RETRACTION: iPhone Distribution Channel Expands

It appears that the arrival of iPhone to our Apple Authorized Business Agent site was perhaps unintentional as it has now disappeared. We have not received official word as yet from Apple as to why this is the case. We will update here immediately as we receive more information.

iPhone Distribution Channel Expands

Digital Design Solutions, LLC to begin integration immediately

Atlanta, GA – August 13, 2007 – Apple, Inc. introduced the iPhone on June 29, 2007. Still in it’s infancy, Apple has quietly expanded distribution of the iPhone through the Apple Authorized

Business Agent program. Digital Design Solutions, LLC, a technology and consulting firm, Apple Consultants Network member, and Apple Authorized Business Agent based in Atlanta, GA will begin immediately assisting clients and prospects with the integration of the iPhone into their businesses and personal lives. Since it’s release, iPhone has rapidly gained credibility and value as a business tool. Many widely utilized Web 2.0 applications and Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, such as Oracle with it’s NetSuite application, have already modified their products to be supported by iPhone and Apple’s Safari web browser. While Digital Design Solutions, LLC serves many business clients, the firm also serves the home user market and sees a huge opportunity for iPhone there as well. Jarrod Skeggs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing said, “Because of iPhone’s multi-touch interface and Safari web browser functionality, it’s a natural fit for the home entertainment and home automation markets. Many of the home entertainment and automation applications available on the market today allow the homeowner to access their system through a web interface. This makes iPhone the perfect solution. Not to mention the fact that iPhone could possibly be the most visually attractive ‘control surface’ available on the market today.”

Digital Design Solutions is an Atlanta based technology consulting and design firm. We specialize in serving Apple/Macintosh users throughout the United States. We are experts in helping you tell your story across any media. We offer a wide variety of products and services that enable our clients to deliver their message with Maximum Impact. We can be reached for comment at 678.681.1815 or info@digidsolutions.com. Visit us on the web at http://www.digidsolutions.com.

Beep, Beep, Beep...Part 2

(Look out Mama, Daddy’s backing up): Part 2

A Quick Review

In Part 1 of this blog entry we touched on just a little bit about what could be the most important and crucial component of any computing system: the Backup plan. (If you haven’t read this entry, please click here and read it before proceeding). Suffice it to say that there are two types of people in this world….those who have experienced data loss already, and those who will experience data loss at some point in the future. Most of us fall into the former category. Those of you that don’t, I beg you to hear my cry: Please put a backup plan in place. TODAY!

W, W, W, W, W, and H

The five W’s and H. Most of us learned this concept back in elementary school sometime. Let’s apply it to the topic of a Backup Plan. Pay close attention there will be a test at then end.

Who?

Who needs a backup plan? This one is easy. Everyone needs a backup plan. It doesn’t matter if you are an 85-year-old Grandma or a Fortune 100 company. Everyone who owns a computer should have a true backup plan. The impact of data loss affects different parties in different ways. An 85-year-old Grandma may only have some emails, a few text files, and perhaps some photographs at stake, while a Fortune 100 company literally has mission critical data at stake. This doesn’t lessen the importance of Grandma’s data, especially if you consider the possibility that some of Grandma’s photos are irreplaceable, but this example helps illustrate how data loss can affect each party.

What?

What exactly is a backup plan? What files should I back up? We began addressing this first question in Part 1. To summarize, a backup plan is structured, provides redundancy, and can, and should, be located both on and off-site. The location information will be covered in the “Where?” portion of this entry. For now, let’s talk about Structure.

There are two things to consider when it comes to the structure of your backup plan. What will be backed up and when will it be backed up. We’ll tackle the when in a moment but first, and foremost, your plan should be structured so that all of your important files are backed up. This can be as simple as setting up your plan to back up your entire home folder on your Mac or you can get a bit more specific with certain files and folders such as your iTunes library, iPhoto library, or personal data settings. Most folks have their own file management style so everyone’s backup plan will look a little different. Once you’ve considered the structure of your backup plan from a file and folder selection standpoint you must consider the timing and frequency for your backup plan.

When?

The when doesn’t simply refer to a specific time of day. It also refers to how often the backup job is performed. As far as a time of day goes this is typically a matter of personal preference. Many people like to have their backup utility do its work after business hours or at a time of day when they are not using their computer. I personally have my backup utility set to do its work between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. My main reasoning for this is that I like to know immediately if there was a problem or issue with a backup job. Again, this is a matter of personal preference. One thing to note however, if you choose to let your backup utility work during hours that you are not using your computer you should make sure that your system preferences and/or backup utility preferences are set to wake the computer from sleep. Otherwise your backup jobs may not get done. As well, remember that if you shut your system down completely, your backup jobs will not be performed.

