A question I often times hear when discussing “backing up” ones software is:  “How many “back ups” am I allowed to make?”   And as the great Hip Hop legends, Run-DMC, once rapped It's Tricky!

To me making a “back up” or an archival copy of any software program that I have licensed should be a no-brainer.  I do not want to have to worry about any issues if my computer crashes or gets stolen, I want to be sure that I have “back ups” for emergency purposes.  However, where it gets confusing is if I have multiple “back ups”, which I am sure is why the question is asked in the first place.  Typically organizations will have an onsite “back up” of all software programs, while in addition have additional “back ups” at an offsite facility for disaster planning and recovery.  And these disaster planning and testing sites are what can throw a wrench into the issue of “how many “back ups” am I allowed to have” of software programs. More...