Watched a client lose 6 months of QuickBooks data because the backup drive was sitting on top of the server

Walked into a small law office yesterday to swap out a dying power supply. Asked about backups. They pointed to a Seagate external drive sitting right on top of the server case. I picked it up and it was hot to the touch. Plugged it in and got nothing but clicking sounds. The server itself had been overheating for weeks apparently. Now they're hoping their accountant has old printouts. Has anyone else seen setups where the backup is physically touching the thing it's supposed to protect?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryang778d ago

Seagate drives just love to fail when they get too hot. I always tell people to keep backup drives in a different room or at least on a shelf a few feet away. The vibration from a server can cause issues too over time. For small offices I push them toward rotating two drives and storing one offsite. Even a safety deposit box is better than nothing. If they can swing it a cheap Synology or QNAP with nightly snapshots is a game changer for law firms that can't lose billable hours. But at minimum get that external drive on a bookshelf somewhere with some airflow.

emeryfox8d ago

Dude you're so right about the vibration thing. Had a client lose a whole year of client files because their backup drive was literally sitting on top of the server tower. Just rattling away every night during backups. Didn't even cross their mind until the server fan started making noise and they moved the drive. By then it was too late. The offsite in a safety deposit box is honestly genius for stuff like wills or deeds. Never thought of that but it makes so much sense for the really critical docs.