How often should I backup? The best way to make this decision is to base it on how often a file or folder changes. If you have files or folders that change daily, then you should back them up daily. If the files are changing only weekly or monthly, then a weekly or monthly backup schedule should suffice. Almost all backup utilities offer the option of creating full or incremental backups. If your utility offers incremental backups then you should take advantage of this feature. An incremental backup saves a new version of only the files that have changed since the previous backup. This saves you time and media cost. We’ll discuss this more in the “How?” section.

Where?

Where should backup files be located? The simple answer is, not on the machine where the original files reside. This may seem like common sense to some of you but let me explain why this is. The purpose of a backup is to protect you from the data loss that will eventually occur. If you are backing up files on the family iMac hard drive to the family iMac hard drive and said hard drive decides to clock out, your backup files are gone along with your originals. I know this seems obvious but I have seen a number of people doing backups this way.

The most common options for backup location are external hard drives, optical media such as CD’s or DVD’s, a file server, or even an online location such as .mac, mozy, or backjack. A solid backup plan will of course include a combination of these locations and or media and may utilize different locations or media based on the frequency of the backup job. For example, you might backup an entire file sharing server daily using incremental backups to an external hard drive. You might also backup the same entire file-sharing server to DVD once per week.

Let’s use this example and briefly discuss where the once per week backup to DVD should be stored. The quick answer is, anywhere besides the location of the primary files and backup files. We are talking about physical location such as a home or office space not the computer or hard drive where the originals and daily backups reside. If you are making backups of your home or office systems you should consider making a deal with a neighbor or friend close by for storing your backup files at their home or office. You could do the same for them. If you must store the backup DVD’s at your home or office, do yourself a favor and budget for a fireproof container or file cabinet in which to store the Backup DVD’s. This is probably not a bad idea even if you are storing them at a friend or family member’s home or office. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Why?

Short and simple…It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. It will happen, will you be prepared?

How?

So, you now have a good grip on the thought process and planning that needs to go into a solid backup plan. The final question is, “How can I actually make this happen?” The good news is that it is very simple to get started. Here is a list of suggested ingredients that you’ll need:

1. Backup Software – There are several good options on the market. We personally use Apple’s “Backup” application, which is free with an annual .mac subscription. This application alone is worth the $99 annual subscription fee. Another good option is Retrospect, which is made by Dantz/EMC and runs about $99 as well. One final consideration is Data Backup, which is made by ProSoft Engineering and runs $59. The thing I like about Data Backup is that it offers not only the backup utility but the user can clone their bootable drive or partition and thus make a completely bootable backup.
2. External Hard Drive – When it comes to cost per gigabyte these days, an external hard drive is typically a very inexpensive ingredient. Many external drives offer two or three interface options including USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. Some of the higher end drives even offer an eSATA interface. One caution here, don’t go the super cheap route. While it is possible to acquire an external hard drive for as little as $0.25/gigabyte that’s not always the best option. If you budget $0.60 to $0.75/gigabyte you can get a high-quality reliable drive for a reasonable price. As far as drive size goes, take a look at the size of the hard drive or drives that you plan to back up and double that number. This will give you plenty of space for both backup jobs and some external file storage if needed.
3. Optical Media – either CD’s or DVD’s depending on the size of your backup jobs.
4. Fireproof box or file cabinet – These are very inexpensive and should be viewed as your “Backup insurance”. Keep your backup CD’s and DVD’s in there and make sure the box or cabinet is locked. Again, store them at a neighbor’s home or office if you can.
5. DDS Backup Advice – As always, we are available for consultation on the design and implementation of a backup plan that fits your exact needs.

Beep, Beep, Beep…..

So at this point you should be ready to jump in the saddle, fire up you Mac, and start sleeping a little better. If you’ve recently experienced a loss of data please contact us, not only are we experts in backup plans, we offer complete data recovery services. If we can’t retrieve your lost data then all you pay for is the cost of shipping your media. If you need our help designing and implementing a backup plan, contact us; we’ll help give you a little peace of mind and accountability.

Jarrod Skeggs is one of the principles of Digital Design Solutions, an Atlanta based Apple Consulting Firm and authority on Rich Media Publishing. When he’s not blogging about all things Apple he enjoys the finer things in life like bicycling and trail mix.