What Kind of Backups Should You Have?

Things are constantly changing in our tech heavy world. The computer you bought two years ago is out of date, your cell phone is most likely a thing of the past, and if you haven’t moved most of your life to the digital cloud you are behind the times. The challenge all this brings is how do we recover when something goes down.

The Computer

There are hundreds of ways your computer can fail. Someone can accidentally install malware (or purposefully), there can be a severe power outage that shorts wires, there can be hardware failure, and the list grows. Your chances increase if your computer was previously owned and you don’t know what it had previously been through. What do you do when this is your automation machine? Your feed goes down, the station is off the air, and you must act quickly. If you have another machine to replace it immediately, where are all the audio and logs?

Hot Swap

You ought to have a computer that can serve has a hot swap machine. This is a machine that can quickly replace a failed machine. If you use Simian your setup would look like this:

While this setup seems expensive, doubling your initial investment, if the machines are on the same network (or can be networked) it can be synced using the software already installed with Simian. The cost will be worth it if you have a computer failure that could keep your station down and you lose your files.

You can use IFTTT (If This Then That, automating tasks) to turn your computer on and off if you don’t want the back up to be running all the time. More information: http://www.juanmtech.com/turn-a-computer-on-and-off-using-android-and-google-home/, https://ifttt.com/applets/ArZBXqRz-turn-on-pc-with-google-assistant.

Backup internet

Everything we do is running off the internet. There is a way to have a backup internet connection, using a router like the RV345 Dual WAN Gigabit, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/routers/rv345-dual-gigabit-wan-vpn-router/index.html?dtid=osscdc000283, there is a spot for 3g/4g modem. These modems can be obtained from a local cell service company, Verizon for instance. The 4g modem is designed to run in the background and provide an automatic 4G LTE or 3G fallback connection during network outages. Netgear also provides a few products: https://www.netgear.com/home/products/mobile-broadband/lte-modems/.

Backup Power

You may only want mission critical devices to be on backup power sources, although, there are ways to provide power to your whole studio. This will come down to budget, natural disasters, and need. Keep in mind that sudden power outages can do damage to computer hardware.

Good

A UPS power supply to mission critical systems, or office computers. This will give you enough time to perform a gentle computer shutdown, if you are there or can be there. Here is a list of the gamer recommended UPS; they take their computer time seriously  https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-uninterruptible-power-supplies-ups-for-pc/

Better

A portable generator would help to keep mission critical systems operational for longer periods. They are gas powered machines that can keep your radio station on-air for several hours. The downside is you have to be there to turn them on. If you can make it to the station after the power turns off and the before the UPS turns off to turn this generator on, then you are in a good position. https://www.safety.com/generators/

Best

The automatic standby generator. These come in varying degrees of power but can automatically switch on when a power outage is detected. I would still use an UPS with my computer, so my computer is never off and I can mitigate any hardware failure. Some of the generators boast a 10 second delay and some say un-interruptible. This would likely be the fastest, most efficient way to keep the station running. https://homethods.com/best-home-standby-generator-reviews/

People

This topic may seem out of place for an article on backup systems, but a business/ministry is nothing without the people that make things happen. All too often I find that one person knows everything, and they hold information very close. In the businesses that I have worked for and the ministries I have helped my goal is always to understand, learn, adapt, implement, and then train.

We have all encountered that situation where one employee or volunteer has set something up, or done something a certain way, and then left the picture, taking all that knowledge with them. To avoid this, cross training and documentation are vital.

I would never suggest that a volunteer cross train with your accountant, rather that you are sure that if your accountant encounters something awful, you are not left wondering where your finances are. If your radio programmer leaves, who steps up to take over? Or if you must do it, where is the documentation you need to follow?

Google drive is a great cloud sharing tool to write instructions. It can be stored centrally, updated globally, and distributed as needed.

Consider:

Does your station have a naming system for audio files?

Who has all the login and password information?

If John Doe doesn’t show up tomorrow, who can fill in?

Who can provide computer support?

For more information or additional assistance, visit mysticalrosemedia.com or  contact Marissa.