Reply to: Clientco Backup Policy

[VectraMan]

Why would you want to back up your PC? Anything on your computer should be fairly disposable.

WHS. I've never worked anywhere where they backed up individual PCs. As a developer everything important goes into source control somewhere; it's only the local changes that are at risk. At worst I might lose a couple of days coding and have to do it again.

I did work somewhere years ago where we discovered the accounts lady was keeping lots of important data on a single floppy disk.

[Zippy]

Am I allowed to email semi naked photos of Zippy wearing cling film and covered n yoghurt to the company mailbox???

Why does a BA have Photoshop on their laptop? And how did you get the raw material?
Apart from that, I'd say it's probably OK. I guess we can expect the "chinning the client/escorted off the site" story around Tuesday?

[MarillionFan]

Mail any docs you write to yourself at clientco's emal address. The mail server backups should take care of it and it puts the onus back on them. You might want to keep a copy for yourself too, but not for the purposes of providing them with a backup ...

Am I allowed to email semi naked photos of Zippy wearing cling film and covered n yoghurt to the company mailbox???

[Zippy]

Across the board. It is a large outsourcer.

Basically, any employee in any department does not have a local backup or any shared directories!!!

Obviously systems/mail servers are backed up, but not individuals. I was told I need to provide my own backup!

When I mentioned, I'll FTP it to my own website the look of sheer horror was tangible!!!

Mail any docs you write to yourself at clientco's emal address. The mail server backups should take care of it and it puts the onus back on them. You might want to keep a copy for yourself too, but not for the purposes of providing them with a backup ...

[swamp]

Why would you want to back up your PC? Anything on your computer should be fairly disposable.

[MarillionFan]

Are you talking about developers' home directories, or source code repositories, or everything, including customer data?! Whichever it is, they must be bonkers!

At my last permie job some years ago, everything was backed up religiously on the usual daily and weekly schedule. Then one day, for the first time in months, someone requested a restore and it turned out that all the backup tapes were blank! Turned out that a a board in their backup server had overheated and a chip had dropped out, and for all that time the backup utility had been reporting a successful backup when in fact nothing had happened. The moral is a backup should attempt to read back some or all of the files backed up, to ensure that it really worked.

Across the board. It is a large outsourcer.

Basically, any employee in any department does not have a local backup or any shared directories!!!

Obviously systems/mail servers are backed up, but not individuals. I was told I need to provide my own backup!

When I mentioned, I'll FTP it to my own website the look of sheer horror was tangible!!!

[MaryPoppins]

They think nothing at terminating contractors as far as I'm told.

I should think not, SY01, I mean, MF. Got confused there, sorry.

[Tingles]

Yes - a large outsouce provider. I used to backup documents to CD on a weekly basis.

Not ideal.


T

[OwlHoot]

Just discovered that Clientco's policy on data backups are down to the individual.

There are no shared folders, no user directory, no backup whatsoever!!! On asking, it is said it is down to the individual to ensure they back up their own laptops/desktops and take it offsite!!!!

Has anyone come across a company like this before???

Are you talking about developers' home directories, or source code repositories, or everything, including customer data?! Whichever it is, they must be bonkers!

At my last permie job some years ago, everything was backed up religiously on the usual daily and weekly schedule. Then one day, for the first time in months, someone requested a restore and it turned out that all the backup tapes were blank! Turned out that a a board in their backup server had overheated and a chip had dropped out, and for all that time the backup utility had been reporting a successful backup when in fact nothing had happened. The moral is a backup should attempt to read back some or all of the files backed up, to ensure that it really worked.

[AtW]

Hence why we're all surprised you're still there...

It must be ze money...

[centurian]

They think nothing at terminating contractors as far as I'm told.

Hence why we're all surprised you're still there...

[doodab]

Sounds like they might be hoping your work gets lost...

[AtW]

Decided to renew insurances for this gig.

[thunderlizard]

In theory, no.
In practice (places where restores would only be done upon successful submission of a Restore Request Form, with a 14 day turnaround) - yes.

[MarillionFan]

No

What happens if your hard disk dies and you haven't backed it up? Do you get sued?

Well it don't look good. Company has 100k plus employees!!!!!

Decided to renew insurances for this gig. What I know of the client so far they appear coldly ruthless.

They think nothing at terminating contractors as far as I'm told.