These slides give a quick overview of what is required to back up a WordPress website and compare some tools available to do that.

1. Why and How
to back up your
Site
Cover Your Assets!
Metro Detroit WordPress Meetup
8/11/2013
TJ List / @TJList

2. Data is Important
Your Data Picard’s Data

3. Stuff Happens
Accidents Natural Disasters
Vandalism

4. Insurance Options
 Do nothing
 Let the landlord do it
 Do it yourself
 Get insurance

5. Backup Basics
 WordPress Site vs. Server
 Type of Content
 Text and blog posts
 Images and other files
 Backup Types
 Database
 Files (full)
 Where to Store Backups

6. Size Does Matter
 Small sites
 Quick and easy
 Small files
 Large sites
 Take longer
 Bigger files
 Server load
 Really large sites
 Server throttling
 Can take a very long time
 Files “too big” to create or move

7. Manual Backups
 Knowledge and technical skill required
 YOU must do it
 Many steps
 Error prone
 Take time
 No cost

8. Rely on Hosting Company
 Varies with hosts
 YGWYPF
 Manual/Hosting hybrid (cPanel)
 YOU must do it
 Can’t schedule it
 Might be buggy or unproven
 Restore requires some knowledge

9. Plugins
 YGWYPF
 WordPress Repository
 Some used to work, some were buggy
 Premium resources
 VaultPress
 Backup Buddy

10. VaultPress
 Automattic
 The company behind WordPress.com
 Automatic scheduling
 Easy to Use
 Flexible plans
 Cloud Backup
 Set it and forget it
 Tech support available
http://vaultpress.com/

11. BackupBuddy
 iThemes.com
 Highly respected company in the WordPress world
 Automatic scheduling
 Easy to use
 Flexible plans
 Flexible storage options
 Allows you to move/transfer sites easily
 Hosting/Server can affect performance
http://ithemes.com/purchase/backupbuddy/

12. Comparison
Inputs Outputs
Solution Time Cost Knowledge Security Flexibiilty
Do Nothing
Manual
cPanel
BackupBuddy
VaultPress
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