Sorin Srbu wrote:

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So you need to be able to walk the fine line between these two.

I'm trying. Something it just isn't enough. Although the boss has a soft spot for linux, as he also heads the CADD (Computer Aided Drug Design)-group.

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To put it into perspective, ask the manager how much it would cost the business if this data was unrecoverable? After that, if they still don't want to spend a few hundred $$s on the insurance, get it in writing that your manager understands the risk and print it out and post it on your office wall.

Rather confrontative isn't it? Me being a Swede, I try to avoid those situations if possible, and find a compromise instead that both parties can live with. 8-} Oh, and I'm a government employee, so the money I spend is tax-payers money. Got to be careful there.

Being careful with the money is the point. Someone has to understand the risks.

You know how that saying goes? You can chose between good, fast and cheap. But you're only ever allowed to pick any two. For me that's IT in a nutshell. ;-)

The other question to ask is whether an offsite copy is needed. After a fire or other site disaster some businesses might collect the insurance money and disappear - others might want to be able to rebuild and continue. Government operations would probably need to continue and need a plan for that.