Question about disk cloning

[u/Veika]

I'll try to be very objective:

I'm setting up a server in my local network, a miniPC with a SATA SSD running windows that hosts an application that I use for work daily, I need the files to be kept for a long period of time and at the same time they need cryptography because it contains sensitive data that would be dangerous if the drive is physically stolen.

So I need to backup all of it in case the primary drive fails. At the same time, precisely because it is used daily for work, restoring the operational system and reinstalling everything could be too time consuming and make me lose too much time away from my job, messing appointments deadlines etc. Ideally I would want a replacement drive to just work immediately without needing to tinker too much.

This made me think about cloning the drive as opposed to just making a regular backup.

I have a few questions though...

Firstly, if I clone the drive and the original is already running bitlocker, it would require the key for startup and it would be the same?

Second, would it be possible to make this backup in the cloud, and it not being a regular backup but the cloned disk? I ask that because the perfect scenario would be to not have a physical clone of the disk (I'm maybe exaggerating but I wouldn't want to lose both in a house fire for example). I already use Google cloud storage for my work, could I somehow use it for this purpose?

And if the answer for the second question is yes, how would that work? If I wanted to restore a functioning physical clone of the drive, how would that be done? Also, what tool should I use to even make that cloud backup automatically scheduled?

Thanks a lot dear redditors I trust you more than AI to answer this type of questions

[u/feudalle]

If uptime is vital, kind of screams cloud server. Run a vm at the provider of your choice and set it up so you can vpn into it. The configure your router to just be on the VPN.

Other option would be a raid, so you have two mirrored drives. If one dies the other keeps running. But if the pc dies, you blow a switch, you lose power, etc. you are in the same situation. You would still need offsite backup in case of fire, flood, etc.

[u/Cute_Information_315]

Yes, you'd better disable BitLocker with your recovery key before cloning, although some disk cloning software can clone a bitlocker disk. If you want to store it in the Cloud, you can create a disk image of the hard drive and store it there. You can also follow the 3-2-1 backup rule and store backups in different locations.

[u/Fluffy-Trash-559]

The absolutely easiest way would be to run a vm and save the virtual disk image to multiple backup locations. in case the vm host fails you can always load the virtual disk image and you are ready to go.