably not worthy of the amount of time and attention we devote to it. When something happens to part us from our stuff, we get in a snit for a while, and then an amazing thing happens: we gradually realize that most (if not all) of our stuff is just clutter, and that our lives are still going on just as nicely as they were before. True, there are some tangible objects that are important and necessary, but in the aftermath of disasters or other life-changing events, we find that suddenly a lot of our stuff just doesn't seem as important as it used to seem. How many PEZ dispensers or fast-food sports-team 32-oz. cups does one person need, anyway?

When we start dealing with the intangible type of stuff we call "data," however, losses can quickly become more catastrophic. Leaving aside threats and dangers such as identity theft, data and information are critical commodities for many businesses. Many workers don't spend a lot of time dealing with data as part of their duties; a barista doesn't need to have a computer to create and serve a 20-oz. triple-shot mocha with whipped cream; a carpenter spends more time cutting, planning, and hammering than sending email—at least, we hope they do!

For those of us who are information technology (IT) pros or information ...