In this final screencast of the WordPress disaster planning series, I demonstrate another backup solution — VaultPress, a new service that allows self-hosted WordPress sites to benefit from the same level of data security that WordPress.com sites enjoy.

One advantage VaultPress over BackupBuddy is that backups are performed in real-time. Every time any content is added to your site a new snapshot of your database is taken nearly instantaneously. That makes VaultPress a superior backup solution for ecommerce, membership, and active community sites. Additionally, your backups are securely stored on the VaultPress site, eliminating the need to maintain a separate cloud storage account like Amazon S3 or Dropbox.

If your site is critically important to your business, VaultPress is well worth the monthly fee. In this screencast I take you on a tour of the VaultPress press website and demonstrate all of the services key features. I also provide some guidance on how to determine which backup solution is right for you. Read More…

In my previous screencast I explained why it’s critical that you have a WordPress disaster plan in place, and provided you with a worksheet you can use to create your own. Having a plan ensures that you’re prepared to deal with any catastrophe that might take down your site.

In this screencast I demonstrate a tool that meets all of the requirements identified in the planning worksheet. BackupBuddy (affiliate link) is a commercial plugin that allows you to perform both database and complete site backups (including all plugin and theme files). BackupBuddy allows you schedule your backups to run at regular intervals, and even allows you to automatically move your backups to a secure location. The plugin also comes with a restore script that will help you get your site back online quickly if something ever goes wrong.
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If your WordPress-powered website was destroyed tomorrow how would you deal with it, and what impact would it have on your business?

These days, any number of disasters can take down your website: from hackers, to hardware failures, to self-inflicted damage — do you really know and understand those strange commands you just copied into the command line?

As businesses turn to WordPress as a serious content management system, it’s imperative that they have a disaster plan in place to deal with unexpected events that can have catastrophic results. This is about more than having a backup. It’s about having a plan in place for recovering from a disaster that takes down your site.

This screencast guides you through the process of creating your own WordPress disaster plan. Even if you think you’re prepared, there are any number of things that can go wrong with backups. If you’re using WordPress in support of your business activities you can’t afford to take a chance.
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The WordPress system is upgraded fairly regularly. That’s a good thing, for a number of reasons. In addition to providing new features, upgrades address critical security issues and patch annoying bugs.

However, the only way to benefit from WordPress upgrades is to actually install them. Many hosting services even offer a simple one-click upgrade. If that’s the case, then there’s almost no reason why you should delay in upgrading when a new release is available.

Manual upgrades are also fairly easy (remember, WordPress is the blogging system that takes only five minutes to install). This video demonstrates the manual upgrade process and discusses some of the precautions you’ll want to take before you perform an upgrade.

If you’re following along at home, you’ll probably want to install the plugin below and backup your data before you begin:

• WordPress Database Backup Plugin

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We’re all understandably excited about the latest release of WordPress. There’s a temptation to download the newest version as soon as it becomes available, and upgrade all of our blogs immediately. New is always better, right?

Well, yes and no. The new version of WordPress is undoubtedly an important upgrade, with an impressive array of new features and usability enhancements. On the other hand, if you don’t take care in the upgrade process you might just find yourself regretting the day you jumped on the upgrade bandwagon.

In most cases, upgrading WordPress is a simple and painless process. Occasionally, though, something goes wrong. This video will guide you through the best practices in planning your WordPress upgrade. The goal is to ensure that your upgrade goes smoothly, and that you remain a happy WordPress blogger.

In addition to watching the video, please take a moment to complete our WordPress upgrade survey. We’re interested in hearing about your upgrade plans, and we’re looking for guidance on how best to present training material during this time of transition.

Resources:

• WordPress upgrade survey
• WordPress 2.5 Plugin Compatibility List
• WordPress 2.5 Theme Compatibility List
• Semiologic forum
• Upgrading WordPress Video — Includes backup plugin

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